SD107
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Stayed for a night during summer last year. This is an old Portuguese palace which has been renovated by the local municipality and is being run by a very nice man João and his family. ||The rooms are small but neat. We had a room on the ground floor, that opened out onto a small garden as we had our dog with us. While entering and exiting the hotel, we had to use a side entrance, as understandably dogs were not allowed in the dining area, and we had to go through this to access our room. ||Amenities were extremely basic and the extra bed provided in the room was extremely tiny and very uncomfortable. ||The restaurant was lovely, a noisy but lively place and the food was good. From what we understood, João’s wife - I think Paula -is the head chef and she is excellent. That night we had the most delicious apple crumble with ice cream for dessert. ||While sitting in the little patio outside we met with João’s son Paulo and he very kindly took time to tell us about the history of Penedono, the medieval festivals etc and showed us a beautiful drone video of Penedono in winter after a snowfall....like a winter wonderland. ||Breakfast the next morning, was not a buffet, but you were served everything you normally get at a regular continental breakfast- even freshly squeezed orange juice. The little chocolate brownies were to die for! ||There is ample parking place owned by the hotel around. The hotel is very centrally located in the little town, right at the foot of the castle. If you are early, you can take a walk into the grounds of the castle and climb up a bit to get some lovely views of the town. ||