Quinta dos Vales

If wine is your thing, don’t miss Joao’s Mix your own wine workshop. We’ve done tastings around the world, and this one was easily the most fun. After a quick look around the facilities, we tried three wines and experimented with blending them. It was wild how much a small change in the mix could affect the wine. We picked our favourite blends, gave our wines names, filled the bottles and corked them. Such a unique souvenir to take home!

We were three people, and came away really disappointed. The tour was okay, though it went into maybe too much detail about the processes. Booking the tour and tasting was expensive, and we were given two glasses for four tastings. The tapas was just bread and olive oil. The location itself is nice.

I photographed a wedding at Quinta dos Vales last year, and it was a great experience. The staff were relaxed and accommodating, and the outdoor ceremony area is lovely. I’m looking forward to returning! Heather Winstanley Photography

For €200 a night, this was a huge disappointment. We’d booked through Booking.com for my birthday, expecting the vineyard views and peaceful stay shown in the photos. We arrived around 5 PM, saw the place, and decided not to stay. There were lots of stairs between the distant parking and the house, which was awkward with luggage, but that wasn’t the main issue. The supposed vineyard view was rooftops instead. The grounds were messy, with overgrown grass, and looked more like a farm than a winery. Inside, the furniture was new, but the kitchen had barely anything, just two plates and one pan. There were only two tiny vermouth-style glasses, which seemed ridiculous at a winery. Worst of all, there was a strong mold smell. I’m allergic, and started coughing as soon as I walked in. I can’t imagine how I’d have felt if we’d spent the night. We went to the “reception”, which is really a wine shop that closes at 6 PM, and explained what was wrong. They called their boss, who agreed to refund us and sent a confirmation email. No apology or explanation. We did eventually get the money back, but only after a full month and several follow-ups. The place markets itself as a winery stay, but it felt like a budget farm stay with fancy promotion. They even advertise a digital marketing award, probably because the online pictures make it look much better than it is in real life. Don’t waste your time or money.