Coimbra Portugal - HoteL Quinta das Lagrimas is a spectacular if not a bit out of the norm. This…read moreis someplace that needs to be experienced to understand. My arrival @ Hotel Quinta das Lagrimas was entering through a set of iron gates that had to be opened on the inside to allow us to enter the estate. After entering we drove down a drive towards the hotel/estate where a gentleman in a suit waited for us & greeted us as we pulled up to the the Hotel/Estate. He greeted us and brought all our luggage up the stairs into the entry foyer where 2 people sat checked us in gave us a brief history of the estate before it became the hotel. It was at the Quinta that in the XIVth-century Prince Pedro and Inês de Castro lived their forbidden love affair. Legend says that it was here that Inês cried for the last time, while being pierced by the daggers of the killers sent by King Afonso, Pedro's father. Ines was the of Portuguese decent & the lady in waiting & the mistress of Prince Pedro (heir to the throne). Pedro & Ines had 3 children together before she was killed by assassin's sent by the king who didn't approve of their relationship. The Hotel is beautiful but somewhat tragic history as Ines was killed here. It's a beautiful estate but a bit isolated from the town of Coimbra but within walking distance. It was cool to experience this estate but a little a sad history.

What are the first two things you require of any hotel? A quality bed and a good shower. The shower…read morewas fine, but the bed was the lumpiest piece of crap I've ever experienced. I used to play a video game called Moon Patrol when I was a kid, and this bed reminded me of that landscape. Turns out it was some sort of extra feather thing that was added to the mattress. We were so tired by the time we went to bed, we didn't really explore this until the morning and the place looked full, so we did not call to the front desk at 11 at night to try to sort it out. Not to mention, we had already opened up the suitcases, etc. Our room was supposedly one of the nicer ones, so this was particularly disconcerting. When I brought it to the attention of the staff in the morning as we were checking out, they looked at me like I was crazy and basically said "oh. ok. we'll tell housekeeping." WTF? I showed them the picture on my phone, and still nothing. It was a really astonishing reaction in what is supposed to be a five star hotel. The interior of our room was also tired, and in need of a refresh. Yes, the building exterior and gardens are lovely, but again, the first rule of hotel club is friggin comfortable beds! I'm cool with quirks like no elevator (pack or select your suitcase accordingly, due to stairs), but get the basics right! And if you don't, at least offer something to compensate--even if it was a discount at the attached spa--which would have been helpful after sleeping on that crappy bed. The most outstanding thing was breakfast--which we were pleasantly surprised about after reading someone's review slamming the breakfast here. We loved the breakfast: all kinds of juices, fruits, meats, cheeses, breads, sweets--and all in a lovely setting. We really couldn't have asked for more. Also, this was the one hotel that had a mini bottle of port and two pastels de nata waiting for us in the room, which was nice. There was also ample parking, though not lit at night, even though there were light posts. ??? Wouldn't likely stay there again, but rather at a place on the other side of the river we found while exploring Coimbra: Sapeintia Hotel. That looked updated, fresh and lovely from walking by their back patio and front of the hotel.

I'm not much for touring the homes of dead rich people (or live rich people, for that matter)…read more Still, Fernando Bissaya Barreto's foundation runs a number of social service organizations in the Coimbra area, which made me curious about him. Also, it was raining and I wanted to do something that didn't involve looking at my laptop. The museum is small and is accessed by a guided tour. As soon as I walked in the docent found a guide for me, who spoke excellent English. It was just he and I the whole time, which meant I controlled the pace of the tour and he was happy to answer my questions. I was then free to wander around the small, lovely garden. It was more interesting than I expected to tour the house, since it helped me understand the history I've been reading about. It's one thing to read that someone had a weird religious thing and wanted to control how people lived their lives, it's another to see their bedroom designed to match the bishop's, their whole house decorated with things taken from monestaries, and their art collection glorifying subsistence farming and selfless motherhood. It was also interesting to be able to see the books in his library and office. The entrance fee is 3 euro. They close for lunch, so check the opening times before you go.

Location wise - close to Coimbra B train station, which is great. Uber rides were cheap. It is also…read moreclose to the historical center and university area. Service - checked me in early, which I appreciated. Friendly at the front desk. Amenities- old and dated, which is surprising at its price point. It sets itself up as a 4 star hotel, but it is 3 star hotel at most. The walls are thin- my neighbors kept talking all damn night. They weren't even playing loud music or yelling. This is how thin the walls were. There were no usb outlets and the furniture definitely showed wear and tear. So glad, my stop here was short. Tchau Coimbra!

The location is great, right in the city, one of the only hotels within the city. Very friendly and…read morehelpful staff. The hotel and definitely the rooms need to be updated. The breakfast which is included offered a very nice selection.

