Bussaco Palace Hotel

I felt privileged to stay in a palace hotel for a fairly reasonable cost, and reveled in the gorgeous period details inside and out. We originally booked a room in the lowest price category, but it was cramped and moldy-smelling, so we upgraded on the second night and had a delightful experience. While there is no wifi in the sleeping rooms, the service in the beautiful main level lounge was great, so everyone congregated there in the evenings, which I found sort of charming. To me, the breakfast was outstanding, with more variety of cheese, baked goods and fruit than most hotels on our trip, and I appreciated many nice touches on the buffet such as bubbly (for those who wanted to start the day with mimosas) and hot water for tea-drinkers. The service at dinner was very attentive but the limited menu seemed pricey. Our bathroom was clean and everything worked just fine, and the reception staff was very accommodating. I liked having an "antique" experience and appreciated that old parts of this facility have been conserved (including the lift that might date from 1960 or so), giving me a trip into the past. Of course, not everyone values the older innards of aged buildings, and some prefer them to be vintage on the outside but totally new on the inside -- so decide what experience you want. We hiked some paths in the national forest around the hotel which were lovely even on a drizzly day.

Magnificent surroundings and spectacular architecture. Rooms below par. No internet in rooms. No extra plugs for charging phones etc. Bathroom floor was dirty- hair and dust. No desk. No sitting chair. No temperature control. Downstairs bar was great (with internet) service was good. Restaurant ok. Breakfast below par.

The palace is breathtaking from the outside. While it is listed as a five- star hotel it pales with other palace type hotels. It was fun staying there and I don’t have complaints about the money or food, although the buffet breakfast could be a bit higher quality. I like to eat salad with my breakfast and the leaves were rusty. The bedroom looks quite lovely upon entering but upon closer examination, there is wood rot along the windows. The bathroom is big but very old. It needs to be updated. The bathroom always smelled musty and mildew. The bathroom definitely needs to be updated. If I was in charge of this hotel, I would update rooms, dust curio cabinets, have real flowers/plants in the entry and not artificial arrangements. Since it is 5-star, I would provide a chocolate on the pillow at night, provide more than one bottle of water for two guests. A few small washcloths in the bathroom would be nice. The trash an is rusty and needs to be replaced. The staff seems friendly and wants to do well but it just seems worn and not well taken care of,

The only positive features are the building and location. There is a desperate need for investment in the rooms and public areas. By way of example there is no WiFi in any bedroom. The furniture is from.a different era as is the lift. The prices of food and beverage are unconscionable. A mark up of over 400% on wine with a bottle that retails for €10 being €55 in the restaurant. The food is very expensive and of mediocre quality. When we ate there were only five tables but the food was lukewarm. The breakfast was average with the stewed coffee which is unforgivable in a hotel which claims to be five star. The selection of cakes was very poor. The staffing is idiosyncratic with one waitress to cover 50 plus breakfast covers and one bar man on an evening. The location and building are stunning but this hotel falls way below five star standards and is closer to three than four.

As others have said, the rooms are not really 5* and certainly our bathroom could have done with some updating. However, the palace and public rooms are stunning as are the surroundings and definitely are 5*. From the moment we arrived to when we left (we stayed two nights), all the staff we encountered were very polite, professional and helpful. We appreciated the potted history and quick guide to the hotel given to us by the receptionist. Food in the dining room was delicious - only complaint was that the starter and main course were so good and so copious, I couldn't manage a dessert! Some of the prices on the wine list were eye-watering but we had excellent local white and red wine from the cheaper end which were reasonably priced for a restaurant of this calibre.