The rooms Think of the 13 rooms as master works of Iberian artistry, with the area’s heritage woven throughout, like in the white washed walls and simple blue window frames and carved wooden doors, but with astonishing pops of colour, like green jewel-toned tiled floors and Louboutin’s signature red. Though Louboutin deserves much of the credit for the vision here, he also had the sense to make the right partnerships to bring the whole thing to life, including with Carolina Irving, whose rich fabrics upholster the furniture, and Patricia Medina Abascal, an Andalusian aristocrat and expert in the Spanish design. Those bespoke doors come from Los Tres Juanes from Granada, with knobs and handles from Orfebre Seco in Seville. Bathrooms are marble, with amenities by Kama Ayurveda, some with splendid baths reminiscent of the old traditional sinks of Spanish and Portuguese farmhouses. There are also beautiful Portuguese tiles from the legendary Azulejos de Azeitão, antiques, and Eric Helaine light fixtures. One of the standout features, however, are the hand painted walls in some rooms from Greek artist and longtime Louboutin collaborator, Konstantin Kakanias.
Diego Martínez
Food and drink Portuguese Chef David Abreu leads the restaurant Xtian. He trained in hotels in Macau, Lisbon and the United Kingdom; here, he delves into tasty local cuisine with dishes such as porco à alentejana (pork with clams), octopus salad, chicken broth (from his grandmother), Aunt Fátima’s wild boar stew, fried red mullet with squid and rice or the ever present bacalhau (cod stew). A smartly curated wine list is heavy on Portuguese wineries. The restaurant also serves delicious pastries like pasteis de nata, ham, local cheeses, eggs, omelettes and seasonal fruits. The table ware that you’ll want to steal comes from Vida Dura, a delightful local design store in town. Finally, the petite bar feels indulgently elaborate, with a design modelled after a paso de palio, an ornate Catholic sculpture, made by Sevillian artist Orfebre Villareal.
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