Hotel Casa do Outeiro

Family of 3. We spent 3 weeks in Portugal and stayed in 5 hotels. Stayed in some great places, but this was not one of them. We arrived at every one of our hotels at approx. the same time, around 1:30-2pm. This was the only one that turned us away and required us to return after 3pm, despite there being no activity in our room (it was visible from the check-in desk). This was mid-week in October and the hotel had very little traffic. They were clearly being deliberately rigid with their policies. On entering our room later that afternoon, we immediately noted the terrible smell and the small size. We reserved the Triple with Balcony and it felt tiny. Smallest room of our entire vacation by far. We couldn't wait to put away our things and exit the room. Later that evening we went for a swim. The water was warm, but misty. It was our only swim, despite a prolonged stay and a fondness of swimming. When we attempted to take a shower that evening, we realized that the shower head height adjustment was broken. The "double bed" consisted of two single beds pushed together with linens tucked individually, so it was really just sleeping in a single bed that was next to your spouse's single bed. We've vacationed in Europe many times and realize this can happen, but we hadn't encountered it in over a decade. Breakfast the next morning was incredibly disappointing. It was basically a selection of dry breads and spreads, rubbery pancakes, and poorly prepared eggs. The best part were the spreads, but alas, one cannot sustain themselves on spreads alone. The butter had dark grey streaks in it. The coffee came out of a machine and tasted of hot cocoa. We tried a few times and every attempt tasted of hot cocoa with a touch of espresso. When asked, the attendant stated that it was just the way the machine worked and we could get coffee from the honor bar. We did, we paid for a poor espresso (cappuccinos aren't available from the honor bar). We only had 1 breakfast here and chose to eat elsewhere for the remainder of our stay. Speaking of the honor bar, you had better turn in your ticket immediately when picking up your desired item(s) lest you get the stink eye. They've got their eyes on you to make sure you don't run off with that 1 euro coffee. And here's the best part..they ended up overcharging us for our honor bar items. We only noticed after we arrived home. Wasn't worth fussing over as it was just 1 euro, but it was a humorous irony. Based on the reviews, we were expecting a stellar stay. It appears options are limited in Batalha. We loved Batalha and this region generally, but next time we go we'll likely opt for one of the privately run places.

We enjoyed Casa do Outeiro for one night in Batalha. It is centrally located and has easy parking. We booked a room on the fourth floor with a view of the monastery. It was very good. A comfortable bed and good bathroom with shower. The air conditioning was good, helpful during this October heat wave. Don’t be deceived: you enter this hotel on the third floor and with an elevator it was no trouble to carry the luggage to our room. But all other times we used the stairs. The room was small and wouldn’t have been good had we been staying more than one night. But the daytime and nighttime views of the monastery from our room’s small balcony were great. Reception gave us a great dinner recommendation (Burro Velho-see separate review). Breakfast in the morning was excellent with a wide array of choices. Highly recommend.