Quinta de Silvalde

Our stay at Quinta da Silvalde in Areias, Portugal, had both positives and negatives. The property itself is beautiful and well-maintained, and the staff were exceptionally polite and friendly. We stayed for 5 days, and on the last day, as we had an early flight, they kindly arranged for us to have some breakfast before leaving, which was much appreciated. However, we encountered several issues during our stay. Privacy in the bathroom was lacking due to see-through windows in both the toilet and shower areas. After requesting a change, we were given a smaller room with better privacy. Additionally, the air conditioning only worked on the heating setting, making it impossible to cool the room, and the small fridge was warm inside, unable to chill our drinks. The swimming pool is very small, and guests are expected to turn on the sauna themselves, which takes 40 minutes to heat up. This should ideally be managed by the hotel during opening hours (9 am - 9 pm). Pool cleaning took place at 7 pm, requiring us to ask staff to turn off the cleaning machine to be able to use it. Breakfast was very minimal, with limited items like bread and eggs, and juice was only available on the first day. After that, we were told it was out of stock, which is disappointing considering breakfast was included. The location is also not ideal, as it’s in a residential area with constant traffic. Despite these issues, the staff's helpfulness and kindness did make a difference in our experience. However, for the price, we expected more in terms of amenities and management. We might consider returning if improvements are made, particularly with food availability, room amenities, and privacy.