Pousada Palácio de Estói - Small Luxury Hotels

Nice rooms and staff. Especially liked the massage. Ines was great

Ideal location for a break away from the hustle and bustle of life. A car is ideal but the reception will request a taxi. The rooms are large, well equipped (coffee machine) and very clean. Large ensuite bathroom. The atmosphere throughout the hotel is one of relaxation where nothing is too much hassle for the staff. Always friendly with a smile. Great ambience, old charm mixed with modernity. To us this hotel does give you great value for your money. The breakfast buffet is huge! Is always fresh and very well stocked. We both had the aroma facial which was superb. Very relaxing, beautiful treatment room and products. Ines our therapist was wonderfully calming and friendly. As you can probably tell we loved our stay here and will definitely be back. Thank you to ALL the staff for making our 25th anniversary stay so special

This hotel is one of our favourite places to stay anywhere in the world. We have been going there since it opened, visiting at least twice a year. The staff are superb, the facilities are excellent and the place is sublime. The combination of the old and the new is wonderful, all finished to a very high standard. We would love to be able to spend more time there, but life gets in the way! We cannot finish this review without mentioning Inês, who gives the best massage!

Wonderful spa treatment by Ines. Quite the best we have had in many years. Very relaxing and Ines was very welcoming. Recommend very highly

We had a wonderful stay at Pousada Palácio de Estoi and it really felt like a special place to spend a few days. The building itself is absolutely beautiful – a stunning historic palace that has been carefully restored. Walking through the ornate rooms, terraces and gardens felt quite magical and there are so many lovely spaces to sit and enjoy the surroundings including a lovely outdoor pool where we were served cocktails on the sunshine! Our twin room was spacious, comfortable and very clean. The beds were great and it had everything we needed for our stay Housekeeping did a great job keeping everything spotless and did an evening room service also. We stayed on half board and were really pleased with the food. Breakfast had a good selection including fizz! The evening meals were excellent – well presented, tasty and accompanied by some lovely wines. The staff throughout the hotel were friendly, welcoming and professional. Overall this is a beautiful and unique hotel with great food, excellent service and a very relaxing atmosphere. We would happily return and would definitely recommend it.

I came to the spa for a leg message, Ines was very welcoming and careful. The massage was relaxing and met my expectations. She explained the process to me and asked if I had any questions. I requested a towel and she provided it straight away this made my experience very comfortable. I fully recommend it and would certainly come back again.

This really is quite genuinely a stunning hotel. The building itself is beautiful and extremely well kept and maintained despite it being what some would consider off peak season. The decor, gardens and communal areas are a constant source of joy to walk around and you almost want to photograph every tiny detail. Even the small details like effective soundproofing and lack of banging doors in adjacent rooms is enjoyable, the peaceful ambience is shared by the guests and it is very relaxing. Centred within a small and quaint local village and almost equidistant between the airport and the ocean, it's setting is ideal. There is a wealth of historical knowledge available about the building itself and the breakfast buffet is one of the finest I have experienced in the Algarve region. Most of the staff I came into contact with were also exceptional. Don't let any of the negative reviews put you off, the one regarding the fact that a singular insect managed to promote such terror by finding its way into their room is quite laughable, the others, are mostly from day visitors disgruntled by the lack of public access, which the hotel instigates simply in order to reassure the peace and tranquility of the hotel guest experience. The only reason I have left a four star review instead of five stars is the slightly inadequate level of staff for the time of year. It led to many issues arising during my stay. It may be considered 'off peak season' but the weather was beautiful and the hotel completely full. There were simply not enough well trained staff to deal with such high levels of bookings, this negatively affected the guest experience on several occasions. Most of the current staff are wonderful and work extremely hard under the circumstances but they need more trained staff in all areas at still such a very busy time of the year, not just during peak season. The restaurant seems the most adversely affected by this issue. Hence the missing star. Which is a shame because it has the potential to be a 5 star plus! I highly recommend a visit.

Amazing exp, particularly with Inês at the wellness spa.

Great and beautiful hotel. Breakfast is really good and lots of choice. Nice swimming pool and sauna. Fancy restaurant and great food value for money. Had a 60 min. massage. Fantastic! Inês has golden hands. Very professional and all very friendly people.

This week I had a horrible experience at the Pousada Palacio Hotel in Estoi. I was in the small town with my husband and another couple. It’s winter and many cafes are closed for the holidays. We were looking for a place to sit and have afternoon tea. We understood that there was a museum and café attached to the hotel and we confirmed that with reception staff as we arrived. 'Yes' we were told, 'this is a museum and yes there is a café'. The receptionist charged us €5 each (€20 total paid in cash) - no tickets were issued or guide pamphlet provided. We asked where the museum was and the café and he just waved us through a doorway. This led to a long corridor and eventually to a restaurant and bar area within the hotels public rooms. The restaurant was deserted and all the tables were laid up for dinner. The bar was also deserted. We searched for either a museum or café and found just a room with a few small broken vases and old coins in a glass case. We were very disappointed and decided to leave at once. We asked to speak to the Manager and expressed our disappointment that they had not been straight with us about what we were paying for and what they had on offer. I asked for our €20 to be refunded. We had been on site for no more than 10 minutes all the while searching for either a museum or cafe. No one had approached us to offer any guidance. Whilst remaining polite the Manager was absolutely intransigent and downright refused to refund what we had paid. She said we had paid an entrance fee and the bar did serve tea and coffee. I am seriously unimpressed. If you are thinking of visiting this place I would strongly advise against wasting your time and money. This is sharp practice that is going on in what is supposed to be a luxury 5star hotel. Lucky for the hotel I’m not a mystery shopper or hotel inspector. Before writing this review I contacted the PR Team of the Small Luxury Hotels head office to advise them of what is going on and to give them the opportunity to put things right, both at the hotel and with regard to the refund I requested. However, I have received no response. I do not often leave a poor review but in this instance I feel absolutely justified in alerting others to the total lack of customer service and the arrogant, off-hand behaviour of the Manager. It has left a very poor taste in my mouth. My suggestion to anyone considering visiting the hotel is simply, don't bother.