Casa dos Varais

The gardens and balconies overlooking the Douro River, along with the bedrooms and living rooms, made us feel at home, as though we’d be back someday. Casa dos Varais is full of family stories and history, with warmth and affection in every detail. The elegant meals are carefully prepared, and breakfast brought back the comfort of our grandmother’s house with all its flavors. At the table we enjoyed local olive oil, fresh vegetables, Douro wines, homemade jams, and honey.

The breakfast was very poor, the rooms were falling apart, and the furniture was worn and very basic. The towels were old and scratchy, and arranging to use an iron was difficult. Though the place has a very nice location, the rest felt rotten to me, from shabby fake fittings and furniture to what they call hospitality. We arrived an hour early and were told we weren’t welcome. We had to wait outside until our scheduled arrival time, with no offer of water in the 38°C heat. The venue is advertised as a hotel, but on arrival they described it themselves as a house, not a hotel. Reception said we could leave our bags and have a drink in the garden. When we went looking for it, a very aggressive, rude woman, who we later learned owned the place, told us we weren’t welcome and marched us back to the entrance. She berated and shouted at us, talking over us simply because we were an hour early. Outrageous behavior from a deeply unpleasant woman who doesn’t know how to run a hospitality business. The general attitude made it seem we should be grateful to stay in their run-down, filthy establishment. I’ll never return and urge others to avoid it. The owner seems to think she’s some sort of landed gentry. There were tacky regalia and costumes surrounded by drawings of themselves in the lobby, which I found distasteful, almost laughable. It seemed they rent rooms just to subsidize a lack of income, and don’t actually want people in their “house.” The owner was by far the worst part, with the poorest interpersonal and hospitality skills I’ve encountered. If this is the only place available, sleeping in your car would be preferable.

The entrance was disappointing, and there wasn’t a proper parking lot, just a dusty area overgrown with weeds. The grounds also seemed poorly maintained. Inside, there was no air conditioning, the bathrooms were small and smelly, and without window screens we had lots of bugs in the rooms. Service was poor and breakfast was cheap. We were led to expect fantastic breakfasts, engaging hosts, and generous wine in the evenings from the many 5/5 reviews, but experienced none of that. We’d hoped for a memorable time after touring the Douro Valley, and we certainly got one, though it was anything but positive.

The gardens could use a little TLC, though it was early in the season. The breakfast was far beyond expectations, everything very fresh, after a stroll through the vineyards. Our dinner in the vine cellar was fabulous, with piano accompaniment. It’s a lovely manor house, the owners and staff were very good, and they spoke English.