This monastery has been renovated with great imagination -- it is now both dramatic and comfortable... with wide hallways and ancient stone details contrasting with raw iron ceilings and spare contemporary furnishings. The cloister is used for cocktail seating and is wonderful, as is the dining room in old kitchen wing, surrounding by giant hearths under a soaring ceiling. Dinner was fabulous -- dessert buffet a highlight... mostly Portuguese specialities. The pool is pleasant.

A very different hotel. The monastery building is beautiful and the cloisters in the centre are very peaceful. Of course the corridors with the bedrooms off it are very wide and long because of its original use but once you get your bearings this is not a problem.
The staff were very helpful and charming and although they run an employee of the month scheme we were unable to pick out just one staff member from any of them as they all deserved it.
However, the contrast between the lovely old building and the trendy modern furniture did not work for us! The bedroom was like none that we had seen! It was small (not a problem) with the bathroom built in a room in the bedroom (lovely modern one, again not a problem) But, the furnishings were too trendy and the bedcover was like it was from the 1960's here, although very new. The doors into the bedrooms are stainless steel and we could see they were trying to keep the ideas of it being a monastery but they were a little odd! This did not spoil our stay though.
The dining room is beautiful, the food was very good and the waiters knew how to serve. We didn't feel that anything was too expensive. The pool looked good but we didn't use it.
Ask at reception for directions to the church just up the hill from the Pousada as it's worth seeing and was recommended to us by them. Also drive to the National Park of Geres, it is beautiful. Go from Geres to Campo do Geres on the road between the two as the scenery is lovely.
Stay here it is worth it.

When working in the hospitality industry you never know who's walking in your door. I have managed 5 star Relais & Chateau properties throughout my career so my remarks are nondiscriminatory. We were a party of 7, exhausted from a 9 hour drive from the Algarve. We had chosen this Pousada because we are accustomed to luxury accomodation, and our best friend was getting married. We had chosen the suite at no expense for her honeymoon night. Upon arrival I was kept waiting while the two staff members finished their giddy conversation, without even a glance to awknowledge the arrival of a guest. Very unwelcoming after our long travel! After a very confusing check-in we were taken into a cramped elevator holding no more than 3 people with cases, one being reception staff, to the first floor. When the doors opened we were greeted by a small chest within a large bare room, and a vase holding dead flowers nobody had bothered to refresh. The red carpet which led the length of the corridor was badly worn, stained and hadnt been vaccumed in quite some time. Directly outside our room were three housekeeping trolleys. One with linens, the other with dirty dinner plates, wine bottles, glasses, old food. I tried to ignore it but why was houskeeping cleaning rooms at 16:30hrs? Why are they outside an incoming guests room? We entered into our rooms, and as with precision timing we turned around and entered back into the hallway at the same time as the rest of our group, still holding onto our bags. This tiny lackluster square cell with its unimaginative cheap, floral polyester bedspread, we were told by the staff member, was how the monks lived, sparsly. I’m not a monk, I appreciate their life, however when dealing with guests in 2010 luxury is expected at 197 Euros a night? I asked to speak to the General Manager and was told he was in his office downstairs. I mentioned to the reception staff who escorted us, why we had to look at last nights guest food waste. Unaware we all spoke Portuguese, he began to reprimand these poor housekeepers, who appeared suprised and humiliated at this sudden concern of cleanliness. We all hurried to reception where I asked again to see the GM again! after waiting 15 minutes. Finally, the girl on reception received the order to tell me he’s "managing" at another Pousada. I took his business card, yet without mentioning names, he did not have the decency to discuss our grievances or follow up with an apology. Extreme bad manners and very poor business. I welcome his comments. We cancelled all rooms including the honeymoon "cell", and announced at the wedding of 400 why the brides party was 2hrs late for the reception. I travel the world as a hotel advisor and will dutifully write to every magazine and travel website boycotting this poorly managed hotel so guests are aware they dont have to suffer in silence like the monks. I eagerly await the response from the complaint book supervisors.

Our stay was a really pleasure. We visited some of the wonderful places the hotel had to propose, to the guests. Experimented typical food and enjoyed the confortable hotel.
Everything was clean, quiet and peaceful. There was always someone available to serve our demands with a smile, but their presence was very discreet. Having a drink outside with the sound of the birds, the leaves and the water running near by was very relaxing.