PAÇO DO CURUTELO: A JEWEL IN THE HEART OF MINHO

An old manor house in the region of Ponte de Lima, with a 15th century castle, is to become a luxury hotel, surrounded by 20 hectares of vineyards for the production of vinho verde and a winery equipped with the most modern equipment, integrated into a vast 57 hectare estate.
In April 2025, the Vila Galé Collection Paço do Curutelo will open, the wine tourism project resulting from a partnership between the Vila Galé and AP Hotels & Resorts groups.
The partnership between the two groups, realised for the first time at Vila Galé Douro Vineyards, is based, in addition to the commercial relationship, on the friendship between the chairmen of the two hotel groups, Jorge Rebelo de Almeida (Vila Galé) and António Parente (AP Hotels & Resorts), cemented over decades.
The investment in Paço do Curutelo is 20 million euros, to rebuild the Paço, build the hotel, wine tourism and the production of vinho verde.
The space will have outdoor swimming pools for adults and children, a spa, an events room for weddings and meetings, a bar, two restaurants, a library and a museum dedicated to the history of the place, as well as a winery and vineyard.
The first wine, produced on this estate in the Vinho Verde region, was launched on 25 April 2024.

Future clients of this great development, located in the heart of the Minho, will be able to enjoy the greatest comforts while reliving the history of the place, the magnificent Paço and its castle, classified as a Property of Public Interest since 1977, halfway up the hill of São Cristóvão dos Milagres or Curutelo.
The exact date of the Paço’s construction is unknown, but the first document that mentions it dates from 1395, a morgadio confirmed by King João I.
In the 16th century, specifically in 1532, a document selling the property in favour of a duke, D. Jaime, describes the property with the house, tower and castle and farm of Curutelo.
In the 20th century, in 1902, a capitalist from Esposende and former businessman in Brazil, Valentim Ribeiro da Fonseca, bought the Quinta for his son and the property remained in the Ribeiro da Fonseca family until 2022.
A place where the past blends with the present, Paço do Curutelo is a true jewel to enrich the collection of excellent hotels of the Vila Galé and AP Hotels & Resorts groups, as well as the friendship between Jorge Rebelo de Almeida and António Parente.