We stayed at Castelo de Palmela for two nights in Room 206.

Pros: Extremely comfortable beds which made it hard to get up in the mornings. Great food in the hotel restaurant. The partridge and mushroom small pie was simply delicious. Large bathroom. No issues with water pressure or hot water. Furnishings were exquisite. No issues with parking. Great views of the surrounding area. Great English-speaking staff.

Cons: After booking our double room, we e-mailed both the Pousada website and the hotel to have an additional bed added. We never received a response confirming if the addtional bed could be added to the room. In the end, our friend didn't join us so the additional bed wasn't needed. Upon checking in, we discovered that the additional bed had been added to our room. This wasn't a big issue since the additional bed was promptly removed. However, prior to checking in, it would have been nice to receive a response from either the Pousada website or the hotel.

We absolutely loved our stay at this Pousada!

The hotel is part of the Pousada "chain" of Portugal, which are usually historical hotels, old convents, monasteries and castles. The Pousada de Palmela is an old convent adjacent to a castle nested on a hill overlooking the city of Palmela. From that vantage point, one can see dozens of miles in each direction, including the city of Lisbon in the distance. The city of Palmela is small, quaint and full of character. The hotel is fantastic - albeit without a pool. The grounds are very well kept and up-to-par for an upscale clientele. The rooms are large, spacious and comfortable with a stunning view. The meals are simply superb... from the breakfast buffets that are sumptuous to the dinners, which we experienced both as part of the week-end buffet and a la carte... the food is simply excellent and the service remarkable. Overall, a very good choice. Of note is that one should always check the Pousada websites for last minute deals... we were able to shave nearly 50% of the price by requesting the lower posted fare at the last minute....

Was in the Pousada at Palmela iN Aprli 2006. it was the perfect getaway place. Lovely big comfy beds, good bath with a view of the castle tower, big windows with views over the countryside. This Pousada also had a lovely courtyard for sitting out with drinks.

The food in the hotel was excellent, with a particularly fabulous buffet lunch, with many delicious desserts, and cheeses (not to mention the main courses).

Staff were jolly and personable. They were always extremely polite and friendly at the same time.

It has a perfect location being within close driving distance of beautiful beaches with cafes, and stunning scenery.

What would have made this completely perfect would have been a swimming pool.

My wife and I both really loved our 1-night stay at this hotel. When we first pulled up to the gates we thought we were entering a tourist attraction, not a hotel! The hotel and its very attractive medieval courtyard stands in the shadow of an imposing fortress currently undergoing restoration. We found ourselves able to explore the castle later, in the evening, which was very evocative and romantic.

The room was dramatically red, and it worked - while it doesn't have all the mod cons of a Park Hyatt, you would not expect nor want them in a Middle-Ages cloister (and for you TV addicts, yes there is a television). The bed had a firm mattress and was very comfortable. There were some unexpected, attractive postmodern sculptures in the middle of the courtyard.

The restaurant was excellent, and it was a very convivial environment. The service and waitstaff were unusually friendly and helpful. I would definitely stay at this hotel again, and this Pousada was one of the highlights of our trip to Portugal.