LBV House Hotel — Hotel in Alijó

We booked 4 days at the LBV House Hotel so that we could have a leisurely time to explore and enjoy the Duoro Valley. Unfortunately, we had not taken into account the extreme heat. Temperatures during the day were between 95 F and 105 F. And, sadly, the air conditioning in our room was simply not up to the task of cooling our room. This was the most disappointing part of our stay. |When we arrived late afternoon, after a long hot train ride from Porto, there was no one around to check us in. We finally located the sole staff person chatting with a guest at the pool He was the only staff person working from 3pm - 11pm.|Though this is a lovely, modern hotel, with an inviting infinity pool and comfortable lounge, breakfast and bar area, it has very few services. They have a restaurant for breakfast, but do not serve dinner. The bar does have a snack menu that includes a nice grilled ham & cheese. And although the pool area has comfortable lounge chairs and umbrellas - there is very limited shaded area, especially at mid-day.|We decided to cut our stay short because there was literally nothing to do during the hot day after we had 1 day at a Qunta for tour, wine tasting and dinner and 1 day on an all day tour. We informed the morning staff person that we would check out one day early, however she informed us that a refund for that day was not possible. When I complained about how uncomfortable the room was due to insufficient air conditioning, she said that was the best they could do given the extreme heat. I asked for a fan - she said she would look - but a fan never appeared.||So, I would recommend this hotel during a cooler season. But be aware of its limitations: no restaurant for dinner, limited snack menu, no laundry service and typically only 1 staff person working after breakfast service. It is situated in the hills above the town of Pinhao - a pleasant walk if there is not extreme heat - and so it has amazing views, especially...

We stayed here twice – one night at the beginning and one night at the end of a week's hiking in the Douro Valley (first night room 5, the last night room 6). The hotel is modern and tasteful. The rooms are quite small. It is not possible to have even two cabin trolleys open on the floor. One could just about fit under the table – there was no room for the other one. But the rooms are very tasteful and the balconies are great with nice balcony furniture. The balconies vary in size – our second room (room 6) probably had the smallest of them all, but it was still large enough for the furniture and the pretty view is the same. There is a fridge but no electric kettle or other ways to make a cup of coffee. No tissues either. The bathroom in room 5 was nice with a large modern multi-function shower and even a view from the shower through the room and over the mountains! In room 6 the bathroom had a bathtub rather than the shower unit – it was a good deep bathtub, but if given a choice, we prefer the shower. Nice big towels (always a plus).|Breakfast was nice.||We arrived in Pinhão by train and had been advised to take a taxi. As it was less than a kilometre to walk to the hotel we didn't take a taxi … and regretted it bitterly as it is steep upwards and on many stairs. No problem without luggage, but with the suitcases it was a struggle! Totally our own fault – just to warn others not to be as silly … :-)||If the rooms had been a little bigger and if there had been an electric kettle, I would have given 5 stars. As it was, I give 4. But we enjoyed our two short stays and would not hesitate...

Rooms are modern and views are lovely. Room service was poor. Room was not cleaned and cups and glasses not washed. On arrival tea and coffee making facilities included kettle and cups with no spoons, tea, coffee or milk and we were unable to get these from reception. They were also not provided the next day despite us making reception aware that they were missing. There is no mini bar in the room despite what it says on the website. |Breakfast was meagre. On both days the hot breakfast was cold as the heaters under the chafing dish were not used. Fruit and yoghurt was not replenished and orange juice was very diluted. Coffee in flasks was cold although premium coffee was available from the one member of staff on duty if you could get her attention. She also provided omelette and cooked eggs to some guests but this was not advertised anywhere. |Whole place seems to be run on a shoestring. |Our room was one of two on the back of the hotel with views of a brick wall despite the website saying that all rooms either have views of the river or the slopes. |Cat seems to constantly be lying on the furniture in reception or the bar area which is not great for those who are allergic to cats. When we were asked about our experience on checkout they just said you should have said something despite us already having done so. |Would...