Pedras Salgadas Spa & Nature Park

Pedras Salgadas Spa & Nature Park is a four-star resort inside the historic thermal park of Pedras Salgadas, in Bornes de Aguiar, municipality of Vila Pouca de Aguiar. The park covers 20 hectares at an altitude of 580 metres, between Vila Real and Chaves. Guests stay in Eco Houses designed by the architect Luís Rebelo de Andrade, in Tree Houses raised to the level of the canopy, or in Eco Studios converted from former chicken coops.

The houses were designed to leave the woodland intact. They are modular, built with wood and slate, and stand on platforms supported by metal piles, so that no trees were cut down and the roots were preserved. The park is lit with LED lamps and lighting is kept to the essential in the forest area to protect wildlife. Car traffic is restricted: electric buggies carry guests at check-in and check-out, and bicycles, electric bikes and scooters are available for getting around. There is a charging station for electric vehicles, towels and linen are changed only on request, refillable dispensers are used and waste is separated in every unit.

The thermal spa, housed in the building where the baths were founded in the nineteenth century and renovated by the architect Siza Vieira, offers treatments, an indoor pool and relaxation areas. The park also has an outdoor pool, a treetop course, a tennis court, a playground, an arboretum with identified plants and the Casa de Chá restaurant. The resort is about an hour by car from Porto.