Great service, great food, beautiful monestary and gardens. Highly recomended for a great stay!

We stayed here for 5 days as part of the special family package where children stay for free. The common areas are decorated in an elegant style with lots of murals and there are some peaceful courtyards. Our room with balcony was comfortable and we had no issues with the air conditioning as a previous reviewer even though it was very hot (at least 37 degrees).
A great event is the Saturday barbecue which is very good value for money with a buffet and drinks included.
Some minor quibbles:
The free internet broke and wasn't fixed after 3 days;
The pool is indeed on the small side and the garden could do with some more attention;
A chair in our room disappeared and we never found out what happened to it.

Some comments on the restaurants in Vila Vicosa:
- Taverna dos conjurados, near the Pousada. A tourist trap with fish that was raw inside and meat that had bone splinters. Owner seems friendly but it's all an act as he disappears when the problems are brought up.
- O Paco Ducal, the only one I can recommend, it took a while to for the food to show up but it was well cooked.
- O Restauracao, on the main square. Very busy but most locals stick to the drinks. The food lacks any conviction and watch out for the so called extras.

I stayed in this hotel in July 2010 taking advantage of a special promotion price of 50 € per night per double room. It was an offer that just lasted for a couple of days. Normal price is double.

Our room didn’t have a balcony, but had air conditioning more than enough to keep the inside fresh. There were 38 degrees outside, but the walls are 1 meter thick! It is a former Convent built in the XVII century. Comfortable bed, very nice bathroom.

It is a marvelous place, with superb breakfast and very nice atmosphere in several living rooms and in the courtyard. Hotel staff were very kind, helpfull and friendly.

My only criticism: the swimming pool is indeed too small, but then this is not the right place to go for a swim.

The nearby Palace is well worth a visit. It is easy to find a nice restaurant to eat typical Portuguese food at very reasonable prices.

This is one of the hottest regions of Portugal, the temperatures in the summer months (June, July, August, September) can easily reach 40C, and at night it is also very hot. I live in the south of Spain, so I am used to these temperatures. The air-conditioning in this hotel is bad in the bedrooms during the day, but it is turned off (!!!) at night!
Since 2007 we have stayed at this hotel for a total of 20 nights, always in the summer, so I consider my criticism can be taken seriously and truthfully.
Why have we returned then? Because we always hope it will be better next time, we cannot believe that an expensive (!) hotel like this could continue to be without air-conditioning. We ask for a room with a balcony, in order to sit outside at night, but last weekend was just too much.........impossible to sleep until 5am!
The actual hotel is so peaceful and beautiful. It is a 16th century convent, with lovely (unkempt) gardens, although Internet connection costs an incredible 10E per day, and the restuarant is over-priced. The little town of Vila Viçosa is well worth a visit.....there are unexpected monuments, such as the Ducal Palace, which is next to this hotel.
But, after our latest stay we have finally decided it is just not worth those sleepless nights!