In the Portuguese town of Porto (a UNESCO heritage site), is a neighbourhood that masquerades as a resort.Established at the end of the nineteenth century, Bairro do Silva is the sort of neighbourhood that straddles vernacular and voguish, simple and swish—with equal elan. After all, with cool concierge services, cutting-edge technologies and amenities that could put five-stars to shame, it’s nothing like its country neighbours. 

The resort has 40 accommodation units and commercial spaces—divided across 5 buildings—rehabilitated and redesigned by architecture studio Pablo Pita in collaboration with Heim Balp Architekten.When it came to reviving the architecture, the design were mindful of preserving the buildings’ patina, using strict preservation techniques in a bid to retain many of the homes’ original emblems. To distinguish the holiday neighbourhood from the rest of the town, the architects gave the facades an ash-coloured facelift, and created a signature exterior arrangement in partnership with landscape architect Hugo Carneiro of Mudita Studio.

The resort is underpinned by four basic tenets: aesthetics, comfort, world-class service and cutting-edge technology. “Aesthetics are at the heart of Village by BOA,” say Pablo Rebelo and Pedro Pita, co-founders and principal architects at Pablo Pita, adding that the process involved choosing the right balance of materials to create the ideal staycation experience. But here, comfort isn’t limited to aesthetics alone, presenting equally in the way of high-quality furniture and appliances. 

For the interior design, BOA Hotels founders, Lior Zach and George Vinter, tapped long-time friend and collaborator, Ingrid Aparicio of Bacana Studio. Their brief“To create a feeling of comfort in every corner.” By the same token, all the furniture is Japandi-inspired, custom-designed and made in Portugal. The designs are simple (but high-quality), with unfussy lines, soft and earthy hues, and natural materials like wood, linen and rope. 

Ingrid also curated artworks by local artists, to showcase homegrown talent. The accommodations, which can be categorised into Duplex, Studio and Apartment, range in size from 30-85m2 and 1-2 bedrooms. Every home also comes with a fully equipped kitchen where guests can prep their own meals.