Monte Prado Hotel & Spa

The best part was the location and the views from our room. We also enjoyed the servers at dinner, which we had twice, and the women at reception were lovely. But this felt nowhere near a four-star spa hotel. Our room had no coffee, water, robe, slippers, or other amenities. Pool towels and parking cost extra. Guests who didn’t pay to park had to leave their cars along the road. Getting out was risky, with oncoming traffic squeezing through between the parked cars and our car. If the owners want to keep the four-star rating and call this a spa hotel, they should spend a weekend at Gran Hotel Nagari Boutique & Spa to see what a real four-star experience is like.

Great value for the money. The rooms…

It’s possible to go for a walk along the river, and there are indoor and outdoor pools. The rooms are good, the views are lovely, and the breakfast has plenty of good options. The young staff were smiling and friendly. The corridors feel bare with all that white. They could use some decoration, perhaps with an art concept. I also don’t understand the €7 charge for outdoor parking. Maybe there’s a reason, but I didn’t see it.

The spa was meant to be a quiet place to relax, but children were still there well after the adult-only hours. All the splashing and jumping made it impossible to unwind. We waited an hour and a half for a basic room service order of toast and soup. That kind of delay isn’t acceptable. The rooms also badly need a makeover and don’t feel like what I’d expect from a four-star hotel. Parking outdoors costs €7.50 a day, which seems unreasonable when the hotel is so remote and there’s no real alternative. We were really looking forward to visiting the north of Portugal, but the hotel didn’t live up to our expectations. We’ve always enjoyed the region, but this stay left us deeply disappointed. We won’t be coming back.