Hacienda Tovares

The activities and breakfasts added up to more than $800, and the hospitality just didn’t feel worth that. We spent money on horseback riding, kayaking, the thermal waters, and breakfasts at the restaurant, yet the whole stay felt disorganized and disappointing. We’d come in July with high hopes of celebrating our 10th anniversary. Our room, which cost about $300 a night, was right where people constantly walked past the windows, and there seemed to be construction overhead. The service was the worst part. My husband had booked dinner for Saturday, then called to move it later. When we arrived at 8 p.m., the menu was out of food except for sandwiches, and nobody had warned us during the call. We had to leave the Hacienda to find a decent dinner. My husband and I left extremely disappointed. Forget this place, it simply isn’t worth it.

Their vineyard and gardens make for a lovely walk around the grounds, and it seems like a place worth staying at for at least one night. We also had a nice breakfast and lunch there, with beautiful scenery, lively atmosphere, and great service.

The restaurant staff were the bright spot: polite, attentive, and serving good food. The rest of the experience was bad. Getting there was confusing, with too few signs from the highway for the long, dusty road to the hotel. We were told a room could take five people, but on arrival they said breakfast covered only four and they’d charge for the fifth bed. The bathroom layout offered about as much privacy as a public toilet. There was no cell service or landline, and the Wi-Fi was unreliable and complicated. That might suit someone trying to disconnect, but it was terrible when we needed to coordinate an event with people coming from around the world.

We only stopped in for activities and lunch, not an overnight stay. The horseback riding, carriage ride, and bathing and feeding the horses were all enjoyable. The staff were friendly and efficient, and lunch was excellent. It’s a lovely spot in a beautiful location.