Finca Santa Eufemia

It's such a peaceful place, lovely for reading Machado and taking in the landscape. Juan kindly showed us around the abbey, and inside we found a beautiful place full of unexpected treasures and distinctive carvings.

We nearly learned too late why so few couples seem interested in getting married at such a beautiful place. We were asking ourselves the same thing ten months ago, but luckily we got out in time. We started planning our wedding a year ahead, and four months before the date we had to change our plans. At first, everything seemed easy and came with lots of sweet talk. When it came time to deal with the details, though, it became a mess of lies and problems. Communication was already a struggle. Calls went unanswered, messages took 24 or 48 hours to get a reply, and when we managed to arrange a meeting, we could be left waiting at the door for 10 to 20 minutes, sometimes with no one showing up. They held back necessary information, and we only learned a few months after booking what we were actually facing. We felt they tried to deceive us at every turn. There was no order or organization, and seemingly no experience, responsibility, professionalism, or guarantees. They may think they're professional, but in our view they're far from it. We know people who did get married at Finca de Santa Eufemia, and their advice is an emphatic no. Their accounts make the wedding day sound like a gamble that leaves you completely exposed. You'd have to keep track of absolutely everything on the day itself, from whether enough food had been bought to whether the tablecloths had been washed. They advertise a venue that organizes events, but what we saw looked more like a recipe for disaster. I wish I could give zero stars. Don't let the gorgeous location and the prospect of a beautiful wedding draw you into a process that could spoil it. If you want your big day to go perfectly, stay away from Santa Eufemia. You can get better service anywhere else.

What should have been a lovely occasion became a nightmare. The apartments had dead flies everywhere, and the rooms smelled strongly of sewage. When we tried to speak with her, she wouldn't let us get a word in. We hoped to hold our wedding there. Booking seemed easy at first, and we paid a deposit to reserve the date. They wouldn't even tell us the name of the supposed caterer they worked with, because there wasn't one, just a cook they hire. Once we were four months from the wedding and needed to sort out payments and preparations, every request was met with “you can't do that.” We asked for basic things like tablecloths, lights, and menu ideas, and got nowhere. We had to make up our own menu, then were quoted exorbitant prices, from €160 to €178 at the low end. It wasn't anything special, just a typical set menu you could get anywhere. They'd tell us one thing one day and something different the next. They seemed to count on couples being unable to back out with only four months to go. The place advertises itself as a wedding venue, yet seemed content to do nothing and charge us without offering any expertise or support. They also charge extra if you bring in any outside vendor, though they won't provide one themselves. I hope nobody else has the misfortune of even considering getting married there. I'd call it Hell's Estate.

We really loved our stay. The food, location, and staff were all wonderful, and the place had modern comforts alongside so much history and culture. Maria is a fantastic artist who has added a distinctive touch to somewhere that was already special. Highly recommended.