Casas da Quinta da Cancela

The garden and surroundings were so peaceful, and the staff made me feel very welcome. I stayed here while walking the Camino, and the location was perfect, right on the trail. Other pilgrims had dinner at the hotel. I got there early, so I had lunch at a local restaurant 2-300 meters away and picked up a light dinner, a pizza slice, at the local bakery. It's not the cheapest hotel, but I felt the stay was worth it. I'd love to return.

The place felt cold and short on hospitality. He came into our space a few times while we were there, which made the stay even less comfortable. It was hot, so we had to sleep with the windows open and bugs came in. The room was dusty, and the AC was full of dust too. There were no controllers for any of the three rooms/units, even though AC was included in the listing, and our request was ignored. We were told not to wash clothes in the sink, but there was nowhere to dry them, and the €10 laundry service hadn't been mentioned in the listing. Food and drinks were overpriced, and it felt like every little thing cost extra. Sleep was uncomfortable. This was the worst and most expensive stay on the Camino for us. I'd rather walk 30+ km and carry on to the next stop. Such a shame, especially since we'd been looking forward to staying here.

I like writing positive reviews, but Quinta da Cancela has real potential and this stay left me with a one-star impression. The place is interesting, yet I watched one employee handle check-in, plumbing, air conditioning, bags, cooking, snacks, the washer, and its fees, all on his own. By the end of the day he looked completely worn out, and it felt like the way he was being treated amounted to employee abuse. The owner-manager left guests feeling empathy for this one employee. (Part of the Kennedy party.)

We enjoyed the traditional Portuguese dinner and breakfast, and the staff were helpful and nice. The grounds were stunning, with a sweet, friendly little cat wandering around. Our comfortable “room” turned out to be a whole apartment, with a kitchen and several other rooms to walk through on the way to the bathroom. We were also glad we could do our laundry there.