No TV, no pillows, no aircon. Service so so. Not highly recommended. If I had a choice I would…read morenot return here

Hotel is located in the heart of the area we wanted to visit. Check in was easy as was check out…read more We made the booking on Booking.com as we have been doing for several years. What is different with the European hotels is all look like they were just updated. We stayed at 10 different hotels on this trip and all looked brand new on the inside. The big plus is all were much less expensive for a similar hotel in the US. The only negative was parking was in an underground garage that was about 300 feet away. You could not drive up to the property as it was located on a walkway about 50 feet off the road. We were treated well and everyone was extremely helpful. I am ashamed to say I don't speak or understand any Spanish so I depended on them being able to speak english. The room was exceptionally pretty inside.

The most exceptional hotel stay that I have ever had. I've been fortunate to stay at a few luxary…read more5 star hotels but this property along with the history that comes with it is truly what's sets this place apart. If your a history nerd like me and love a good luxary hotel then this will be perfect for you. First and foremost the service here is exceptional. From beginning to end the staff was truly great and so helpful. Michellin star resteraunt on site along with a bar for guests to enjoy. The grounds and gardens of this hotel was incredible and the best I've seen at any propery. My wife and I got lost exploring this historic hotel and gardens for two hours exploring, just taking our time enjoying it, WE LOVED IT. We booked a Spa Room in the Spa Wing which is the newer addition to the hotel designed by a very famous Portugesse Archetict. Stunning building, room was very comfortable and nice. The room does need an update, room seems to be suck in the late 2000s/ early 2010s. But still felt very nice, spacious and luxurious. The balcony was our favorite part with a view of the gardens and pool. The pool was awesome, Olympic sized pool. Cabana and pool side chairs are available for free and they have food and drink service which was phenomenal. We had a great lunch by the pool and the girl working there was great and helpful. Overall, this place is just incredible. To sleep where Royals slept once is just the cherry on top for me. If you stay here make sure to read up on the love story Iñes Castro and Pedro I of Portugal. Really this is an incredible place and worth every penny to stay here. Luckily this SLH hotel is now available to Hilton Honors Memebers so I took full advantage and used 80k points for a two night stay here. DONT SLEEP ON THEM, if your in Coimbra Portugal, do your life this favor. You will be so happy you stayed here as I did. Obrigada Quinta Das Lagrimas!

A great very high end hotel with a moderate price. We stayed here in the off season for about $200…read morea night. It was truly worth double that. The grounds are beautiful and worth a stroll through the garden. They have a pool but it was a bit too cool for that. There seems to be endless staff making sure you are ok. The breakfast which came with our room was really great and included an omelet. I can't say enough about the breakfast. Our room was ok and included a balcony over the garden. Wifi in my room was clocked at 22 mbps through google speed test ...which I have found is fairly good when you are traveling. We love this place.

This is one of the coolest places that we stayed in Portugal. The suite rooms are huge and…read morecomfortable. The breakfast lounge is very nice at the back, and the breakfast was very good. The lounges that they have at the main floor were perfect for relaxing at night. The service was very friendly at all times. And, the location is within 15 minutes walking distance of everything that you would want to see in Coimbra. Parking was easy, right across the street.

My husband and I had stayed here in April, 2016, and it remains one of my favorite places that we…read morehave stayed. First of all, the property is beautiful and impeccably kept. It's in a gorgeous old house, and they've done an excellent job of maintaining the character while also creating a very functional hostel. We stayed in a large room, which was considered a double, even though it had a little sitting area and felt more like a junior suite. Huge windows with views, a large shared terrace outside, nice furniture-- sleek, midcentury modern look, a really spacious and airy room. We had a private bath across the hall, which seemed kind of pointless to me, but they had booked all of the ensuite rooms and my husband wanted our own bath. It ended up being great, because we could unpack our toiletries and leave them where we use them, and crossing the hall just felt like staying at a friend's very nice old family home. We had a key for the bath, along with our room, but the place was not at all crowded. The only time we saw any other guests was at breakfast. That may be because we were on the highest floor; I think I remember that there was a dorm room on a lower floor, but I never heard any noise or anything. Location was great, a ten minute cab ride from the train station and an easy walk to the university. Breakfast was excellent and regularly replenished. As I recall, they had yogurt and cold meats and cheese, a toaster with bagels and breads, cereals, lots of fruit, a coffee machine (maybe a nespresso, similar if not), juice, and scrambled eggs. Pretty much something for anyone, and you could have as much as you wanted. The breakfast room was as airy and sunny as the rest of the place, and the furniture was substantial; it did not feel like they had gone to Ikea and bought the least expensive pieces. The whole house was that way; they had a casual chic look that I really liked. Best of all was the staff and management. From the time we stepped inside, everything was competently handled by pleasant, polite people. No one was obsequious or anything; it was just friendly competence. If you needed directions or suggestions, they had it. If you needed help with the coffee machine, someone was quickly available to show you. And when we left, my husband left a small wallet that he was using to carry his passport and a large amount of cash; they found it and called us within minutes, but my phone wasn't working outside of the US at the time, so we missed the call and took the train to Porto. He realized his mistake by the time we were halfway there, and went back immediately. The wallet was still there, contents intact. There was nothing I would change about this place. If you're going to Portugal, you should go to Coimbra at least for a day or two, and if you go to Coimbra, I really recommend Luggage Hostel.