Hotel Rural Quinta de Novais — Hotel in Arouca

After hiking the amazing Paiva Boardwalk me and a friend decided to spend the night at Quinta de Novais. We came in tired around midnight and were greeted by the manager like uninvited strangers (sadly this is not uncommon, why do people manage a hotel if they are not happy to see people wanting to stay there?) and got a twin room facing the garden.||At night when we turned off the lights we started to hear the buzzing of mosquitos in our face. We got up and started to hunt for them, thinking it was one or two. After we had taken two mosquitos we happily turned off the lights again thinking all was good. It took a couple of minutes and then there was more buzzing. After 6 mosquitos were killed and we still got bitten trying to sleep I got up to change the room. There was nobody in the reception. End of story was absolutely no sleep, 9 mosquitos killed and even when trying to cover up- our faces and body all covered with mosquito bites. My friends eye was even swollen after being bitten. ||The room was furnished with dark wood and had dark curtains. It was also warm, damped and dirty, so perfect conditions for all bugs.||When I got to the reception to check out I told the receptionist the story of the night and she replied; "Ok, how would you like to pay?" Stunned by the reply I told her I did not want to pay for being eaten up by mosquitos and not getting any sleep. She then called the manager who would sort it out. When the manager came he had already worked up an anger and came straight to my face and asked me "what is the problem?!". I told him my story and showed him my bites and my friends swollen eye in wich he responded "not my problem, you will pay!". He was completely care free about the experience of our stay and his only concern was to get the money for the room (we did not pre-book the room so it wasn't paid in advance). We tried to reason with him but suddenly he only spoke portugese and the only thing he could say was in english was "pay", so we ended up paying for being eaten up.||When service is based on fear and anger (like in this case) instead of care and compassion it shows that it is all about money and not a...

Charming hotel in an restored houses from 18th of century. Quiet location, but not far from the city Arouca. Perfect for a relaxing stay and good base for exploring the region, iuncluding the Aroca 516 bridge. My room was inviting, with relaxing views to the forrest, bed was comfortable, bathroom spacious. I loved the common room with a fireplace, lots of books, also guide books. The restaurant is very atractive with a big panoramic window. Breakfast was tasty, with lots of local products, even home made orange marmalade and tasty localy produced honey. The personnel was atentive, helpfull, and talkative. Wi-fi worked well, there is a free parking and if you like to swimm they ve got an inviting outdoor but covered swimming pool.One of the best options to stay...

Very charming hotel, inspiring nature and rural surroundings. The hosts and staff were exceedingly nice and attentive and the decoration is sober, simple and elegant. Lovely breakfast with lots of fresh fruits and nice breads, served in a magnificent room with wide views to the garden and the green valley with chestnut trees and oak trees. Charming living room with stone walls, a fireplace and table games. Warm and comfortable bedroom with a private balcony and plenty of space. The building is very well rebuilt, keeping its seventeenth/ eighteenth century magic but with a modern, fresh twist.|Only two suggestions: replace the bedroom lights for warmer ones (white lights are a bit too cold and unwelcoming) and have some more towelracks in...