Casa de Casal de Loivos

Our stay here was away beyond what we expected. This place is so beautiful, the staff is super friendly, they treated us like family. The sunset view was amazing. We woke up above the clouds, literally. It was so peaceful. This was one of the best experiences we had in Portugal. They also serve a communal dinner; however, we didn’t try it because we had to confirm 48 hours before, and that point we didn’t know what we wanted to have, but next time we will for sure. Everything was perfect. I recommend you to stay here.

Words can not describe this property, it’s location nor it’s wonderful staff - perfection!!! Bernardo and his family welcome you with open arms and huge smiles and ensure your time in the Duoro valley is perfection! Everyone went above and beyond to ensure even the smallest detail was not overlooked, right down to offering to pick us up in the middle of the night, if a taxi could not be found further up the valley! Perfect stay

A fabulous hilltop guesthouse with a breathtaking view over the Douro. The real highlight, however, is host Bernardo, who goes overboard to make your experience a pleasure. Dinner and breakfast in the dining room are family style. The meals are excellent. Bernardo will not only suggest options for day trips, he will make you reservations on your behalf and give you instructions for how to get there.

We loved this place! Bernardo, our host, made us feel very welcome. The house has been in his family since the 1700s and guests are treated as family, with dinner served around a large single dining table (must book in advance for dinner). This fun style of dining encouraged lots of entertaining chatter and conversation. The food served every night was really delicious. Three courses of gourmet local fare. Wine extra but reasonable. Beautifully appointed bedrooms (8) and bathrooms. Direct access to large terrace overlooking the pool, with stunning views over the Douro Valley. 40 minute scenic walk down the hill to neighbouring Pinhao on the Douro where one can take a river tour or laze in the many restaurants. The excellent pool at the property was very welcome after the 90 minute walk back up the hill! (one can always take one of the many local taxis) Bernardo also organised a private wine tasting for us at Quinta de Marcela, hosted by Carmel (sp?) who also supplied us with delicious snacks while tasting the wonderful Duas Arvores wines. We cannot recommend this location more highly! One of our favourite stays during our 6 weeks away.

What an amazing find! We stumbled on Casal de Loivos when searching for a special Douro Valley guesthouse. The house is owned by Bernardo who is the 7th generation owner of the property that became an inn a couple of decades ago. I work in hotels and we love storytelling, which Bernard has plenty going back a century or two. We arrived hungry and tired so the team brought us wine in a beautiful sitting room. Bernard offered us a light snack even though it was well past dinnertime. We appreciate that he emailed earlier to offer dinner. When the beautiful charcuterie plate arrived, he apologized they are too small for 'mes en plas'! He had cut everything to order, all cheese and meat from Spain or Portugal. Our only regret was not staying for more than the evening and morning. Breakfast was wonderful and plentiful, but the other guests said we missed the quiche served the previous day. We could tell that all the staff truly enjoyed giving us a wonderful experience! We will be back!!

As advertised the views from De Loivos are outstanding. From our room we had doors that led right out to the large shared patio which overlooked the pool, the vast vineyards and the Duoro River....breathtaking!! The views are some of the best I have seen in my travels, but what really makes this lovely villa special is it's energetic, engaging, and talented staff, particualrly the owner, Bernardo. During our four day stay we were able to hike and explore the vineyards, traversing a number of routes through the pristine, terraced fields, typically ending at a port tasting. The communal table was a highlight as it allowed us to meet, make new friends and share travel experiences, including tips and tricks with prople from Germany, France and Brazil. The breakfast was delicious, ample and served with fresh orange juice from their garden. As great as breakfast was I would highly recommend the communal dinner. You sit down with strangers and end up as friends. We laughed and shared stories in a relaxed and comfortable environmet, and the food and drink ....delicious!!!! Worth the price as our dinner experience was priceless.

Lovely, warm reception from the staff... you are greeted with a glass of wine or Port out on the terrace, with an incredible birds-eye view of the Douro valley. All rooms lead onto the terrace. The room is comfortable, very clean, but quite small--even by European standards, so just be prepared for that (for example, we did not find much drawer or closet space for unpacking). There's a nice sitting lounge nearby, and of course you can hang out on the terrace, or by the swimming pool in warm weather. A very decent, home-style dinner is available every night (you must pre-book), as well as breakfast. During meals, all hotel guests sit together around a large table and share their vacation moments--that's part of the experience. The hotel is about 10 minutes from Pinhao up a steep winding road--but that's the Douro for you! If you're driving, allow enough time to get to where you are going... but many guests arrive on foot as part of their extended walking holiday!

This small hotel (8 rooms) has to be among one of the best we’ve stayed at. The views are sublime overlooking a graceful curve of the river and the vineyards surrounding. The pool on the lower terrace was peaceful and the water clean and fresh. Temperatures meant we could enjoy it (although unheated) everyday. One night to stay here, would not be enough to truly relax and enjoy it. Our bedroom was super comfortable. The shared, set evening meal, was most enjoyable, meeting others from all around the world and enjoying delicious meals cooked by Hilda and local wines and port. We even got to chose the menu for all to enjoy on our our last night. Evening meal must be booked 48 hours in advance. The ambience provided by Bernardo and Paulo was quiet, yet attentive, nothing was too much trouble for them. It’s 10-12€ for a taxi up from the station and a pleasant one hour walk on a trail through the vineyards to walk back down to the town. Some nice restaurants, boat trips and vineyard tours available. Bernardo is happy to provide recommendations and help with booking etc. Thank you so much for having us to stay.

So many good features, but such a bad experience. Starting with the good points, it is a lovely facility, the rooms are comfortable and stylish, the view is magnificent. The staff was extremely nice. WE were pickpocketed in Lisbon and chose this hotel because they took American Express, the only credit card my wife had, but one that is not accepted many places in Portugal. When we arrived, I indicated that we would take dinner there that night, I was not sure about the next night. After our arrival, I went to the two places in the village where a meal might be obtained but they did not take American Express. While I was gone, the owner told my wife that no one else there took American Express, so she told him we would eat in the hotel both nights. The first night was 40 euros a piece, a very stiff price for the meal we received. The next day I went for a hike. The route was a double loop, and instead of returning on the first loop, I accidentally took the second. Then my GPS took me all over the place, I had walked over nine miles instead of three. I knew the way back then, but it was another three miles and I called my wife to see if someone at the hotel could pick me up. The owner agreed, but chastised me like a 12 year old all the way back (ten minutes by car). Then we went up to dinner at 7:30 that night, not having eaten since breakfast. The owner told us we had canceled and there were no places left. He became aggressive, but said he would bring us "something." At 8:30 we turned off our lights, not wanting anything at that point. He was unbelievably rude both with the lift he gave and refusing us dinner that we had reserved. He also confused us with another couple he had arranged a guide for. He also knew we had no money. We never said we would not eat dinner the second night, only that we would let him knowe, which my wife had done. Never been treated that badly in our travels.