Vermelho Hotel

When famed shoemaker Christian Louboutin set his sights on designing his first hotel, he created a universe as joyful and obsessively crafted as his iconic heels. The 13-room Vermelho, located in a three-story villa painted white and sky blue, is located in Melides, a tiny Portuguese village where Louboutin has had a holiday home for more than 30 years. The name comes from the Portuguese word for red, Louboutin’s favorite color and the signature of his soles; it’s also the color of the custom glossy scarlet tiles in the bar lounge. Every bedroom is unique and the interiors are an eclectic mashup of North African antiques, Portuguese azulejo tiles, ornate marquetry work, an intricately carved silver leaf bar area made in Sevilla, Spain, a glass-blown chandelier custom made in India, and art by Louboutin’s friends, like frescoes by Greek painter Konstantin Kakanias. The lush gardens, which surround a gated pool, were conceived by another friend and collaborator, the French landscape designer Louis Benech, while the transparently tiled alabaster walls of the tiny spa let in the most perfect golden light. Starting this fall, the hotel will begin offering yoga retreats run by American Nicole Marty, a well-known instructor based in Paris.

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