White Exclusive Suites and Villas — Azores, Portugal
At last, this archipelago of islands, famous for their natural beauty, which lie scattered in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean have somewhere to stay which does them justice.
On São Miguel, the largest of the nine islands, an 18th-century summer house clinging to the cliff tops on its southern shores has been flawlessly renovated to house nine suites and one villa. Each one brims with a sense of place from whitewashed walls studded with black basalt to views over the ocean. Décor draws on the island’s natural colours with hues of grey, a dominance of white, driftwood, large flagstones and doors wrought locally in iron embracing at its core, simplicity, with the added luxury of space.
Food is home cooking at its best: the island’s speciality of limpets, with garlic parsley and lime; freshly caught scorpion fish wrapped in melt-in-the mouth tempura, a carpaccio of the intensely sweet, local, pineapple and mineral-rich wine from neighbouring island Pico, where vines grow low between the volcanic rocks.
But it is the view that reigns supreme. Beyond the infinity pool cut along the very edge of the cliff is the blue, boundless, ocean shimmering with promise.
ADDRESS
Rua Rocha Quebrada, 10
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Mary Lussiana is a passionate hotel-lover and freelance travel writer contributing to many of the UK’s best magazines and newspapers. A mother of three, she has lived in Portugal's sunny south since this century began, and continues to live there with her husband, their yellow Labrador, Bellini and returning children.
-
'A creative explosion' in the West End: Sarabande Foundation takes residency at Selfridges
Sarabande Foundation's ‘House of Bandits’ takes up residence with gusto in Selfridges for nine weeks
By Hugo Macdonald Published
-
Yves Béhar describes his approach to design, built around a core of sustainable processes and positive social impact
Yves Béhar is the Swiss-born American founder of Fuseproject, a San Francisco-based multidisciplinary design studio with an outpost in Lisbon. Béhar's work is held in collections at both MoMA and SFMoMA and includes everything from mobility design to medical technology, robotics and high tech start-ups
By Yves Béhar Published
-
Photographing free time in South Korea: rare days off captured in new book
Free time is hard-earned in South Korea. In Seunggu Kim's new photography book 'Better Days,' he captures the beauty of the country at play
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Wallpaper* Design Awards 2025: meet the travel winners transcending destinations
Discover the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2025 travel winners: the year’s places to stay, dine, drink and join
By Lauren Ho Published
-
2025 getaways: where Wallpaper* editors will be travelling to this year
From the Japanese art islands of Naoshima and Teshima to the Malaysian tropical paradise of Langkawi, here’s where Wallpaper* editors plan to travel to in 2025
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Find serenity at Casa Fortunato, a Portuguese bolthole filled with light
Design-savvy duo Antonio Falcáo Costa Lopes and Filipa Fortunato chose Alcácer do Sal as the perfect setting for the second iteration of their original Casa Fortunato
By Mary Lussiana Published
-
Lisbon hotel Locke de Santa Joana wins Wallpaper* Design Award 2025
Born from the restoration of an old convent, Locke de Santa Joana receives our Best Opening award for its design inventiveness and sunny disposition
By Mary Lussiana Last updated
-
The Rebello is a chic hotel with an industrial past on Porto’s riverside
Transforming industrial buildings on the Douro river, The Rebello is a new hotel ‘with an old soul’
By Rupert Eden Published
-
Modern, earthy lodges await at Lavandeira Douro Nature & Wellness
Lavandeira Douro Nature & Wellness in Portugal boasts off-track luxury cabins by FCC Architectura
By Rupert Eden Published
-
The Algarve welcomes Austa, an all-day kitchen in touch with its heritage
From breakfast to dinner, Austa embraces honest eating and local community
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Marqí hotel brings a minimalist 1970s feel to Portugal’s Sintra coast
Danish duo Mikkel Kristensen and architect Mikas Emil’s mansion conversion offers dreamy, cinematic escapism at Marqí, a secluded boutique hotel
By Jessica Kelham-Hohler Published