Recently returned from this hotel, traveling in October. By far one of my favorite hotels during my trip to Portugal. The location is superb, next to the famous church, with great scenery of an old town. The rooms are quite comfortable and the hotel is charming. Their claim to fame is also a gourmet restaurant into which many locals flock to as well. Honestly, we traveled all over Portugal and did not find any respectable cuisine. The food everywhere is simply bland and their restaurant is no different. Stick to their salads and beer. However the service is superb and we felt right at home - thank you to all the wait staff and the breakfast girls!
The other issue i have with the hotel is the front desk. The older gentleman (parks your car, greets you, holds doors) is very pleasant and always has a great demeanor. The front desk girls should definitely put up a smile. They seemed to be annoyed when we asked them for help and sights to see, Their answers were with constant annoyance.
But overall, great hotel, very good rooms/bathroom. Skip on their "SUPER-expensive-for-no-reason" restaurant and go down the hill to the local "ma and pa" place for a somewhat better meal.

We spent one night in this luxurious hotel. We received a luxurious room with a gigantic terrace and superb view over the river and cathedral of Amarante. The Michelin-starred restaurant was outstanding and all the staff friendly, efficient with a "can do " attitude. Many thanks, we will remember fondly our stay

A regular visitor of Casa da Calçada, I've debuted as night guest a few months ago. I've always been very critical of the interior design. Given the excellent location, gorgeous views, and beautiful façade, the interior is a major let down. A failed Hotel Costes copycat, over the top and pretentious, it comes across as a low ceilinged maze of fake antiques, fake paintings, all dressed up in heavy red and mustard fabrics reminiscent of a XIXth century cabaret. Suffocating!
That said, this is actually a very good hotel: In terms of hospitality, Casa da Calcada gives a pitch perfect performance. The staff is very attentive and competent, and always smiling and nice. The room I stayed in, horrid and dark as it was, was very large and comfortable, boasting a big marble bathroom and a large walk-in closet, a rare feature in Portuguese hotels. The grounds around the main building are beautifully kept, especially the pool garden. The food served at the pool bar was nothing short of great, and the breakfast was excellent.
I've been to the restaurant in the past, and unfortunately the "haute cuisine" on offer was as pretentious as the rooms design. The dishes I sampled were artfully plated, but there was just to much going on in terms of cooking. There's a new chef right now, so I hope he took things down a notch.

My husband and I were lucky enough to be at Casa da Calcada when they were having one of their monthly wine dinners. We were the only English speakers there, and the hotel's manager, Antonio, bent over backwards to be hospitable and attentive, and to make sure we understood what was being served. The food was wonderful both nights we stayed, but the wine dinner was a truly memorable and fun experience.
Our room was serene, lovely and comfortable, with all the amenities, and had a gorgeous view of the Douro and the town Cathedral. The grounds are also lovely, and the hotel grows its own grapes and bottles its own wines. If this hotel were in Provence or Tuscany, rates would be exponentially higher for the same services.
This is a world-class boutique hotel, and truly worth a stay!