Latest news with #Vila
Forbes
20-05-2025
- Forbes
Inside Portugal's New Michelin Key Hotels: 55 Excellent Places To Stay
Penha Longa Resort Matthew Shaw Portugal's growing number of high-luxury hotels got a new shimmer of recognition with the arrival last week of the first Michelin Keys to be awarded in the country. Although the relatively new keys don't have the same cachet as the long-established stars, they're still a pretty big deal. The keys work the same way the tire-brand-turned-lifestyle-arbiter's stars do. Michelin Guide inspectors check in anonymously, evaluate hotels' unique concepts and personalities, and suss out the quality of their hospitality. They give one key to any hotel that merits a stay, two keys to one that's worth a detour, and three keys to a hotel that deserves a trip in its own right—one in which it's the hotel itself that's the destination. In Portugal, they recognized 55 hotels—from the far north of the country to its southern beaches, as well as in Madeira and the Azores—with at least one key. (A total of 160 hotels are recommended in the guide.) While the country's restaurateurs are still waiting for a third star, two hotels received the highest distinction right from the start. Both are long-established resorts with exceptional dining, spas and activities. They're complete worlds unto themselves, or as Michelin's marketing team writes, 'Everything is wonder and indulgence, the ultimate in comfort and service, style and elegance.' Just a stone's throw from Lisbon, the elegant Penha Longa Resort, which is part of the Ritz-Carlton collection, sits amid the quiet forest of the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park. As is often the case around Sintra, the estate was once a residence of the Portuguese royal family, and it includes an old monastery and a 14th-century chapel that remains intact as a testament to that history. The 204 rooms and public spaces have beautiful views, as does its award-winning golf course. Two of its seven restaurants hold Michelin stars: Lab by Sergi Arola and Midori, which combines Japanese cuisine with Portuguese flavors (miso soup meets caldo verde). The resort's wine cellar contains more than 500 references, but guests can also just drink in the tranquility along the walking trails that lace the property's 540 acres. Vila Vita Parc Courtesy of the hotel Ever since it opened in 1992 on a clifftop above the Atlantic, Vila Vita Parc has been one of the resorts that put the Algarve on the map as a luxury destination. Over the years, it's grown to include new blocks of rooms (203 in total) in Moorish-inspired architecture, lush subtropical gardens, a sumptuous Sisley spa, a golf course, a beach club, six bars, an impressive wine cellar and ten excellent restaurants. The standout is Hans Neuner's two-star Ocean, which reinvents Portuguese fine dining every year with a new menu inspired by the chef's travels and Portugal's history of exploration. Thirteen of the country's hotels, ranging from outposts of international brands to intimate family-owned retreats, were recognized as being worth a detour. Whether renovated palaces or newly built architectural marvels, they share a commitment to aesthetics, a genuine sense of place and an evident pride in the way things are run. A grand 19th-century building houses the main spaces of the beguiling Bela Vista Hotel, and its historical details—especially in the bar—add considerably to its appeal. So do its panoramic views of Praia da Rocha and the Atlantic Ocean, and its one-star restaurant, Vista. The Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Richard Waite Since its opening in 1959, the Ritz, designed by important modernist architect Porfírio Pardal Monteiro, has been one of Lisbon's most prestigious addresses. The oversize floral arrangements and large-scale works by midcentury Portuguese artist Almada Negreiros in the lobby make it clear that this is not a place of understatement. But Four Seasons' brand of discreet service works well in this unabashedly glamorous environment. A hotel within the hotel, Les Suites is a collection of 23 modern and elegant accommodations distributed across century-old houses and a modern wing, surrounded by gardens with ocean and greenery views. Guests have use of all of the larger hotel's amenities, including its infinity pool, spa, direct sea access and two one-star restaurants. The new Lince Santa Clara occupies a 14th-century monastery not too far from Porto. The restoration and hotel conversion neatly combined the past and present, including ancient stone foundations and Art Deco details. The rooms look out over the Ave River and the Atlantic, and there are indoor and outdoor pools, plus a Sisley spa, for relaxation. Quinta do Paral Courtesy of the hotel Portuguese wine-country hotels don't get more lavish than Quinta do Paral, where the 22 rooms were designed by one of Portugal's splashiest architects, some of them have enormous travertine bathtubs, the estate-produced olive oil is served in glass vessels that resemble the bottles for Chanel No. 5 perfume, and guests have access to the only private jet that's affiliated with a hotel in Portugal. A reference since 1891, the pink Reid's Palace is a charming throwback to the days when sun-seeking aristocrats came to breathe the healing air, and when Winston Churchill made the hotel his island home. Its fine dining restaurant, William, also holds a star, while afternoon tea on the terrace is one of the