Pousada Valhacouto

The payment mix-up at checkout was the worst part of the stay. We’d already paid half when booking online and the other half at check-in, but at 5:30 in the morning, as we were trying to leave for our trip, the front desk man insisted we owed another half. He spoke Portuguese and I spoke English, so I used Google Translate while showing him the emails, records, and other documents proving both payments. We went back and forth for about 15 minutes. He eventually checked receipts in a back room, then said he was releasing us and would contact the booking site, which would get back to me about payment. Nobody has contacted me, so I assume they found their mistake. Still, they need a better way to track payments. Another guest might have paid twice, and it’s hard to excuse the error at a small place with barely anyone staying there. I’d tell people to stay somewhere else. There’s nothing compelling about this place, and the whole thing felt shady even if it was only a mistake. Our room was in the annex on a lower floor, with no window to look outside, and it felt like a dungeon. There were bugs, especially in the bathroom. They did provide bug spray, but I had to use it right after checking in to get rid of ants, then clean up the dead ones myself. There was never any room service either.

The Mexican restaurant nearby has live music that gets too loud, so keep that in mind. Otherwise, it’s a lovely place, handy for the town center and everything around it. The staff are attentive and very nice. Breakfast is good, and the Wi-Fi is usable if you need to work.

We got a low-season discount, so the price for what we got was great. The family room for four was spacious and had air conditioning, and the owners and staff were very friendly. It’s about a seven-minute walk to the historical center, with a large parking garage available for your car. There’s also a nice pool. Breakfast included fresh juice, fruit, coffee but no tea, cheese, ham, yoghurt, bread rolls, jam, and cereal.

The breakfast was good, but the room was awful, with mold and really uncomfortable beds.