Convento do Espinheiro, Historic Hotel & Spa - Évora

This is a beautiful and very relaxing hotel. I debated whether to stay in the historic center of Evora or stay here. I am so glad i made the choice of this hotel. It was such a peaceful setting and easy/quick drive to the town. We ate dinner our first night in the bar/lounge are and it was quite delicious. We also had lunch at the outdoor pool cafe the next day and really enjoyed that. The breakfast buffet was very generous and tasty. We had a deluxe modern room. It was very spacious and comfortable. I highly recommend Convento do Espinheiro!

Dining at the restaurant in Convento do Espinheiro was a memorable experience. The setting is stunning with dining inside a former convent adding a unique and peaceful atmosphere that is both elegant and historic. The food was refined and beautifully presented with flavours that highlight the richness of Alentejo cuisine. The service was professional and attentive without being intrusive. It is the perfect place for a special meal whether you are staying at the hotel or visiting Évora. A truly unique and high-quality dining experience in a magical setting.

This place is amazing! Dinner was booked full but the bar was open. Definitely get the burger, even if you’re American and traveling through. Breakfast was the best in Portugal so far. The even offered a free art class which was fantastic.

Our daughter chose this venue for her wedding in late-May and it was a simply outstanding choice. We, along with many of the couple’s family and guests, stayed here for 2-3 nights over the wedding and we cannot fault the hotel for the organisation, assistance, choice of food, and the accommodation. |We had my elderly Mother with us and the hotel advised us that their one mobility-assisted room was available (it wasn’t when we had tried to book it 6 months previously) and we just assumed she would be in one of the standard rooms, which also involved reasonably long walks to and from the dining areas. So, it was a welcome surprise to know she would be close to Reception and closer to the other facilities.|We stayed in a Design room which had an excellent walk-in shower, large beds and quiet garden views. It would have been nice to have had USB points but otherwise the rooms were very spacious and comfortable. When we visited before we stayed in the more traditional style room, called Deluxe, which was also large and comfortable with more traditional decor.|We ate at the Divinus restaurant on our first night and the food was excellent. We had a selection of fish dishes and one person had the steak. All of us were very satisfied. The deserts were also very good. The following 2 nights there were special arrangements associated with the wedding itself, including drinks and small plates in the Cloisters courtyard area one evening, which was very good, and the main wedding Reception event outside in the evening. What was particularly impressive was not only how good the quality of food was but how the hotel managed to keep all the food dishes hot despite serving over 70 people. |The wedding itself took place at the lovely 16th Century church on site, which was also very convenient for all attending. |What really stands out, even above the location, the historical building and overall ambience, was the excellent service from the hotel management and staff. A particular Thank You to Edward’s who provided so much dedicated help, over many months, to our daughter and her husband. Without her, I can’t imagine how it would have all come together so perfectly.||We did manage a couple of short spells at the attractively located pool in the garden area and my 2 daughters both used the Spa which they said was excellent. Évora, a short 7 minute drive, is well worth a visit and there are other nearby sights to see as well.||We cannot fault our experience here and we would highly recommend this hotel.

This is by far the worst hotel I’ve ever stayed in, both in terms of service and room quality. It absolutely does not live up to its so-called “five-star” rating. The rate was €278 per night, yet the room lacked even the most basic amenities—no kettle, no wine glasses, no cutlery. I called the staff to request them, but they told us we had to go to the bar ourselves to get these items, or pay an extra €7 to have them delivered to the room. These should be standard amenities and not subject to additional charges. What’s worse, we initially went to the front desk as instructed, and were told the items would be sent to our room. I walked 10 minutes back to the room, only to receive a call saying we had to pick them up ourselves at the bar. When we got to the bar, the staff there said they had no kettles and told us to call reception again. It takes 10 minutes to walk between the room and the front desk, and we ended up walking back and forth multiple times just to get basic supplies. The entire process was disorganized and inefficient. To make matters worse, several lights in the room were not working, which shows a clear lack of maintenance. For €278 a night, the room quality and service were completely unacceptable and nowhere near five-star standards. Overall, this was a terrible experience. I will definitely not return and do not recommend this hotel to anyone.

Travelling with friends around Portugal. Our trip included 2 nights at this beautiful hotel. Our rooms were perfection with lots of space and comfort and a bathroom with staff along shower and tub with jets…and a bidet. The history of the facility made the stay more enjoyable. Staff were welcoming and focussed on your needs. Food was excellent. Highly recommend.

This is a unique and beautiful property that is wonderfully situated for visiting Evora and the surrounding area. Our room was generously sized and we had a lovely balcony overlooking the grounds. The spa area was very nice - we particularly liked the Turkish bath. The breakfast was very generous and delicious and we ate at the Italian restaurant and had great pizza. The service at the hotel was also excellent and we particularly appreciated the hotel's assistance in helping us secure a restaurant reservation at a popular local restaurant.

Beautiful luxurious unique hotel. Previous convent/monastery. The rooms are spacious and comfortable and very clean. Bed was very large. Beautiful garden and inner courtyard. The breakfast was impressive with so many varieties. We only stayed 1 night due to our itinerary but would love to stay longer. There is a very very impressive chapel inside the hotel.

