alp182
Google
What a sublime place to spend a week. We chose to stay in one of the pool villas and couldn’t have been happier. The mirrored villa, disappears into the beautiful landscaped gardens with palm trees filtering the afternoon sun on our own private deck and pool; it’s peaceful bliss and the perfect place to disconnect from the outside world.||This was our first visit to Portugal and we had various plans to explore the area but actually decided to stay on site and enjoy the facilities. The architecture and decor of the hotel is quite special; an original farmhouse has been adapted to create a modern boutique hotel with polished concrete floors, corten steel and with full height glazing in the foyer, dining room and bar. Set amongst landscaped woodland with a short walking trail and various nooks to sit and take in nature, it’s a lovely way to spend sunny days.||The spa is excellent with steam room, sauna, hot tub, indoor pool, treatment rooms and gym. Most of the time it was very quiet, we were often the only ones using the facilities despite the hotel being nearly fully booked. Massages can be arranged in advanced and we had a 90 min full body massage which was very good.||We ended up eating in the restaurant nearly every evening and tried almost everything on the menu. The quality, variety and presentation was excellent, we enjoyed every meal and the staff are very knowledgeable and willing to recommend wine pairings. Prices are reasonable and if you try not to have a bottle of wine every night (!) two can eat for around £70. The buffet breakfast is also very good with everything one could want including omelettes made on request. Best of all, breakfast is still served until 11!||The staff are very attentive and accommodating - Miguel was very friendly and led a very good wine tasting in the hotel’s wine cellar. Tiago, Ana, Helen, and the rest team were always very friendly and helpful, nothing was too much to ask.||Many people may well drop Quinta de Silvalde down the consideration list because it’s a little out of the way, a 30 min drive from Porto and there’s really nothing to see in the immediate surroundings; it’s effectively set within a residential estate. The nearby town of Santo Tirso is pretty, the Monastery and Sculpture museum are worth a visit but that’s about it. It depends on what experience one is after, but the key takeaway is the overall vibe: unpretentious, relaxed and secluded.