Pine Cliffs Hotel, in the Algarve, Portugal, has completed an “all-encompassing,” US$57m (€51m, £44) 18-month renovation, adding a new contemporary Pine Cliffs Ocean Suites.
The resort has also joined Starwood’s Luxury Collection as part of a multi-million dollar investment to restore the brand’s most iconic hotels around the world.
“The spectacular transformation of the iconic Pine Cliffs is testament to the collaborative and longstanding relationship we enjoy with United Investments Portugal,” said Michael Wale, President, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Europe, Africa and Middle East.
“This is without a doubt one of Starwood’s most significant developments this year, and ensures this very special resort firmly remains the definitive luxury destination in the Algarve for generations to come.”
The renovation includes the new 10,000sq ft (929sq m) spa, Serenity The Art of Well Being – described as a “haven of inspired indigenous and holistic wellness experiences that will firmly place Portugal on the radar of discerning spa connoisseurs.”
The spa includes 12 treatment rooms, including the Serenity Aurum Suite, a private suite with its own steam room, sauna, whirlpool, lounge area and double treatment room. A special treatment room for shiatsu, Thai massage and ayurveda massage, a dry flotation bed and hydro bath are also included. Additionally, the spa features a hydrotherapy pool, sauna with Himalayan salt, steam room, experience showers, ice fountain, indoor and outdoor relaxation areas, whirlpool and a Kneip treading pool.
The spa is fully equipped with Gharieni furniture, including the MLW series spa tables, and has partnered with seven product houses, including ila, Sensai, Charme d'Orient, Thalgo, Gentlemen's Tonic, Margaret Dabbs and The Organic Pharmacy.
A signature treatment is the Serenity Five Element Ritual, which uses ancient Tibetan techniques to stimulate a free flow of energy, and includes a Marma Massage and an ila Tibetan Face Therapy session.
Reimagined by designer Lynne Hunt, the 217 bedrooms, along with the public areas and facilities have also gone through extensive renovations.
The resort evokes Pine Cliffs’ Portuguese heritage with historic features such as the azulejos – traditional hand-painted tiles that were fired in the kilns of Lisbon’s Fábrica de Cerâmica Constância – as lavish, one-of-a-kind headboards in each room.
The lobby walls feature grand panels recounting the discoveries of Vasco de Gama and Ferdinand Magellan as well as a detailed map reproduction of the Mediterranean by famed medieval cartographer Giorgio Sideri.
Spanning over 170 acres across the Algarve coastline, the resort boasts 11 restaurants and bars, six swimming pools, a kids club, an Annabel Croft Tennis Academy, a nine-hole golf course, expansive gardens, shops and boutiques, and more than 23,000sq ft (2,137sq m) of event and meeting space.
The new Pine Cliffs Ocean Suites comprise 148 suites, one- and two-bedroom luxury apartments with personalised butler service and full access to all of Pine Cliffs’ facilities.
