Casa de Casal de Loivos

A fabulous hilltop guesthouse with a breathtaking view over the Douro. The real highlight, however, is host Bernardo, who goes overboard to make your experience a pleasure. Dinner and breakfast in the dining room are family style. The meals are excellent. Bernardo will not only suggest options for day trips, he will make you reservations on your behalf and give you instructions for how to get there.

What an amazing find! We stumbled on Casal de Loivos when searching for a special Douro Valley guesthouse. The house is owned by Bernardo who is the 7th generation owner of the property that became an inn a couple of decades ago. I work in hotels and we love storytelling, which Bernard has plenty going back a century or two. We arrived hungry and tired so the team brought us wine in a beautiful sitting room. Bernard offered us a light snack even though it was well past dinnertime. We appreciate that he emailed earlier to offer dinner. When the beautiful charcuterie plate arrived, he apologized they are too small for 'mes en plas'! He had cut everything to order, all cheese and meat from Spain or Portugal. Our only regret was not staying for more than the evening and morning. Breakfast was wonderful and plentiful, but the other guests said we missed the quiche served the previous day. We could tell that all the staff truly enjoyed giving us a wonderful experience! We will be back!!

As advertised the views from De Loivos are outstanding. From our room we had doors that led right out to the large shared patio which overlooked the pool, the vast vineyards and the Duoro River....breathtaking!! The views are some of the best I have seen in my travels, but what really makes this lovely villa special is it's energetic, engaging, and talented staff, particualrly the owner, Bernardo. During our four day stay we were able to hike and explore the vineyards, traversing a number of routes through the pristine, terraced fields, typically ending at a port tasting. The communal table was a highlight as it allowed us to meet, make new friends and share travel experiences, including tips and tricks with prople from Germany, France and Brazil. The breakfast was delicious, ample and served with fresh orange juice from their garden. As great as breakfast was I would highly recommend the communal dinner. You sit down with strangers and end up as friends. We laughed and shared stories in a relaxed and comfortable environmet, and the food and drink ....delicious!!!! Worth the price as our dinner experience was priceless.

Lovely, warm reception from the staff... you are greeted with a glass of wine or Port out on the terrace, with an incredible birds-eye view of the Douro valley. All rooms lead onto the terrace. The room is comfortable, very clean, but quite small--even by European standards, so just be prepared for that (for example, we did not find much drawer or closet space for unpacking). There's a nice sitting lounge nearby, and of course you can hang out on the terrace, or by the swimming pool in warm weather. A very decent, home-style dinner is available every night (you must pre-book), as well as breakfast. During meals, all hotel guests sit together around a large table and share their vacation moments--that's part of the experience. The hotel is about 10 minutes from Pinhao up a steep winding road--but that's the Douro for you! If you're driving, allow enough time to get to where you are going... but many guests arrive on foot as part of their extended walking holiday!

This small hotel (8 rooms) has to be among one of the best we’ve stayed at. The views are sublime overlooking a graceful curve of the river and the vineyards surrounding. The pool on the lower terrace was peaceful and the water clean and fresh. Temperatures meant we could enjoy it (although unheated) everyday. One night to stay here, would not be enough to truly relax and enjoy it. Our bedroom was super comfortable. The shared, set evening meal, was most enjoyable, meeting others from all around the world and enjoying delicious meals cooked by Hilda and local wines and port. We even got to chose the menu for all to enjoy on our our last night. Evening meal must be booked 48 hours in advance. The ambience provided by Bernardo and Paulo was quiet, yet attentive, nothing was too much trouble for them. It’s 10-12€ for a taxi up from the station and a pleasant one hour walk on a trail through the vineyards to walk back down to the town. Some nice restaurants, boat trips and vineyard tours available. Bernardo is happy to provide recommendations and help with booking etc. Thank you so much for having us to stay.

So many good features, but such a bad experience. Starting with the good points, it is a lovely facility, the rooms are comfortable and stylish, the view is magnificent. The staff was extremely nice. WE were pickpocketed in Lisbon and chose this hotel because they took American Express, the only credit card my wife had, but one that is not accepted many places in Portugal. When we arrived, I indicated that we would take dinner there that night, I was not sure about the next night. After our arrival, I went to the two places in the village where a meal might be obtained but they did not take American Express. While I was gone, the owner told my wife that no one else there took American Express, so she told him we would eat in the hotel both nights. The first night was 40 euros a piece, a very stiff price for the meal we received. The next day I went for a hike. The route was a double loop, and instead of returning on the first loop, I accidentally took the second. Then my GPS took me all over the place, I had walked over nine miles instead of three. I knew the way back then, but it was another three miles and I called my wife to see if someone at the hotel could pick me up. The owner agreed, but chastised me like a 12 year old all the way back (ten minutes by car). Then we went up to dinner at 7:30 that night, not having eaten since breakfast. The owner told us we had canceled and there were no places left. He became aggressive, but said he would bring us "something." At 8:30 we turned off our lights, not wanting anything at that point. He was unbelievably rude both with the lift he gave and refusing us dinner that we had reserved. He also confused us with another couple he had arranged a guide for. He also knew we had no money. We never said we would not eat dinner the second night, only that we would let him knowe, which my wife had done. Never been treated that badly in our travels.

The experience we had at Casa De Casa De Loivos exceeded all our expectations. From the moment we arrived we were treated like family. Bernardo's warm and friendly welcome was just the beginning of a four-day stay during which he and his staff went out of their way to ensure that we made the most of every moment. Bernardo presented us with so many options of how we might spend our time with all the enthusiasm and knowledge that only a local can offer. He worked to arrange taxis and excursions with locals, who like Bernardo, were engaging and such great ambassadors for Portugal and the Douro valley. His efforts saved us so much time that we could then devote to other adventures in the area. I We were served unhurried and delicious meals that reflected the cuisine of the area, and the meals were accompanied by stories of the ingredients and the family recipes. The rooms were charming, clean and very comfortable. Finally, the fantastic views from the patio captured the beauty of the valley in ways that words cannot capture.

The host is so accommodating, making reservations, providing dinner if need be, giving info about the area.

Wonderful setting looking out over the Douro Valley with brilliant care of the 16 guests by the team - led by the unique and amazing Bernardo. Huge thanks for a magical stay - it was the highlight of our trip!