Casa das Pipas / Quinta do Portal

Beautiful setting for this hotel but it missed the mark with a few issues. The good was the olde worlde charm with some lovely sitting areas in the main hotel building, sadly very little lighting so very dark. There were no people sitting there so assume others felt as we did. Staff helpful and breakfast reasonable but not overwhelming with no hot options offered to us. There is an honesty bar fridge which in the absence of a hotel bar worked well for us. If thinking of staying here you should be aware that the hotel restaurant for dinner is a considerable walk from the main hotel building and even further from Casa do Lagar, as it was dark we drove between the two. We actually stayed in a family room in Casa do Lagar, three adults and the room was beautiful, just a little different to the norm. The metal spiral staircase challenging for older people but I’d imagine very worrying with young children, it did however suit our needs. The bathroom was clean, with a big shower but the mirror was so high I could only see the top of my head, I commented at the time it must have been put up by a tall man! We had a good nights sleep and were not disturbed by the farm traffic however we were aware of the road right behind the building. The bad! These rooms in the converted olive press are not well sound-proofed! We had been aware of our neighbours changing for dinner but hadn’t really taken too much notice however, after dinner in the hotel restaurant we retired to our room and sat chatting quietly. The very bad …… Now there were three of us, one aged 79, one aged 69 and one aged 44, we were chatting quietly, not holding a riotous party nor were we shouting and arguing but at 10.30pm there was a knock on our door and a lady was standing there in her nightdress complaining we were keeping her party of four in the next room awake! We were ‘told’ to stop talking immediately! When we investigated the next morning there is a huge unsealed gap between the wooden dividing the ceiling areas and the roof, this needs filling in and sound proofing looked into. It is such a shame as these rooms are very quirky and different.

Beautiful hotel, fabulous views, friendly staff, magnificent dinner with great wine and delicious breakfast. This is a perfect and relaxing stay for families, couples and anyone looking for an escape from the rat race. We will definitely return

Don't trust the wonderful comments on the net if you want to book a family room . You won't benefit either of the view or the quiet. You will be accommodated in a small building near the road where loud engines start working at 6.30! no view on the vineyards either. Very dark room with a narrow staircase for the third person ( impossible to take the suitcase up if you are a bit old). The shower ceiling is black with humidity. The mirror is so high I could only see my hair in it. The restaurant is good but pricey compared to similar ones. As to the attitude of the lady in charge, it is barely polite. She obviously could not care less. I have just read a comment from four years ago where somebody describes the same experience as ours and apparently nothing has changed since.

After the hustle and bustle of Porto,2 nights in this idyllic location was just what was required.A beautifully furnished property within a vineyard the landscape is breathtaking.Whilst the staff were subdued during our stay ( there was a bereavement which clearly had an effect) they were never less than professional.A nice pool with sufficient loungers,a good continental breakfast( omelettes and boiled eggs available on request) which can be enjoyed inside or out and a courtesy bar and fridge for keeping items cold.We enjoyed the tasting menu with wines chosen to suit each course in the vineyard restaurant-a 10/15 minutes walk might be regarded a drawback but we enjoyed this strole.The chef is excellent and can be trusted to produce a quality meal .In short it was a wrench to move on.

We stayed for two nights at Casa das Pipas as part of a Portugal Green Walks walking tour. Since Casa das Pipas is part of the Quinta do Portal winery complex, we had easy access to the tasting room and winery tour, as well as the excellent onsite restaurant. Casa das Pipas is a lovely boutique hotel that is nestled in the Quinta do Portal vineyards. The rooms and common areas are beautiful, the breakfasts are great, and the pool is refreshing. It's a short walk up to the Quinta do Portal winery tour/tasting building which was designed by a renowned Portuguese architect and has many eco-centric features like a green roof and cork exterior siding. Dinner at the restaurant was a real highlight of our stay. The chef creates a new tasting menu every evening and the sommelier really went out of his way to introduce us to different wines (for example, he didn't want to duplicate ones we had already tasted on the tour). Casa das Pipas would be a great destination for a group of friends vacationing in the Douro Valley! We'd love to return!

The hotel building and the area around it is beautiful. The room was also clean and nice. The breakfast is ok but not great selection of foods. There is a self-serve fridge with wine, beer and soft drinks but no possibility to get some lunch. Since there is no fridge in the room this is a bit stressful as there are not s lot of lunch-restaurants close to the hotel. The staff was not the nicest we have met on our trip. We had a basic check-in and did not talk to anyone before check out. No questions about our stay or even a thank you for the visit. As a summary this place is beautiful, but better service and some warmth would make the experience better: The pool could also use a proper cleaning.