Delfim Douro Hotel

Not a good start, hotel looks lovely on arrival, but the balconies with the amazing view are tiny with one deck chair, so our aim of watching the sun set together means taking the upright chair outside which is not ideal. ||Next, the walls are paper thin, I had to go to reception at midnight on our first evening to ask them to contact the person in the neighbouring room asking them to turn their television down as it was so loud we could not sleep. Having said that the request was swiftly dealt with, with kindness and courtesy. So 5 * to the staff.||There is no wall between the bathroom and the bedroom only a glass panel with a see through blind over it, so when you switch on the light to use the bathroom it floods the bedroom with light waking the other person.||The bedlinen is not what you would expect from a ‘four star hotel’, very thin, a shame as the bedrooms are spacious and comfortable otherwise. ||Then the rules… the pool does not open till 10 am so if you want to go out for the day, it is too late to be of use. Despite a spa being mentioned several times in the hotel description there is no spa…one is planned apparently. Very unfair on the lovely staff who have to detail the bad news. ||Finally, the welcome brochure is not welcoming, you discover you are charged €2 per coffee pod to make your own poor quality coffee in your room, with no milk and only two sugar sachets.||In addition, the ‘rules’ say that you can only consume products purchased at the hotel premises, failure to comply results in a fine of 50 euros per person! As someone with a lactose allergy I often have to provide my own food to avoid being ill if there is not a clear allergens policy, so whilst we ate out whilst visiting vineyards and wine tasting, I took in protein bars and lactose free biscuits, so I am not looking forward to potentially being charged 100 euros at the end of our stay.||The mini bar was empty with one complimentary bottle of water between two people and two biscuits, with no label/ allergy information. Ordering mini bar items from the room service incurs a €9 fee.||Had the rules been detailed in the hotel promotion literature we would not have chosen this hotel, charging for coffee pods, €50 fines for eating your own food in your room, especially where there is no suitable alternative, no spa and restricted pool times are not our idea of a 4* hotel.||The fruit at breakfast was good, with limited hot options and no allergen labels, the carton orange juice rather than fresh came as a shock though. ||BUT the staff are all friendly and very helpful and the view remains beautiful, hence the revised review to three stars.

Great view of the Douro river. The hotel is well located a close to multiple wineries. We also got great customer service from the staff especially Alexandra who helped us to book our tour and gave us some great tips on what to do in the area. The breakfast was also really good. The parts that I liked the least was the bathroom where there wasn’t much privacy (glass wall between the room and the bathroom). Also, I would recommend skipping the restaurant for dinner as it is really overpriced for what it is.

This hotel has a magnificent position, far superior to many of the top hotels in the area and with it come perfect views. The rooms are very basic and nothing special but sufficiently comfortable and clean. The furniture is very cheap and basic, think Ikea-lite. The reason to stay here is the fabulous view- from the rooms, the dining space, the lobby, the pool. Unfortunately, the room's small balconies are nonfunctional at multiple levels. First, there is only a low level deck chair, and a single chair space. The eyeline is not ideal due to the chair type, and it's amazing that noone thought of a couple wishing to sit on the balcony at the same time, placing two small chairs with a higher seat level in the space. Having said that, we still loved being able to stand there and look in each direction and different light-of-day conditions. This is not as busy a section of the valley, making it a far more pleasant choice and you don't look directly into busy hill towns. Parking was ample and easy. The staff at the desk were lovely, but the staff at the restaurant were hit/miss and somewhat clueless. The basis for the 4 vs 5 score is that the restaurant is a 1 (or zero). We had the absolute worst meal we have ever had in Portugal or Spain, over many decades, at this restaurant. Overpriced and poor by all standards, it was hard to eat... or forget.

We came here for 3 nights on our second leg of our 5 leg euro honeymoon. If you are looking for somewhere special, spend a bit more and go to the 6 senses. Rooms- They were adequate, but nothing special. Beautiful views from every vantage point was a plus, but about the only plus… Beds were quite uncomfortable. Bedding was not good, and the pillows were dreadful. There are no doors on the bathroom, and the showers are about wide open. 2/5 on the rooms. Service- They were extremely pleasant, but only when prompted. The dining was under par food wise. This staff seams inexperienced, but has potential to grow with better management and a more tasteful oversight. Reception was friendly. These were very nice people overall, but nothing to recommend as a “wow” experience to others. Location- Great! Was very close to all places we wanted to visit. Town is a 5 minute drive away thru beautiful winding mountain roads. Close to all of the local vineyards, towns, and attractions. Summarized- This is a 2/5 hotel. A bit of a stretch price wise for what it has to offer. I would suggest elsewhere if you are looking for something special. We enjoyed our stay, but didn’t love it…

For the most part, we enjoyed our stay at Delfim Douro. The setting, view, indoor and outdoor common spaces are quite lovely. The staff were all very friendly. Breakfast had a lot of variety and quality was good. We had dinner at the restaurant one evening and the dishes were bland and prawns were mushy--not good at all. We had a room on the -3 (ground) floor with a patio and two chairs, which was nice. As others have mentioned, the open concept bathroom is terrible. Who likes that? What designer thinks that kind of intimacy is appealing? I missed the comments prior to making the reservation, otherwise we probably would have chosen to stay elsewhere. Also, there were some plug in air "fresheners" in the hall on our floor that were really atrocious, and we had to hold our noses to and from the elevator. A small thing, but unpleasant. All in all, we liked the hotel, and if they put some doors on the lieu, we would consider staying again.

We stumbled upon this gem when a booking attempt at another hotel failed. What a great failure recovery. It was so sophisticated and yet simple and clean. The rooms were quiet and clean, the beds amazingly comfortable, the balcony view over the river was exquisite. The staff were superb and accommodating. The bar and tapas offering every night was perfect, and the breakfast was better than any restaurant. Located in the heart of the Douro River wine region, with access to many of the must-see sights and experiences of the region, this was a highlight of our trip.

We stayed here two nights in room 102 with a balcony overlooking the Douro River. The view was exceptional, and there was enough space for our luggage. The bathroom had a nice shower along with plenty of counter top space. We liked the included breakfast which had lots of local meats and cheeses for us to sample. The room could have used more wall outlets since we had to unplug a lamp to charge our phones and we also found the walls to be a bit thin since we could hear the neighbors voices and TV. Another light by the corner chair would be appreciated since that corner was a bit dim when the curtains were closed.

Great location for visiting valley Easy parking Staff were helpful if a little disorganized. They set us up with a wine tour and also kayaking Room had great views and a nice terrace to sit on and drink wine from a winery. One odd thing was trying to charge for a corkscrew and wine glasses to use in room. The first time ever we have been asked for this at a good hotel. We used the water glasses in room Almost lost a star but the next night no charge. Room was clean and bed comfortable One original feature was a bath tub which was separated from bedroom area by a wall which was also a window to the room. It had a shade that you could use for privacy. The pool was stunning but unheated so very cold. Hopefully passive solar will catch on soon in Portugal. Breakfast buffet was good with nice selection of meats, cheeses fruit. pastries etc Up to the standard of some more expensive hotels we stayed at. Dinner was good and dining room has lovely views. There is a hiking trail that starts just beyond hotel.