Poça da Dona Beija — Attraction in Povoação

We had a wonderful, relaxing visit to this natural thermal spa. We also visited the Terra Nostra pool but this one was certainly our favourite. The water is warmer (39C in all pools and you can also hop into the river which is a much cooler 28C) and seems a lot cleaner. Poca da Dona Beija is also far better organised with clean, modern showers, changing facilities and toilets although Terra Nostra will be transformed once the new changing facilities have opened (still very much under construction in April 2024). We entered at 9.30am on a weekday and there were only a handful of people in the baths. The setting is beautifully landscaped and the baths are all slightly differently designed with varying depths and different cascades, so it's fun to try out different ones. A fabulous experience and we'd definitely do it all again. Entry is €8, but you have to pay extra for a locker (€2) and for the shower (€1). In the event, we felt we shouldn't have bothered with the locker as you get a free basket to carry your towels and belongings in and that would have been fine. Towels can be hired for €4 extra but be prepared to hand over your car key or pay €20 deposit for those. As the water is far clearer than the pool at Terra Nostra we found that the iron didn't stain anything but maybe we were just fortunate. On the down side we did get caught out by not booking online in advance. This is the only way to get an entry ticket and as we arrived at 09:05 we had to go and book a ticket online to get 09:30 entry. They refused to give us entry for the 09:00 slot at reception and it was no longer possible to book it online by then, so we had a very inconvenient 25 minute wait to get in as a result. ...

This is the first review I’ve ever written, but I feel I have no choice but to lower the rating and warn others. Two days before booking our tickets, I tried several times to buy two tickets, but in the final step, the price suddenly doubled. I tried it on multiple devices and it’s really easy to overlook this change. Be careful not to accidentally purchase more tickets than you intended. After reading a few other reviews, it seems like this might not be a coincidence.

Our visit started with the security guard refusing to let us in 7 minutes before our scheduled entry, even though it was raining and there was nowhere to take shelter. Then we were greeted by an unfriendly and bored woman at the reception desk who clearly just wanted to get rid of us as quickly as possible. What followed was a shock – overcrowded pools and long lines for the changing rooms.

The environment itself is beautiful, but all these circumstances ruined the experience so much that we left after just five minutes and didn’t even enter the water. It felt more like a zoo or an overcrowded water park. The calm and relaxing atmosphere we were hoping for was completely missing, which is a shame, because the place otherwise has potential.

When leaving, I politely told the woman at the front desk that we were leaving because it was too crowded, and she replied arrogantly, saying that this is the time when people rotate out because you can stay a maximum of 1.5 hours – which makes no sense since time slots are every 30 minutes. A few people may have left, but dozens more came in.

If you’re unsure, I highly recommend the thermal baths in Terra Nostra Park instead – a much better...

A somewhat more complicated review for me. The thermal spa is relatively full and lacks variety. There are 4 different pools, but they only differ in depth. The best part of the spa was closed without notice and will probably remain so for the time being. Without the so-called Riviera, the entrance fee of €12 is quite expensive. Everything looks very touristy and is only reminiscent of natural springs with a lot of imagination.

The catch to all the criticism: what did I expect? It's a thermal bath characterised by tourism with a relatively high entrance fee. It is very clean and there are lots of staff. Cold showers are available in front of each pool. Hot showers are only available for an extra charge - but you don't really need them. Lockers can be borrowed for a deposit and are also a good thing. The slot system (you are only allowed to stay there for 1.5 hours) is a bit excessive and always ensures that the changing rooms and sanitary facilities are full at the end and start times. However, I personally didn't need more than 1.5 hours due to the lack of variety.

The discolouration on swimwear has definitely occurred, but can be avoided with a little foresight (you can see the iron deposits with the naked eye and can also sit down in places where you won't get that dirty).

To summarise, I would say that it is a little expensive, but well maintained. It is a tourist relaxation bath and not a natural treasure or insider tip.

P.S. You have to buy the tickets online beforehand. Otherwise you will not be...