The ambience of staying in an old world palace! Such incredible decor & loved the history & the garden’s & natural forest surroundings

Nothing! We did look at a lot of the previous reviews & I think you have to accept you are staying in a +150 year old building with all its quirks & charms. We did opt to eat out of the palace in Luso & had a lovely dinner at Pedro do Sal in Luso

This is an extraordinary Hotel on a Palace built for one of Portugal last kings and it is by itself a masterpiece of architecture in the Manuelini style ( linked to Porugueses Sea Discoveries). Highly recommended for its historical value/ architecture.

The wifi is a shambles and not aceppatble at all on a 5 Star hotel . Did not work in the lounge where we were told it was working and several attempts to get it going all failed . To be sitting in a magnificent room full of history and enjoy a Cognac whilst reading the news on my IPad as my ideia of excellence which without wifi was totally ruined . Not acceptable, I say again on a 5 star hotel.

The building and interior take you royal times. It's as if you are in a museum, but you can touch everything and sit on the old chairs. - true masterpieces. Respectfully, for sure. The atmosphere is very soothing. It's very calm here. If you happen to stay when there are no loud guests or big companies in the property, you'll be lucky to enjoy trully quite dinner time and peaceful time in salon with a glass of porto. Everything here makes you slow down, lower your voice and just relax or enjoy the details of the preserved interior. Yet please remember: it's not a gorgeous palace covered in gold, but place for the royal family and their guests to stay during hunting time. It's pretty modest, yet awesome. If you opt for dinner here, try meagre fish for the main dish. It's worth of the gourmet attention.

Breakfast was good. The Palace Hotel itself was gorgeous. We felt like royalty staying there. Reception desk had good folks. Being in the midst of a forest where there were well laid out trails was fantastic.

Ant problem in the room. Reality is this is an old, charming palace. It's bound to happen and I threw out our mints and small bag of granola. That fixed it. The man working the bar in the large lounge area may have had a twin in the restaurant picking up the dishes. He was a curmudgeon. Very expensive tasting dinner with multiple courses was good, however, the main steak at the end was raw, and I couldn't cut it with steak knife due to all the ligaments.

For us this quality of hotel was a special treat and we were not disappointed. It is full of amazing art and carvings and you really are staying in a royal Palace. When you check in the staff give you a personal tour and explain the history. They must do this hundreds of times, but still managed to make it sound fresh and personal. The meal at night was also special and we really enjoyed the breakfast.

Sadly we visited when the forest fires were all around, so couldn't explore the outside, this was not their fault and the staff were very apologetic. My only suggestion for improvement is the lighting in the fabulous reasturant for dinner. It is too bright and harsh, they did light candles on the table and it would be perfect if the main lights could be dimmed or turned off and the 2 beautiful chandeliers used

Truly unique location with gorgeous art, architecture, amazing history in a lush national forest. The staff were enthusiastic about sharing the details and very professional. It was amazing to eat where Royals had eaten and walk their gardens - so much better than peeking into a roped-off room for a few seconds on a tour. We thoroughly enjoyed our meals.

I loved it but from some poor reviews, people need to appreciate the history here and the special qualities. I was very comfortable and impressed by how clean it was. The bathroom is large by todays standards and that decor reflects an earlier time. I’m grateful the history was preserved … we don’t need everything everywhere to be brand new. The toll on the environment to rip everything out every few years is awful.

A beautiful hotel set in stunning surroundings. The staff were very welcoming, friendly and helpful. We enjoyed having drinks in the lounge and the dinner was fabulous. Rooms and bathrooms are large and the bed comfortable.

The hotel rooms, including the lounge, really need some love and attention. Many of the lounge chairs rocked or collapsed down when you sat on them. The rooms need updating and while I love a good 50s style hair-dryer it's probably time to upgrade to something new. It would also be nice to be able to make tea and coffee in your room as well.

The hotel is the only option inside the forest, and it's lovely to stay in a real "palace." The staff was great and the room was spacious, including a large bathtub and a shared balcony that has amazing views. The breakfast, as everyone reports, is an extensive buffet. I don't think the quality of any of the food is extremely high, but the sheer variety of options is very welcome, including even fresh-squeezed juice and champagne, as well as some homemade breads. We really enjoyed having a drink in the bar and its outside patio. Tour groups occasionally showed up but being "inside" the palace is really a treat.

The only dinner option is the hotel restaurant, and it's very overpriced for food that is not amazing. Of course you can tell from the photos, the place, and the other reviews that this is not Windsor Palace. It's not refurbished and old fashion, but it certainly has a lot of charm and is fun for a night.

Beautiful forest grounds and amazing palace interior. Giant room and bathroom with a walk-in closet. Breakfast was over-the-top fabulous . Delicious food, selection, and top/notch service. You can have espresso drinks or any coffee you like, also champagne is included. Get there at the top of the hour for a table by the windows overlooking the gardens. We stayed two nights and we’re glad we did. One night would not have been enough.

The carpet was worn in the room, and the shower had mildew that would have been easily cleaned. The property is older, which we understood, but this should have been better

The palace is beautiful and the location outstanding. We were well aware that the rooms are dated so were fine with that. I was very happy to have a bathtub! Overall a really fun stay in a lovely place and exploring the forest the next day was great. Staff and service all great and breakfast was amazing.

Dinner meals were beautifully presented but none of us was happy with the meals for the prices - steak tough, duck tasted like pork etc. Service was good but the prices were much too high and wine list prices ridiculous for Portugal where I live. My sister's room had hair all over the bathroom floor, probably from a mop - we didn't complain but just want the hotel to know to watch for this. The rooms were warm but almost too hot - we were not able to open our windows for fresh air. Because we only stayed one night none of this was worth complaining about.