island's must-do's. Another hotel within the hotel, the Reserve occupies the top floors of the Savoy Palace, the grand resort that towers over Funchal's city center and has the best views in town. Guests have access to snap-to-it personal assistants, a private all-day restaurant and club, and their own rooftop infinity pool and solarium. The first Six Senses in Europe, the Douro Valley outpost is located in a carefully restored 19th-century mansion that was redone by noted spa designer Clodagh. Since terraced vineyards surround it, there's a lot of wine on offer, but also a lot of wellness, including a serious spa, forest bathing, food from an onsite organic garden and rooms designed to foster a good night's sleep. Torre de Palma Wine Hotel Courtesy of the hotel The tower in the name dates from 1338, and Torre de Palma thoughtfully combines history and modernity. Its 19 rooms and suites have views of the peaceful surrounding countryside and vineyards galore. There's abundant wine tourism programming, such as tastings of vintages produced on site, special wine dinners and participatory harvest experiences. Even the spa goes in for vinotherapy, using local grape seeds in some treatments. In the quietly posh enclave of Melides (just a short hop from the more famous Comporta), Vermelho made headlines when it opened for its maximalist aesthetic and designer pedigree. Its 13 individually conceived rooms are the work of shoe designer and longtime Comporta aficionado Christian Louboutin, who handpicked rare artworks and paired them with local artisan crafts like handmade Alentejo tiles. Almost on Portugal's northern border with Spain, Vigado Palace is a grand throwback to the palace hotels of the early 20th century. (Its slightly awkward opening timeline coincided with the end of the Portuguese monarchy, but ever since 1910, it has been unafraid of grandeur.) A major renovation in 2010 updated many aspects but preserved others as a proud homage to the past. A petite collection of magnificent houses, Vila Joya is geographically near Albufeira but psychologically worlds away from that party hub. Instead, it sits on an almost wild beach and is surrounded by gardens, and its two-star restaurant is a destination in its own right. Across the river from Porto, on what some marketers are calling the left bank of the Douro, Vinha Boutique Hotel occupies a 16th-century manor house and a new modern design wing. Here, each room has a fully realized fashion theme, with pieces purchased from Hermès, Etro, Missoni or the like. Forty hotels received this honor, which indicates a 'very special stay' in a 'true jewel, with its own character and personality.' The Michelin highlighted trends among the 40 hotels it selected here, including a return to nature through wine tourism, a commitment to the national historical heritage, dedication to promoting respect for the environment, and a commitment to exclusivity in tiny hotels that have just a handful of rooms.
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists Just Found The Perfect Disguise to Sneak Into a Termite Colony
Beneath the rocky soil of Morocco, researchers have uncovered a surprising intruder living undetected inside termite colonies. Few outsiders gain acceptance in termite society, but a species of blowfly has evolved an incredible multipart disguise that successfully fools termites, allowing its larvae to not just survive but seemingly thrive. This has not been firmly documented previously in these flies, according to a new study. The authors say it was luck they discovered the fly larvae inhabiting colonies in the Anti-Atlas mountains of southern Morocco, where native harvester termites (Anacanthotermes ochraceus) build subterranean nests. Evolutionary biologist Roger Vila from the Institute of Evolutionary Biology in Spain and his team study butterflies and ants, and since few butterflies were active that day due to recent rains, they looked for ants. "When we lifted a stone we found a termite mound with three fly larvae that we had never seen before," Vila says. "The water had probably flooded the deeper layers of the nest and the larvae had emerged onto the surface." Intrigued, the researchers returned three times. They lifted hundreds of stones but found only two more of the larvae, which were together in a termite mound. This suggests the species is rare, Vila says. Phylogenomic analysis indicates the blowflies belong to the genus Rhyncomya, although more research is needed to investigate its abundance, along with other details about its biology and ecology. What we know so far is already astounding, though. Termites use their antennae to pat down and smell anyone who enters, helping them quickly identify trouble. Specialized soldier termites have giant mandibles for just such an occasion. Yet with such enviable safety, climate control, and food security, it may be tempting for other insects to try infiltrating their colonies, despite the risk. For part of their disguise, the blowfly larvae display a "termite mask" on their rear end. This consists of a fake head adorned with antennae and palps similar to those of a harvester termite. The fake head also includes fake eyes, which look remarkably like harvester termite eyes. In reality, Vila notes, these are breathing holes. "Most termites live several meters deep and have no visual perception," Vila says. "However, harvester termites come out at dusk to collect grass, so they have functional eyes that the