Valverde Santar Hotel & SPA

Tudo esteve perfeito, apenas o serviço de jantar no restaurante Memória ficou aquém das expectativas.

Très bel établissement rénové avec goût et service parfait.

Magnificent hotel with amazing bed, wonderful terrace balcony for cocktail or breakfast and fully stone swimming pool

What a wonderful place. We visited the region looking for a special place to hold a family member's wedding. We saw several estates in this area, and it was at Valverde that we found the ideal place for this special day. The hotel is well-maintained, the staff are super friendly, the magnificent rooms are spacious, filled with light, and very well kept. The best breakfast I have had since I arrived in Portugal. We hope to return soon, but next time we will stay much longer! Thank you all for your kindness.

We stayed at this hotel as part of a special occasion - our wedding night - and while there are certainly elements of the property that are well thoughtout, the overall experience fell short of what I would expect from a hotel positioned at this price point and star rating. To start with the positives: the property is beautiful and tastefully designed. The spa is a highlight and particularly well maintained - the attendant there was warm, welcoming, and professional - a highlight in terms of service. The pool area is also nicely kept, and the use of salt water in the pool is a detail we appreciated. That said, the service experience overall lacked the consistency and hospitality one would expect from a five-star establishment. There were a number of moments throughout our stay where small service missteps accumulated and created an experience that missed the 5-star mark. For example, during our time at the pool - which happened to be in the middle of a heatwave - we were unable to get any service for nearly two hours. There was no one staffing the bar. It was weird to see a fully stocked fridge on the bar, locked with a literal tick chain and lock - the kind you'd see in a warehouse - but no one there to serve them. It was very odd given there was an honesty bar in the hotel. Since no one was staffing the bar, and there was a phone there, I tried to ring someone as my wife was very thirsty. I called reception, restaurant, the indoor bar, and even room service, but no one picked up. I felt I was covering for a staff shortfall, when I shouldn't need to - especially in such an establishment. The fact no one picked up only made it more surreal - like no one was in the hotel. After 2 hours, eventually someone did arrive and we were able to order drinks. 
Once at breakfast, I had an unpleasant back and forth with the server. I wanted some toast with butter, but the only bread in the basket was big rolls that wouldn’t fit. I pointed this out to the server and asked if there was sliced bread available, and if not, if I could have a bread knife to slice the buns (myself). The reply was very defensive, with some random excuse, and the server suggested I take the bread to my table, slice it there, and come back and toast it. I only had a butter knife at my table… Talking about breakfast, this was another area that didn’t quite meet expectations. While the ingredients were of good quality, the offering was limited. On one morning, for example, there were no eggs available on the buffet at all. We were told that many items could be made to order ‘to avoid waste and promote sustainability’ - which is a perfectly acceptable approach - but with only one staff member managing orders, the process was slow and there were issues with accuracy. Waiting 15 minutes for coffee or having egg orders arrive incorrectly just isn't in line with the type of seamless experience luxury hotels typically strive to offer. We had just came from 2 nights at the nearby Solar de V

It felt like I was a guest at a royal mansion! The staff were amazing, the food at the restaurant was unbelievably delicious, and the entire place was spotless. I loved every moment of my stay