Viseu Executive Hotel

The staff were super nice, breakfast was excellent, and the rooms were spacious and modern. It’s a beautiful place to stay, with free on-site parking and just a three-minute walk to the old town. Highly recommended.

The location was excellent, and parking was included, though spaces are limited. The hotel was very clean and smelled lovely, and breakfast was outstanding. Staff were exceptionally polite and attentive throughout. It was a pleasant surprise that they accepted my two dogs without any issues or extra charge.

The staff were very helpful, and we didn’t want to leave. Having a late checkout at 12 pm was a bonus. The hotel’s new interiors are so tastefully designed, with thought given to every detail: textured wallpaper, designer seating, lighting, and storage. The rooms have ambient lighting, a clever bathroom layout for a small space, mirrors used ingeniously, and a sunny balcony overlooking gardens. Even the crockery and display stands in the buffet area are part of the design. Well done to the interior designer or designers.

From the outside, this looks like a four-star hotel, but our stay had a lot of issues that didn’t feel four-star to us. It was meant to be my birthday present from my boyfriend, and parts of it were nice, but we were surprised by problems we hadn’t seen mentioned in reviews. We wanted to share our experience with the hotel chain. At both the city hotel and the spa hotel, we felt there weren’t enough staff. At times, just two people seemed to be covering breakfast, the lobby, and room cleaning. That affected the quality of the service we received. We saw the same issue at the other hotel in Sao Pedro do Sul: the bartender was alone looking after the whole bar. He took our order, made our teas, left for 30 minutes, then came back with our salads. We can only assume he made them too. For €16, mine was mostly rocket, with a handful of walnuts, tasteless cheese, a few tomatoes, and salmon. The only dressing was a little balsamic vinegar, with no seasoning. When I asked for dressing, they seemed confused that I also wanted olive oil. The spa didn’t have the calm atmosphere we’d hoped for. People were constantly filming or on video calls, and a group of friends or possibly tourists occupied the sauna and other areas while talking loudly. I think the hotel should manage who they let into the spa. We also couldn’t use the pool because the pump wasn’t working, and salt on the surface made it look uninviting. The bikes cost an extra €20 per person for 2.5 hours. There’s no bar, so there wasn’t much else to do. We went to the spa instead, which we had to pay for; when we asked for a discount, we got 10% off. Breakfast at the city hotel was very standard for a four-star place, with no vegetables or fresh bread. The scrambled eggs were in a big pot on an electric stove, so they were very dry, and they didn’t look or taste fresh. One staff member assured us they weren’t from a bottle. My partner ordered boiled eggs, and they arrived peeled, which we hadn’t seen before. The breakfast area is very small, and it’s hard for everyone to find a seat when all the tables are in use. The fridge in our room was switched off. We didn’t realize we had to turn it on, and had to throw away the things we’d put inside. I’d like to end on a positive note and thank Ana and Solange, who were helpful, attentive, and managed the situation well. I feel sorry for the understaffed team and hope things improve soon.