Pousada Palácio de Estói - Small Luxury Hotels

Views and palace area are beautiful. Restaurant food is excellent. But having cats fighting and begging for food all over the dining area not very pleasant. Waitstaff needs massive training on not forgetting to check on their tables and not to blame each other in front of clients over lapse of service. Cataplana and desserts were delicious. But had to go into the waiters station looking for waiters to order dessert as we were given the menu but it was at the end of the night and the kitchen closed before anyone came to take our order. Very unfortunate. Gratitude to the kitchen staff that opened the kitchen and send us up two amazing desserts and a coffee. Thanks to the waiter that offered a liquor with the expresso. Love staying at Pestana Group Pousadas but the service and lack of attention to detail was very disappointing.I sneezed nonstop as well as other people walking around the carpets or maybe was the presence of so many cats on the premises. The Palace has so much beauty in the historic buildings but the rooms need updating and removing the worn out carpets may be an easy fix. Still a beautiful place and with a lot of potential but more care and attention to detail as well as cleanliness would make the experience much more memorable. Training restaurant staff to provide better quality of service would be nice too because the food was excellent. Kudos to the Chef and his staff. Maybe learn from Pousada Flor de Rosa, Crato how to make clients feel valued to return.

I have mixed feelings about Pousada de Estoi. The Palace backdrop with the modern hotel is simply stunning. This could be an absolutely wonderful hotel but unfortunately it falls short on the very basics of hospitality. Check-in was good-efficient and courteous. We arrived early and were offered a room which was very much appreciated as we had a small child. There was no obvious help with our luggage, although front desk half-heartedly offered by saying 'you are ok with your bags'. Maybe it is a cultural difference but to us this was not an obvious offer of help. The room was large, modern and very comfortable with a lovely little terrace. Unfortunately we noticed an issue with ants develop quickly. While we expect this with heat, we did not eat any food in our room over our stay but it appeared the wardrobe and surrounding floors needed proper hoovering. We seemed to have to deal with this issue every day. The staff in the hotel overall were generally very lovely, accomodating and friendly. The pool area was absolutely fabulous-beautiful view of the palace and overlooking the nearby countryside-stunning. It was super clean, well organised with a great bar pool service/staff! The basics as I say are missing. You have to pay E3 for the pleasure of basic water in your room! Also, there are no irons available on request to iron your clothes. According to reception, this is a fire risk? The hotel does, however, offer a very reasonable laundry service at E4 a shirt, or a dress for E7!! We ate one night in the hotel restaurant, and while the terrace view was simply amazing, the fact that there was street cats all around the area was somewhat off-putting. I know that this is a major issue in Portugal but I had hoped it might be a little more under control here. We just could not relax as they were scavenging between tables. The meal was also expensive and the service, as others have eluded to, was extremely disorganised. The food was ok, nothing special, but at a premium price I expected a lot more. Overall, it was very clear that there was no obvious management structures on-site. Although, I do want to mention a lovely lady who seemed to manage the breakfast room with clear efficiency and courtesy. The breakfast was the a highlight of our stay. The problem with this hotel is that they don't get the basics right but charge premium for everything. What they need to realise is that customers will pay. But, only if the basics are right!

Everything was so perfect 100 out 100

We had a great 3 night stay at the hotel. Rooms are spacious and pool beautiful. Amazing breakfast. Staff are friendly and welcoming

Property is pretty old and lots of cats. Not every tourists are pet friendly. Excellent staffs and beautiful views

We remember this palace in ruins and what a great surprise to see it come alive ! Beautiful common rooms and pool area to sit and relax taking in the view ! Like a museum full of history. Reception is in the chapel and we were greeted by Nuno who was very friendly and helpful. Irs an impressive setting and reminded us a bit of Palacio Freixo up north. Staff were all friendly and helpful. The room was large and minimalist in decor . Castebel toiletries in room, fridge but no iron. Kettles available upon request. Breakfast was varied and self service with plenty of areas to sit. We had lunch one day which was very good and snacked at the pool. We even took in some Spa treatments with the magic hands of Ines ! Overall a great and confortable stay . Housekeeping was very kind but appeared to need more help. Bottled water provided for the road which was a nice touch. Central location to tour the Algarve. Shout outs to all the staff that we met. You were all so nice.:-).

I used to love staying at this hotel — I’ve been here several times. But last time I left a rare, very special kimono in the wardrobe of my room. So I clearly remember leaving it there. Two days went by — I called, I waited, but no one got back to me. No follow-up, no effort. Finally, I was told the item wasn’t found, and that there’s nothing they could do. This is absolutely false. Everyone with me remembers it being in the room. It didn’t vanish into thin air. Someone from the hotel staff must have taken it — and clearly, management chose to cover it up. This is a luxury property, and I expected a basic level of trust, security, and respect. Instead, I got ignored, dismissed, and lied to. If you value your belongings — do not stay here. And if you do, lock everything up (though I wouldn’t trust the safe either). What happened to me could happen to anyone. No accountability. No decency. Just a “unfortunately no”. Never again. If you value your belongings, stay away. This place is unsafe and dishonest.

This is our 3rd visit and we have always felt very comfortable and very friendly, however the only thing we found this time was the dinner menu was different. We found that the dinner menu was very limited and could have done with more choices for mains and desserts. That would be our only criticism as it was much less variety than from our original stay in 2021.

A very beautiful hotel. I really enjoyed the message at the spa with Ines. She was attentive and professional. Was a great experience.

a great destination and hotel about 40 mins by bus from Faro. if you book directly in the pousada site be sure to go for the half board option as the evening meals are great and you its better value that way