Casa de Casal de Loivos

One night wasn't enough. Greeted with a smile by Bernardo, we were made to feel extremely welcome. The room was lovely and view from the terrace must be one of the best in Portugal. Dinner, served family style in the communal dining room was both copious and delicious, breakfast was similarly excellent. We cannot recommend this place highly enough.

Our stay here was away beyond what we expected. This place is so beautiful, the staff is super friendly, they treated us like family. The sunset view was amazing. We woke up above the clouds, literally. It was so peaceful. This was one of the best experiences we had in Portugal. They also serve a communal dinner; however, we didn’t try it because we had to confirm 48 hours before, and that point we didn’t know what we wanted to have, but next time we will for sure. Everything was perfect. I recommend you to stay here.

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.

We loved this place! Bernardo, our host, made us feel very welcome. The house has been in his family since the 1700s and guests are treated as family, with dinner served around a large single dining table (must book in advance for dinner). This fun style of dining encouraged lots of entertaining chatter and conversation. The food served every night was really delicious. Three courses of gourmet local fare. Wine extra but reasonable. Beautifully appointed bedrooms (8) and bathrooms. Direct access to large terrace overlooking the pool, with stunning views over the Douro Valley. 40 minute scenic walk down the hill to neighbouring Pinhao on the Douro where one can take a river tour or laze in the many restaurants. The excellent pool at the property was very welcome after the 90 minute walk back up the hill! (one can always take one of the many local taxis) Bernardo also organised a private wine tasting for us at Quinta de Marcela, hosted by Carmel (sp?) who also supplied us with delicious snacks while tasting the wonderful Duas Arvores wines. We cannot recommend this location more highly! One of our favourite stays during our 6 weeks away.

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!