HOW TO GET THERE - the road isn't very good, it has lots of curves but it has good landscapes
THE VILLAGE - not much to do, except visiting the Museum and hiking on the mountains. They have some pedestrian routes, ask in the tourism information centre. If you want a (very) good restaurant, please go to "Montanha", excellent food, very very quiet and well decorated, prices on-the-average, good music.
THE HOTEL BUILDING - old, it was a sanatorium. Inside, it was refurbished and has very wellcome common areas, like the living rooms with nice&comfortable sofas and fireplace.
THE ROOM - our was on the 4th floor (order "valley view", or all you'll see is the car parking), with a big balcony, spectacular views, quite spacious and comfortable, good aircon, very clean. The bathroom was good, with good amenities. The bed was very comfortable
THE FACILITIES - the hotel is connected to "Animarcorpus spa" with a nice pool, don't forget to bring your shower cap (you can buy one), they provide you free towels. You have also a jaccuzzi and massages. The only disadvantage is that in the corridors that connect you to the spa is cold and it can be uncomfortable.
THE BREAKFAST - ok, continental&english breakfast, good variety of food/fruit/bread/jams.
THE OTHER GUESTS - many couples with children, as it was school hollidays, so the breakfast room and pool can be quite noisy and not so relaxing.
THE STAFF - nice, nothing to complain

I stayed at this hotel from the 3rd May until the 7th of May with my husband and 2 children aged 3 years. We were visiting my parents who live about 30mins away in Tabua. We chose this hotel because after looking at the website it seemed perfect for children and looked very beautiful. Unfortunately the hotel and especially the grounds of the hotel look nothing like the photo's. The outdoor swimming pool had no water in it and the paving around the pool was broken and full of weeds. There is not outdoor seating/tables/lie-beds etc. The empty pool is extremely dangerous for children of all ages and there were no signs to tell us to keep out etc. All of the paved areas around the hotel are full of weeds with not a flower in sight. I have taken photo's to prove this. In the evening when the sun was setting there was nowhere to sit outside and get a drink!! The hotel itself is not too bad, although it is very dark and moody inside and the rooms are very average with cracked tiles in the bathroom and a shower head that kept falling off the wall and landing on my head whilst showering! and a wall socket that came apart in my husbands hand when he unplugged my hairdryer!! The bedroom had 2 balconys and the balcony railings had horizontal bars that were very inviting for young children to climb!! we asked reception if there was any way of locking the balcony doors to stop the children going out and they suggesting putting furniture against the doors!! or moving to a room with no balcony and no view!!

The hotel food was just ok (goat, Ocotopuss and iberian pig!!) but unfortunately we had the same menu every evening and the only food you could get in your room was a cheese and ham toasted sandwich!! My children ate nothing but fish fingers and chips for 4 days because there was nothing on the menu they would eat. Breakfast was just ok with stewed coffee from a flask and a buffet style breakfast. The indoor spa and swimming pool they boast about on their website is more like a public swimming baths with no staff to hand and very dirty changing rooms!. The kids club where the children can paint and draw is a tiny room down a corridor that was closed for the whole time we were there!!

I would never stay at this hotel again, it could be very beautiful with a little care and attention to detail - it costs nothing to pull out the weeds!! i felt like doing it myself!!

Me and my husband qent there on a group and we probably wont go there again.

You have to do a road with lots of curves, but very pretty to get there.

The reception
On the first day the man wasn t very nice. They gave us a twin instead of a duble and wen we try to change he didn t even try to do anything. It was 1 of our group that was travelling alone and had a double who change with us

The room
the first was small. The second was hudge. Both very updated, just the opposite from the lobby. The bed was confortable, but we didn t had a spare blanket and it was very cold.

The bathroom
Its the worst of the hotel. It is very updated and the way to control the water very complicated. The products for the shower are so and so: probably it would be better to bring your on.

the breakfast
It s ok without being excelent. Not much bread to chose from
The hot dishes are scrambled eggs, bacon sausages and tomato. The other meals we made in a group, so we never tried the restaurant

The pool
The inner poll was god but they told us that the water temperature was 30º but I don t believe. the jacuzzi is OK, but only 5 people at a time, so it s very dificult to enter.

In general
It should be a 3 star ok hotel

Stayed with my girfriend at Caramulo Hotel and we found it surprisingly above average and excellent value for money. Very good sport facilities (indoor swimming pool, squash, gymnasium) - full equiped and very well integrated. Exterior swimming pool is good, although not very spacious, with adequate catering service. Room have EXCELLENT view (must order a "Vale" view room. I agree furniture is a bit old fashioned, although it is not shocking: rooms are very spacious (huge bed) and bathrooms are new. Great architeture (see picture). Service is very nice and whole Hotel is very clean. Good SPA, with superb facilities and competent massages. Have dinner at "3 PIPOS" (at Tonda), 20 km away: definitively worth the trip (ask for "bacalhau and polvo à lagareiro") for 15 Euro/pax.