larvae are able to mimic with their spiracles." In addition to the fake termite head, larvae's bodies are covered with strange 'tentacles'. These are uncanny imitations of termite antennae, as the researchers demonstrated with scanning electron microscopy. Unlike the fake head, these tentacles may be functional. The flies seem to actually use them for communicating with termites. And since the larvae have so many of these protrusions, they're able to communicate with several termites at once. Those are both impressive adaptations, but still not quite enough on their own. Each termite colony has its own scent, shared by all members, and nobody gets in without it. Looking like a termite won't help if you don't smell right – intruders from other colonies are not welcome, and may be dismembered by soldiers. But these fly larvae are pros. They don't just imitate a colony's scent; according to Vila, they match it perfectly. "We quantified the chemical composition of these larvae and the result is surprising: They are indistinguishable from the termites in the colony where they live; they smell exactly the same," he says. In the wild, the fly larvae had been in their hosts' food chambers when Vila and his colleagues found them. The researchers brought some back to a laboratory termite mound, where the larvae gravitated toward more populated areas. Termites were highly attentive, flocking around the fly larvae and preening them. They also appeared to feed them. "The larvae are not only tolerated, but they constantly communicate with the termites through contact with their antenna-like tentacles," Vila says. "The termites even seem to feed them, although this has not yet been unequivocally demonstrated." Some humpback flies (Phoridae) also mimic termites, but they do it as adults, not larvae. They're also not closely related to these blowflies, suggesting the ruses evolved independently. "The common ancestor of blowflies and humpback flies dates back more than 150 million years, much further than that which separates humans from mice. We are therefore confident that we have discovered a new case of social integration evolution," Vila says. No other known species in the genus Rhyncomya exhibit a similar appearance or lifestyle, hinting at a relatively quick evolution. "This discovery invites us to reconsider the limits and potential of symbiotic relationships and social parasitism in nature," Vila says. "But, above all, we should realize how much we still do not know about the vast diversity and specialization of insects, which are essential organisms in ecosystems." The study was published in Current Biology. Whale Song Reveals Eerie Similarities to Human Speech, Scientists Find Mysterious Radioactive Anomaly Discovered Deep Under The Pacific Ocean Sea Turtles Dance to Orientate With Earth's Magnetic Field, Study Reveals
BBC News
14-02-2025
- Science
- BBC News
'Bum-face' maggots are masters of disguise
This tiny, sneaky maggot has developed a special technique that might surprise undiscovered blow fly larvae (a baby fly) were found in the mountains of Morocco, and have evolved so their backsides resemble a termite other words, their bottoms look like they have little faces on believe this allows the larvae to sneak into termite colonies to steal their food, all undetected. Soldier termites are known for aggressively guarding their colonies, attacking any invaders. But the disguise is so convincing that the termites think the maggots are part of their colony. In fact, the termites even groom the maggots like they're one of them! Talk about a "bum" deal for the discovered the larvae's sneaky trick by accident while looking for ants. When they lifted a stone in Morocco's Anti-Atlas mountains, they found a termite mound with two never-seen-before maggots living author Roger Vila, a scientist at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology in Spain, said: "It must be an extremely rare species, because we have made three more expeditions in that area and, despite lifting hundreds of stones, we found only two more". But the maggots' disguise isn't just about looking like to the study, these larvae have adapted their smells, senses, and even breathing holes to mimic termites too. Their holes are cleverly shaped to look like termite eyes, and their sensory organs are just like termite antennae. It's like a whole termite costume!And for their next trick, the maggots have developed a smell that's exactly like termites."They smell exactly the same," Vila said, explaining that each termite colony has a unique means the larvae have adapted to blend right in with that specific colony. The larvae belong to a group of flies called Rhyncomya, but no other flies in this group are known to be such masters of team suspects that means the larvae are a completely newly discovered species.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Rare fly species wears fake termite head to infiltrate nests
