Restored at a cost of over €13.3m, the whimsical Montebelo Vista Alegre Ílhavo Hotel is the latest salvo of the ambitious Terreiro da Vista Alegre – a complex that includes a clutch of national monuments, theatre, museum and retail boutiques.
The hotel’s 82 rooms have been inserted into two distinct buildings that are joined by a black metal spiral staircase and a common wall of local red stone.
The late 17th-century Palácio features ten gloriously restored rooms, one of which leads out to the balcony of the adjoining original chapel, whilst the newer rooms in the contemporary building – the best ones face the River Boco – provide an unexpectedly playful counter-note. The latter is provided by the hotel’s creative consultants and designers Sam Baron and Isabel Abreu who worked closely with architects Paula Nunes and Tiago Araujo, and a team of local painters and potters to swathe entire walls and floors with porcelain bowls and saucers, and delicate hand-painted silhouettes of birds and butterflies.
Meanwhile, the in-house restaurant cleaves close to Portuguese standards. Bacalhau, or salted cod, appears with a crunchy sausage crust and risotto, whilst eel stew, octopus with rice, and seafood stew round off a rather tasty prelude to a nightcap by the outdoor swimming pool with views of the Aveiro lagoon.
ADDRESS
Lugar da Vista Alegre
3830-292 Ílhavo
-
All-In is the Paris-based label making full-force fashion for main character dressingPart of our monthly Uprising series, Wallpaper* meets Benjamin Barron and Bror August Vestbø of All-In, the LVMH Prize-nominated label which bases its collections on a riotous cast of characters – real and imagined
-
Maserati joins forces with Giorgetti for a turbo-charged relationshipAnnouncing their marriage during Milan Design Week, the brands unveiled a collection, a car and a long term commitment
-
Through an innovative new training program, Poltrona Frau aims to safeguard Italian craftThe heritage furniture manufacturer is training a new generation of leather artisans
-
Sun-soaked European destinations to visit in springDreaming of Florentine palazzos and Greek islands now that the weather is starting to turn? Check into one of these beautiful European hotels and holiday homes
-
The world's most heavenly destinations for astrotourism in 2025We're in for a big year for celestial events. These are the world's best hotels to see the cosmos as you've never seen it before
-
Wallpaper* Design Awards 2025: meet the travel winners transcending destinationsDiscover the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2025 travel winners – the year’s places to stay, dine, drink and join – and watch our video to find out why they won
-
2025 getaways: where Wallpaper* editors will be travelling to this yearFrom 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
-
Find serenity at Casa Fortunato, a Portuguese bolthole filled with lightDesign-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
-
Lisbon hotel Locke de Santa Joana wins Wallpaper* Design Award 2025Born from the restoration of an old convent, Locke de Santa Joana receives our Best Opening award for its design inventiveness and sunny disposition
-
The Rebello is a chic hotel with an industrial past on Porto’s riversideTransforming industrial buildings on the Douro river, The Rebello is a new hotel ‘with an old soul’
-
Modern, earthy lodges await at Lavandeira Douro Nature & WellnessLavandeira Douro Nature & Wellness in Portugal boasts off-track luxury cabins by FCC Architectura
