Água Hotels Mondim de Basto

We’d been interested in this hotel for a long time and really liked what we saw. We’re three adults with three children, including one-year-old twins and a three-year-old boy, and wanted some Balkan air. At first, everything went well in the house where they put us. The trouble started during the last two days. We were told we had to leave the house because other guests were coming, and that we’d be moved to two hotel rooms. We agreed and didn’t complain, but had to gather all our bags and carry them upstairs ourselves. Nobody offered to help. We spent one night in the rooms, then were due to leave the next day. Our flight was late, so we needed to stay until 7 in the evening. They asked us to pay an amount for the two rooms, and we did. We’d already checked out of one room, since we only needed one while waiting to leave, but they still told us to vacate the other by noon. My husband explained that we had nowhere to go with three children in the terrible heat, and they’d need to sleep and rest. We were told to spend the day at the bar with our luggage and the children. My husband got angry and said we wouldn’t leave the room. Then they moved us again, because someone had booked that particular room. We weren’t satisfied at all. They said people were coming to stay in the house, but it was empty. I don’t know why they did this.

The staff were friendly and capable, but the room and hotel were poorly maintained. There was a strong damp smell from the walls and curtains, which isn’t acceptable. I expected a four-star stay, and this fell well short. When I raised the problems with the manager, I got no reply and saw no effort to fix anything. To me, poor management is at the root of it. The service doesn’t meet a four-star standard, and I wouldn’t recommend the hotel to anyone looking for a quality stay.

The pools are really nice, and the rooms are fine. I stayed in the suite, which was amazing. Cleaning was good, though they didn’t replace the shampoo or bath gel. Breakfast was great. You need to book breakfast, and the bar has very few options. After 19:00, they only serve drinks, with nothing to eat. Some of the staff could be nicer.

The breakfast was pretty poor, and the room came with none of the basics like slippers, a robe, or a kettle. It’s a three-star hotel, sure, but nowhere near the better ones. The interior is very basic too.