Casa de Santo Antonio de Britiande - Reviews, Photos - Beautiful "green" property and a great launch pad for the Douro

tmarczak

Portland, Maine

Senior Contributor

22 reviews

Reviews in 18 cities

7 helpful votes

“Beautiful "green" property and a great launch pad for the Douro”

Reviewed 31 July 2011

1

person found this review helpful

We spent two nights at the Casa in what turned out to be a cool July for the area. We would have loved to have had warmer temperatures to enjoy the relaxing and nicely landscaped pool area. Regardless, we really enjoyed our stay here. Our room was as clean as could be, well-decorated, and provided an excellent night's sleep.
Ana and her husband were very welcoming and explained the history of the property including its beautiful chapel. We were impressed to learn that the Casa has a large array of solar panels and that the inn actually sells power back to the town grid.
The property itself is situated on a beautiful piece of land which includes a pear orchard where a wide variety of birds fly about. We were a bit surprised to learn how close it was to a main road in town, but despite the proximity of traffic, we slept soundly both nights.
We had dinner one night at the inn, which was wonderful. The dinner service was spectacular and the meal was simple in the best way. Tasty and skilfully prepared. I would recommend having dinner at the inn if you stay, at least once, because not only is it great, but otherwise you may have a bit of a walk (or a drive) if you want something other than simple diner fare
Ana was very helpful in giving us advice as to what to see in the area, and also arranging a fantastic private boat trip up the Douro. She gave us some great tips on port vineyards to visit as well. We had one of our best days in Portugal thanks to Ana's excellent advice.
Overall, we appreciated that the property was run by family with a historical connection to the house and that the innkeepers not only provided excellent hospitality but also are doing their part to minimize the impact on the environment.
If you are looking for a great place to stay from which to base your exploration of the Douro region, Casa de Santo Antonio de Britiande is an excellent choice

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TheNetherlandsJessy

The Netherlands

Contributor

11 reviews

Reviews in 10 cities

5 helpful votes

“Perfect place to relax and explore the Douro region”

Reviewed 15 August 2010

1

person found this review helpful

We have really enjoyed this beautiful place. We had a studio with every comfort and it is tastefully decorated. Pool and garden are beautiful. Breakfast and dinner (on request) are of excellent quality. And there is nothing wrong with the management, on the contrary, they are friendly and helpful!

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amad46

Portugal

1 review

“Great place, but terrible managment”

Reviewed 16 October 2009

Last christmas my son give me 1 night as a gift in this place, and i booked this last weekend. The offer had included a boat trip in Douro river. Eveything went well while booking, i booked the boat trip 2 days before, the person in charge (Ana Maria) confirmed the hour of the boat trip.

Unfortunately, everything was done with a terrible incompetence!
1) I went to pick up the tickets for the boat trip at the hotel, instead of going straight to the docks. The person in charge should have arranjed the necessary with the boat company...
2) I was given a paper with the name of the lady and the hotel, but no boat company name. The boat trip was as 2.15 PM. I had to search and ask and the BIG SURPRISE was when they discovered that there wasn't a single boat company that operated in the afteernoon. The trip's after lunch didn't exists for several months! And the person from a boat company said that he no longer worked woth that lady/hotel!

I was very angry and called the person in charge (Ana Maria) with my protest and she just said that she was probably wrong and they could take the next boat trip in the morning after... of course that wasn't possible for me. Ana Maria then called my son and start saying that i was not correct talking with her and that there was a mistake from her and the only thing she could offer was the returning of all money if i decided to cancel the night. My son said to her that was too little for all the troubles caused and she never apologied correctly, prefering to keep her pride and just not compensating me or my son in any way, even when my son suggested her that..

It was a terrible form or resolving a mistake, that could have been overcome if the person just had apologied sincerely and had compensate me or my son with anything, but instead she just return the money.

People in Portugal just don't get that when something went wrong, you have to compensate the client in anyway. The client can't just leave with less than he got and payed!

I don't even want to talk more to this, as you can imagine..

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IrelandHobo

Ireland

Senior Reviewer

9 reviews

Reviews in 8 cities

3 helpful votes

“Peaceful and romantic”

Reviewed 22 January 2008

1

person found this review helpful

A special place run by a great couple, tucked away beside an old church. Quiet relaxing getaway for couples. Rooms were stunning with fantastic fourposter bed, views of the church from the balcony, hugh bathroom with bath. Grounds have vineyard, orchard and pool. Make sure you sample the local wine by the pool and take time to see the church.