Pousada Convento de Arraiolos

Pousada Convento de Arraiolos - Pousada de Nossa Senhora da Assunção A former 16th-century convent, now a hotel, known for its architecture, including a chapel, cloister and interior garden. The historical part of the hotel can be visited for free. We spent 30-40 minutes there. There's a large car park and a WC. The restaurant and swimming pool are available to guests.

The location is beautiful and peaceful, and our superior family room was comfortable. The balcony had a stunning view across the valley towards the village. Even so, I wouldn't stay here again after how our arrival went. We got there an hour before check-in, expecting to have lunch at the bar advertised on the website, but it was closed, apparently because of staff shortages. We had to go into the village for food. When we returned at 15:15, after the 15:00 check-in time, the room still wasn't ready. Reception said we could get a drink in the dining room, so we had a glass of wine and waited another hour before going to our room. The wine wasn't complimentary and was on the bill at checkout. That made for a poor start, and dinner didn't help: the roasted vegetable salad came without any roasted vegetables. Having no light snack available on arrival and then not being able to check in on time was too inconvenient for me.

We spent a couple of nights here and had a great time. It's a quaint little hotel just outside Arraiolos. The indoor pool has a lovely view, and there's a sauna too, though getting between them means walking through some corridors and the gym. The restaurant was closed, but we could order food from the bar. The portions were good and the prices reasonable. We also enjoyed sitting down for a meal beside the large fireplace, which stays lit all the time. Service was very good, kudos to the staff!

It's such a beautiful, unusual and peaceful place, a really special experience. I could have sung in the church all day, but didn't want to be rude! Phillipa (I think that was her name) at the front desk was welcoming and helpful. I wish I could come back.