Six Senses has announced plans to expand into the Americas and open Six Senses Botanique, in Mantiqueira, Brazil, after reimagining a former hotel and spa.

Situated on a hillside amid 700 acres of lush, mid-tropical Atlantic forests, the resort lies two and half hours from São Paulo, 3,940 ft above sea level and at the confluence of three river valleys in the heart of the Mantiqueira Mountains.

Six Senses plans to sensitively upgrade the existing destination and spa – originally built in 2012 – into an eco-retreat with new signature Six Senses facilities, including an Experience Centre, Alchemy Bar and dining experiences.

The existing spa features eight treatment rooms, relaxation suites, floatation pool, a CO2 bath and a tropical rain humid sauna.

In the new year, it will gain additional treatment rooms, relaxation and wellness areas, plus a fitness centre.

The spa menu will offer treatments incorporating Brazilian botanicals, plus a host of wellness programming integrating specific activities focused on yoga, detoxing and anti-ageing.

Guests will also be able to reset with a wellness takeover through a choice of Wellness Days including Boost Your Immunity, Mind Your Brain and Love Your Heart.

In addition to fitness programming including capoeira, the Afro-Brazilian martial art, there will also be hiking and horse-riding trails for exploring the native forest and observing the exuberance and beauty all around.

“Six Senses Botanique will appeal to guests seeking an eco-retreat in nature along with authentic Brazilian design, culture and cuisine,” said Six Senses CEO Neil Jacobs.

“We’re also putting together a programme of rituals, workshops and festivals, offering time out to focus on living at ease with oneself and others and in a more reciprocal way with the natural world.”

The hotel was created out of Fernanda Ralston Semler’s vision to set a new benchmark in luxury hospitality that was completely home-grown, recognising local traditions and culture, as well as its natural setting.

Regional architects, Candida Tabet Arquitetura created the hotel and spa using indigenous materials such as jacaranda wood, natural stone, and chocolate slate, while huge glass panels line the rest of the construct to evoke a sense of “outdoors inside”, with views of Mantiqueira’s valleys and mountains.

When the property adopts the Six Senses brand in early 2021, it will offer seven suites in the main hotel, and 13 private villas, dotted in the hills around it.

A further 14 villas are planned and will be constructed off-site in a modular manner using local materials, with the intention to minimize their impact on the surrounding flora and fauna.

There will also be 37 branded residences, again constructed using an eco-friendly modular approach. Owners will have access to all the hotel’s facilities, amenities and services.