Quinta de Cabanas Douro Country House

The wedding day was perfect. Since we're religious, we chose to hold the ceremony at the local Santa Maria Maior Catholic Church, and Rui helped us contact the parish priest. The Quinta catered a delicious multi-course wedding meal, and Rui also suggested local suppliers. My husband and I had a WhatsApp group with Rui and Elizabete, who were quick to answer our wedding questions. The team even let us come for a food tasting beforehand. We spent four nights at Quinta de Cabanas with our immediate families for an intimate wedding, and it was such a special experience. The setting brought both families together beautifully, with the Douro river and hills outside our windows each morning and lovely sunsets on clear days. Rui, Elizabete and the whole team were attentive from arrival to departure and helped make the trip unforgettable. There was plenty for our mixed age group to enjoy. We used both the indoor and outdoor pools, sauna and steam room, while our nieces and nephews stayed busy with the open space, playground and games. The indoor and outdoor communal areas worked well for cooking and dining together, and we made good use of the kitchen and barbecue area. The welcome pack was detailed and digital, with tips for supermarkets, restaurants and more. There were also extra activities to choose from, including a catamaran trip, wine tasting and pizza making. We made memories with our loved ones that will last a lifetime. Thank you, and we hope to return.

We photographed a wedding at this beautiful spot, and the service and views were breathtaking. It's a great choice for couples planning an intimate wedding in Portugal, especially if they value nature and want unique photos near the Douro River. I'd highly recommend it to romantic couples looking for an incredible landscape and a comfortable, intimate event.

Avoid this place if you're planning a wedding. Rui first seemed welcoming and very accommodating, but he made our wedding day a complete nightmare. We had kept him updated on all our plans and even flew over to meet him, yet he later said he knew nothing about the wedding. He tried to charge us for every 'non approved guest', even though we had screenshots showing his approval. During our stay, he sent long messages every day criticizing what we were doing. Cleaners were sent in and we were charged before we had a chance to clean ourselves. We were also charged for ordinary wear and tear and for things that were already broken when we arrived. The property itself showed a lot of wear that the photos don't show, including mouldy blinds, chipped paint and an unkept garden. It might be okay for a holiday, I guess, but I'd absolutely avoid it for a wedding or event unless you want to face big fines.

Rui and his wife were amazingly kind, and we felt at home. This was the best place we visited on our trip around Portugal. The facilities were great, with a gym, padel course, pool table, ping pong, sauna, hamman and two swimming pools. The food was wonderful too. Breakfast was a big intercontinental spread, freshly prepared in the morning, and dinner was amazing. You can taste the love that goes into the food. We'll definitely be back.