Hotels Near Praia Fluvial in Unhais da Serra

We stayed here because we heard that the spa was interesting. And it is -it's presented in a fun way with caves and pools and very good saunas, steam rooms and showers, though it has more of a fun holiday atmosphere than a truly restorative 'serious' Spa. We stayed at the hotel and the room was comfortable. Most if the staff were friendly, and the quality of the food was great, the buffet breakfast deserves a special mention because there is EVERYTHING on offer - really excellent. Tarnishing the experience a bit was the fact that we met one waiter who essentially flounced off because we said we couldn't speak Portuguese, and could be heard mockingly (and quite loudly) echoing us by saying 'we don't speak Portuguese' to his colleague. The colleague then dutifully came over and served us very politely and pleasantly in English, but we were left feeling a bit unwanted and out of place to be honest -its simply nit feasible to speak every language! So, a bit of a mixed bag but definitely worth a try if you're in the area.

The hotel is old and overdue for renovation. The pool, part of which is advertised as outdoor, is actually covered by a blurry plastic hood. For all this I would have given it three stars, but the story I describe below completely disappointed me. I drive an electric car and before arriving I phoned the hotel and made sure that there was a charger. When I arrived and asked at reception to charge, I was told that there was no charger, or rather that there was, but it was for the hotel's internal use only. I pointed out that I had called and clarified in advance and that I was expecting charging at the hotel and I only had 10% left now. The lady went off to call the manager. I was refused to charge and the only option they offered me was to go to another hotel where they said there were public charging facilities. I went there, but they also refused to provide a charger, telling me that their charger was also for internal use only. I went back to the hotel, ending up wasting almost all my remaining charge. Informed the lady at reception that I had a fully discharged car and needed a charger urgently. I asked to speak to the manager directly but I was refused. She called the manager again and informed me that I was allowed to use the charger, but for no longer than one hour during dinner. That was enough to drive to Covilha, and fast charge there. I ended up spending the whole evening on this problem and came back late at night. I was completely disappointed with the totally awful attitude. Firstly it is impossible to imagine a large and expensive hotel that doesn't have a charger. Secondly I was given false information on the phone. But most importantly, the hotel staff, particularly the mysterious manager on the phone felt absolutely no guilt for the situation and was completely indifferent to the situation in which he put the guest. And stubbornly refused to simply allow his equipment to be used to save the situation. I would like to know the name of the manager who was so indifferent to guests, forcing them into a helpless situation and spending hours of their time to resolve it, but unfortunately he avoided direct contact and was hiding behind the receptionist. The situation took place on 27.12.2022.

Had to stop in the mountains during our Portuguese road trip and couldn’t find a more ideal and apropos location. Serra da Estrela is the highest mountain range in Continental Portugal and this delightful cabin sits atop of the mountain overlooking the quaint city of Covilha. The views are sweeping and stunning, right from the armchair in your living room. This place sleeps 8 or more, but we enjoyed it as a romantic retreat for just the two of us. It’s kitted out beautifully with a pellet burning stove as the heat source, much sought after laundry facilities and all the comforts one could ask for, with stylish panache. The location is fantastic, with great restaurants and bars within steps of your front door. We hadn’t heard of Portuguese ski country until we planned this epic trip and would encourage anyone to add it to their list of stopovers whist in this fine country. It was especially fun to visit in January to see how Portugal’s local population enjoys winter within their own borders. It was a great location to visit the historical Piódão as a daytrip and the driving the area offers countless gob-smacking vistas, as well. It’s a wonderful chance to see another side of this fine country and sample the local sheep’s cheese, rustic food specialties and cozy attire that’s exclusive to this unique area. The beds were cozy and comfortable, and the views from every aspect of the cabin, unparalleled. Both bathrooms and the kitchen were immaculate, offered all amenities, and were tastefully presented. In fact, there were many aspects we didn’t have an opportunity to enjoy, like the stone BBQ in the backyard, or the sprawling lounge areas – but we could imagine many large groups enjoying all it had to offer. The only area for improvement would be the arms-length connection with the host. For example, we were directed to pick up our key at reception at the unaffiliated hotel across the street. They claimed no knowledge leaving us with only the sporadic Airbnb chat mechanism to connect with the owner. As my husband and I experienced severe heart palpitations, we re-grouped to weigh our options, having no place to stay in the area, despite having paid upfront. Only then did the woman call us back giggling that she had the key after all, having misplaced it. Glad it worked out but - yikes! We tried to make reservations at the local restaurants in advance, but that proved impossible, so we asked the host to book on our behalf. He informed us that no reservations were required. That simply wasn’t true, leaving us scrambling for our meals in this tiny location. We had Portuguese only instructions for the pellet stove, but muddled through and managed to get our one heating source operating in -5 degrees, never-the-less. All of this worked out in the end, but made it a bit harder to relax, which was the point of our stay. All in all, we really were delighted our stay, despite some noteworthy hiccups. We suspect it’s the bastion of mainly domestic tou

The Pousada Serra da Estrela is a fairy-tale hotel in the middle of the mountains with magnificient views towards Covilha. We had a splendid stay in this magnificient hotel. The rooms are wide and comfortable, the people at the reception desk are very helpful (special mention for Xavier Pérez), and the people at the bar are also kind and ready to help. Breakfasts are superb. Nothing wrong about this magnificient place.

Location, service and restaurant is excellent, but the hotel structure, in particular the quite old and noisy room, has some variety of breakfast but does not regularly rest.

Hotel service, the surrounding environment and other aspects are very good ~