The natural world is full of tricksters. African daisies can imitate flies to trick real insects into attempting to mate with them and depositing precious pollen. Some spiders can scuttle around like ants to avoid trouble. Now, an international team of scientists have observed a blow fly successfully living in disguise among termites–by wearing 'termite masks.' The findings are detailed in a study published February 10 in the journal Current Biology. A team of scientists discovered a species of blow fly (family Calliphoridae) whose larvae can infiltrate colonies of harvester termites in the Anti-Atlas mountains of southern Morocco. The research group from the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE) at the Spanish National Research Council primarily studies ants and butterflies. Since the area was a little dry and lacking rainfall, the butterflies were not flying. The team decided to look around for some ants instead and were in for a surprise. 'When we lifted a stone we found a termite mound with three fly larvae that we had never seen before. The water had probably flooded the deeper layers of the nest and the larvae had emerged onto the surface,' Roger Vila, a study co-author and an evolutionary biologist at IBE said in a statement. 'It must be an extremely rare species, because we have made three more expeditions in that area and, despite lifting hundreds of stones, we found only two more flies, together, in another termite mound.' The team took a closer look at the ant's bodies to see what types of adaptations were unique to this species of blow fly. The larvae of this calliphorid fly use disguise that helps them infiltrate termite mounds. The larvae display a 'termite mask' on the backs of their bodies. The mask includes a non-functional head adorned with antennae and palps–forward appendages near the mouth of termites–that are the same size as those of a large harvester termites. They also have two false eyes. These fake peepers are the larvae's breathing holes. 'Most termites live several metres deep and have no visual perception,' said Vila. 'However, harvester termites come out at dusk to collect grass, so they have functional eyes that the larvae are able to mimic with their spiracles.' The larvae also use unusual 'tentacles' around their bodies that are detailed termite antennae dupes. The team used a scanning electron microscopy to look at the tentacles and saw that they help the larvae communicate with several termites at the same time. [ Related: Even ants may hold grudges. ] Everything inside a termite nest is dark, so the termites use their antennae to recognize each other. Their antennae can detect the shape and smell of their siblings, since all members of the nest share a particular scent. If the soldier termites sniff out intruders from other colonies, they will attack and dismember the interlopers. To keep from being detected–and likely dismembered–the bowflies mimic the distinctive odour of their hosts. The team's analysis revealed that the chemical composition of the larvae is indistinguishable from the termites in the colony. This chemical disguise is key to interacting with the termites and benefitting from their communicable nest life. Future studies could determine how they create this unique scent booster. When the team initially found the larvae in Morocco, they were in the termite mound's food chambers. When they observed the larvae back in a laboratory set up, they saw that they tend to settle in the most populated area of the nest. Here, they actually received constant attention from the termites. While the team couldn't determine what the larvae were eating, they did observe that the termites appeared to be transmitting food to the larvae using their mouths. 'The larvae are not only tolerated, but they constantly communicate with the termites through contact with their antenna-like tentacles,' said Vila. 'The termites even seem to feed them, although this has not yet been unequivocally demonstrated.' One of the study's biggest challenges was the difficulty of keeping the insects in the lab. It involves maintaining colonies of desert termites, who live in very special conditions in the wild. 'The larvae we studied eventually died without metamorphosing, so there may be elements of the nest and the symbiotic relationship between the termites and the flies that we were unable to transfer to the laboratory. Their diet is currently unknown, and their adult form remains a mystery,' said Vila. [ Related: Flies with shorter eye-stalks act aggressively because females are less attracted to them. ] According to the team, the relationship between the blow fly larvae and termites appears to be some form of social parasitism or symbiosis. Humpbacked flies and termites have a similar relationship. However, it is adult humpback flies and not the larvae that mimic termites. Genomic study also showed that the fly belongs to the genus Rhyncomya. No known species of this genus have this unusual lifestyle or physical traits, so the team believes that this new species must have evolved very quickly. 'This discovery invites us to reconsider the limits and potential of symbiotic relationships and social parasitism in nature,' said Vila. 'But, above all, we should realise how much we still do not know about the vast diversity and specialisation of insects, which are essential organisms in ecosystems.'
Bloomberg
30-01-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
BBVA Chair on Sabadell Merger, Mexico Tariffs
Despite tariff threats on Mexico, "the US needs Mexico for competitiveness", leading to "high appetite for investing in Mexico" says Carlos Torres Vila, BBVA Chair. Meanwhile, on his company's ongoing attempt acquire Sabadell, Vila is "extremely confident" that the deal will go through as it is now "much closer to completion", pending the decision of the Spanish competition authority. Carlos speaks to Anna Edwards, Kriti Gupta, and Guy Johnson on 'Bloomberg: The Opening Trade'. (Source: Bloomberg)