We stayed here one night while visiting Evora and Elvas. The hotel is a former monastery that has retained a lot of the original structure, including the chapel and there is a newer section of rooms, which is where we stayed. They have done a very good job of combining old and new. We booked a "Design Suite" for the night. There was a 35 euro charge for our two dogs. They supplied beds and bowls. Reception had changed our room to a ground floor because of our dogs, which made it easier to take them out at night and in the morning. The beds were size appropriate for each of our dogs. The bed was very comfortable with nice linens. There were some expensive pieces in the room, like the Dolce & Gabbana chair. However, a pet peeve of mine is when hotel room design does not take into account how people will actually use the room. With our room, there was a large table that blocked outlets so I had to move the table to charge my phone. There should have either been a smaller bed side table or moved the outlets higher. The bathroom was very nice. Great shower and a Japanese toilet! The gardens and grounds are stunning. The gardens have numerous fruit trees that were laden with citrus and they face a vineyard. Breakfast was stellar. There was a selection of cakes, breads, fruit (really great selection), cheese, yogurt, meats, etc. It is a very large property and it is clear why they host more than 40 weddings per year. The staff was friendly and helpful. They offered a tour of the grounds, as well as a wine tasting. A word of warning - there is a pig farm nearby and it smelled very farmy when we arrived.

Less hotel/resort. More of a forest/lean to/fend for yourself situation. Pool is a bug filled cesspool. A/C out frequently and management is non-responsive. Overpriced and understaffed. Wildly disappointing. .

Amazing - one of the best hotels we have ever stayed in. The Convento elevated our trip to Portugal to one of our most relaxing and fun filled adventures. First, the service is 1st rate - the staff could not have been more pleasant and accommodating. Second, the setting was serene and the converted convent was a special touch. Our large spacious rooms were in the new addition -- and offered all the modern comforts. On our first evening we took advantage of the guided tour and wine tasting (both wonderful) and dined in the restaurant (which happens to be the old wine cellar) how awesome is that. The food was top notch -- in fact we we back every night and never repeated a dish (though tempting) because there were new wonders to explore. We also took advantage of the first rate spa services -- loved it. By day we took a taxi to Elvora and enjoyed walking around and the town and visiting the different sites (especially the Chapel of Bones and the Museum). Our only regrets were that we did not rent a car and explore the countryside villages (next trip). As we travel the world -- this is one place at this firmly on our return list -- and if you are coming to this lovely area -- only one place to stay, Convento do Espinheiro.

My husband and I stayed 4 days/3 nights for a nun convention in November (just kidding about the convention). Seriously, Espinheiro was a fantastic experience overall and I will try to do it justice. Overview: The hotel is a 2 hour drive/easy to find when driving by car from Lisbon. My husband drove to the hotel after our flight arrived in Lisbon at 6am and was able to navigate to Espinheiro via the Evora highway/street signage without using any maps. The property is a mix of old (the original convent) and new (hotel room additions, swimming pool, etc.) The hotel is a quiet countryside respite where you can just hang out, go to the spa, etc. and/or use it as your jumping off point for Alentejo region day trips as we did for wine tasting, etc. It was a very peaceful and relaxing start to our 2 week trip. Staff: We attempted to check in early at 8:30am and the reception staff were able to not only accommodate our request on a weekend day (their busiest time), but also encouraged us to go to the restaurant onsite for coffee and breakfast after our long trip while they moved our bags to the room. They made us feel at home and over the next few days through several staff shift changes and transitions, everyone we encountered had the same mix of friendliness and professionalism. The reception staff helped us through our seemingly idiotic questions about tipping (since their system does not have a way to add tips on your credit card w/o you asking to do so), where to exchange money, how to get a damaged rental car repaired when my husband had an incident with a tree (the hotel has a guy who comes onsite for repairs since apparently this is a common request?, but we missed him and they helped us find some wonderful men at the local Evora BP station who made the rental car as good as new with a detailed wash & buffing for 18 Euros). They also helped us plan our day trips to regional points of interest. The restaurant and bar staff were very accommodating as well. We were always out sightseeing each day at 5pm, but they do host a property walk of the extensive grounds and do a wine tasting at this time- so we did our own versions of these things. Room: Our room in the new addition to the hotel was spacious and well appointed (loved the D&G leopard print desk chair!). It was very quiet in our room, even when more guests were on the property for weekend trips and events. We did have a few large flies that wandered into our room occasionally from the sheep pasture next to the property, but not much you can do there. Overall cleanliness/daily room service was good. Restaurant: The breakfast that was served each morning was very grand by our American standards. Even if the hotel was at low occupancy during the week, they still had the same buffet set up and omelet station options as they did during the busy weekend. They always had sparkling wine, fresh juice and nespresso or drip coffee available but we saw British guests request and get their own pots of tea. I had their fresh cheese (kind of like a ricotta?) most days, plus their smoked salmon and some sort of eggs from the omelet lady while my husband thoroughly enjoyed the wide array of doughnuts along with his breakfast. We ate dinner twice at the hotel and tried a wide variety of their twists on Portuguese food- the chestnut soup, seafood risotto, cod, pork, etc.- these were good solid meals, but we had our best dinners on other parts of our trip. The dinner servings are large, so I was not able to finish my entrees. The bread served with dinner was so good (I always got the "corn" bread- not like American cornbread- and my husband tried the other breads like olive, tomato, etc. which were good according to him). They also give you a bowl of house spiced olives to start your meal along with the bread. We tried a dessert one night and it was ok...better to eat the bread and olives! Overall, this was a unique hotel and experience in the Portuguese countryside- thank you to the staff for a wonderful visit!