Wine Tourism - Quinta dos Murças

Stunning location, not too touristy. Brilliant breakfast. Same re pre-ordered evening meals- delicious. Gorgeous wines. Lovely staff. José was a star.

The walk up the hill - gate could stay unlocked between 9 and 6pm office hours - we were never sure and sometimes had to double back through station. Longer stays should have a room refresh/clean part way through.

This was a very beautiful unique and stylish property right on the banks of the Douro, and very close to Covelinhas train station. The interiors are gorgeous - very mid-century and it's more like a big self catering house with access to the central kitchen and honesty bar. We didn't use the pool which was useful to have but we enjoyed evenings on the balcony overlooking the river and made friends with the only other couple staying at the Quinta. We splashed out on this place after staying in several other properties in Porto and Douro region. We took the scenic train from the station which was beautiful and stopped off in Pinhao for a boat trip and a Port tasting session. Fabulous.

We spent weeks before our arrival making arrangements for dinner which you need to order at least 48 hours in advance and is specially cooked and left in the kitchen for you. We had the menu, made our selections and thought everything was arranged by the time we got there. We knew that it would be difficult to get to a restaurant after arriving later in the afternoon - especially if we wanted to have a drink. We were VERY disappointed upon arrival that our dinner had been cancelled because apparently 'we needed to choose the same items from the menu' and we had both chosen different things for each course. At no time was it communicated that this should be the case or that when we emailed our food choices, that we were told we should amend our order. SO instead, they just decided not to provide our dinner at all. Not only that, but there was no food available in the kitchen (the site suggests that there is always ham and cheese available to order). We did find some stale bread in a cupboard (left over from breakfast) but in the end we had to make the hazardous trip back to the supermarket 30 minutes drive in the nearest town in the dark - or starve. What was even worse is that another couple turned up after a very stressful drive on the mountainous road after dark - and they too had no food (they didn't order any but as mentioned before, there was nothing else available). So we ended up sharing what we had bought from the supermarket with them!! We ended up having a very entertaining time with them for a couple of days but that's not the point! When a hotel is in the middle of nowhere - it needs to have some form of food on site!!

This place is truly so special, Douro Valley is breathtaking, but staying here really made our trip. This is an incredibly small boutique “hotel” which really feels like your own house. There are only five rooms. Each room is beautifully decorated and the living spaces are so thoughtfully arranged too. Breakfast every morning was a delight, spent many hours lounging by the pool and taking in the views. Thank you to the Quinta Murças staff for being so helpful and kind.

Not something we didn’t like - but note that it is a bit of a trek to get here! And there is so restaurant or cooking staff on site! If you want meals beyond breakfast you have to let the hotel know at least 72hr in advance - we didn’t know this so we had to figure out meals. No big deal, we were able to take the train to Regua and bring take out back another night. But it is quite remote so be prepared!

A lovely secluded location with stunning views over the Douro River and along the valley. We stayed here with our children for a couple of days. Staff were very helpful and the breakfast was lovely, with homemade cakes and freshly squeezed oranges from the trees on the property.

The road up to the Quinta is quite narrow and curvy. Worth it though for the views!