Hotel Vila Galé Serra da Estrela

The hotel is surrounded by absolutely stunning scenery, and we really enjoyed our stay. The dinner buffet was a little underwhelming, though the included breakfast buffet was very good. I’d absolutely recommend it!

Such a grest place to rest. The food was amazing and the staff were so nice. Loved the spa, and the outdoor jaccuzzi was really nice too ♡

We had a very good time, and the staff were friendly. Breakfast was at a high level. The pool and both saunas were fine, more or less, but we weren’t happy with the spa services. No one seemed to be keeping track of our appointment. The massage I chose cost too much for the quality I received. The therapists need to improve a lot.

The family room was barely big enough for a double bed and the sofa bed opened out. There was no desk in our room, and no standard-height tables in the lobby, so finding somewhere to work on a laptop was tricky, maybe the restaurant would work. There’s no business center either. The internet was only fair, with enough interruptions to make voice and video calls impractical. After a thunderstorm on our last night, it seemed the whole town lost internet service. The outdoor pool area and garden are beautiful, and the lobby is a nice place to relax. Just know the outdoor pool isn’t heated, so it won’t suit anyone expecting warm water. The indoor pool is toasty, but over-chlorinated. Our buffet breakfast was good, and we also tried the dinner buffet one night. Buffets aren’t usually our thing, but there were interesting local-ish dishes to try, including rabbit stew. It’s a beautiful four-year-old hotel in a stunning area. The staff were friendly and competent in English. If you’re bringing kids, I think you’ll really need to book two rooms.