In the city that gave its name to port, home to British wine merchants for over three centuries, The Yeatman combines traditional Portuguese hospitality with a British flair for understated luxury, the latter perhaps inherited from the family of wine distributors whose name graces the hotel. Set in extensive landscaped gardens, it’s built across multiple levels featuring terraces and indoor and outdoor infinity pools, with vistas towards Porto’s UNESCO-listed old town.
The Yeatman, then, is a great base from which to explore historic Vila Nova de Gaia, where the port houses have aged and blended their wines for generations and the cobbled lanes lead between the lodges down to the quays of the River Douro. It is also connected to the brand-new World of Wine district, which boasts museums, restaurants and exhibition spaces. A short walk onto the north bank across the landmark Dom Luís I Bridge leads to the cultural core of Porto, with its fascinating architecture, traditional azulejos (ceramic tiles), shops and pastelerias.
All of the hotel’s 109 guest rooms offer a balcony or terrace with grand views – and the ones higher up are afforded panoramic vistas. The hotel’s innovative wine programme involves over 100 wine partners whose products are listed on the hotel’s award-winning wine list; they also each give their name to a bedroom, providing decorative elements from their wineries. The Yeatman introduces the wealth and breadth of Portuguese wines by their regions, styles and personality; its wine cellar houses the most comprehensive collection of Portuguese wine in the world. Further still, the hotel’s Caudalie Vinothérapie Spa uses the antioxidant benefits from the grape and vine to provide an original wellness experience.
Interior of The Yeatman (George Kipouros)
Stay in a port barrel in the Taylors Master Suite
The 10-year-old hotel has introduced several sustainability initiatives, including installing solar panels that can fully cover its hot water needs – including the indoor pool. It has also set up an extensive system to collect rainwater for sanitary use and garden irrigation. But don’t check-out before making time to dine at the hotel’s Gastronomic restaurant, where Chef Ricardo Costa revisits Portugal’s traditional flavours with innovative style, earning two Michelin stars for his efforts.
It’s the Yeatman’s location and natural link with port wine that makes it a unique stay, though, with a genuine sense of its destination – the first luxury wine hotel in Portugal. Its unusual features, which include cultural exhibits on each floor and quirky, wine-related details, give it an individuality that sets it apart: an independent, family-run hotel with strong sustainability credentials.
Rates from £195 per night; www.theyeatman.com
