Quinta de Guimarães — Hotel in Baião

Fernanda was a wonderful host (she made breakfasts and dinner, and checked us in and made sure we were comfortable)||Pros:||• pool and nice lawn chairs for use (it was hot during our visit)||• There’s a small tower on the property (in one of the vineyards not too far from the main house); excellent views of the river from here||• Food was amazing, especially dinner; some of the food came from the garden on the property||• House wine was good (and inexpensive)||• Beds were comfortable||• Air conditioning works well (it was hot outside during our stay)||• Beautiful grounds (well kept)||Cons:||• check-in was at first a bit confusing, as it was unclear which bldg was for check-in (note, main building has one main entrance on the lower level but no signs). Eventually found someone in the kitchen who called to have Fernanda check us in. Signs on the property would have been helpful to identify the main house and check-in location, or a note in the booking with this information would have been useful||• WiFi works poorly||• Location is good between Porto and say Regua or Pinhão, but there are not a lot of nearby wineries or activities to do near this location. Pinhão is an hour drive (if you don’t take a wrong turn), Porto is nearly an hour and a half. Certainly enjoyed the place, but really have to have a rental car (can’t take train or bus like you could to Pinhão or similar)||||Overall we really enjoyed our time here at this very peaceful location. Note, the buildings are old with a lot of character, which is different than just about anywhere in the States, but not a bad thing as long as you're not expecting 5-star hotel amenities.||||If we did it again, we’d probably stay in Pinhao or near there since we enjoy wine tasting and tours. However, Porto was also a wonderful place to visit, and it would have been a much farther drive all the way to Pinhao (and...

We stayed here 2 nights in the big room in the main house. To start, the estate is just magical. Tucked away up a tiny hill, only accessible by a car, it looks upon a vast expanse of the valley and vineyards and even a bit of the duoro River from some parts. There are beautiful gardens, a lovely pool (we didn't use it as it was cold and raining), a gorgeous viewpoint, a tennis and basketball court to enjoy. Apart from there's a little chaple and beautiful rooms to read and have breakfast and meals. The highlight however of the stay was the food curated and made on request from a choice of menu by Fernanda. She made typical Portuguese regional plates and served them the old aristocratic ways. Each meal was a beautiful experience. On day one we chose a dinner of salad with meat croquets, a grilled bacalhau with potatoes eggs greens and a beef roast with a mustard sauce sweet potatoes, zucchini and beets and an unique mint rice on the side. The dessert was a baked meringue with a sweet yolk sauce and walnuts and seasonal fruits. Add to that a bottle of house wine and some porto to finish! Day 2 dinner was elaborate with a bacalhau a bràs, a slow roasted lamb with potatoes, cauliflower and greens. Baked brie with honey and walnuts and croquets plus a salad. The dessert was a sensational avocado icecream with dark chocolate plus a bottle of a wine from the estate and porto to finish. Each meal came to 49 something which was ok for the curated experience! This stay will be etched on my...

I'm not sure if I should publish this hidden secret gem here on Tripadvisor? The Qunita is one of the famous "Casas de Baiao" and family owned for 300 years. Now they also rent rooms, apartments and even a complete house (for 10 people) to holidaymakers. a nice breakfast is served in the old house's dining room (good coffee, bread, jam, seasonal fruits, ham, yogurt etc.)||||Fernanda you local contact speaks limited Engish but she's so lovely that communication won't be a problem. Buddah is the big dog who takes care on "security".||||We had the appartment with 2 bedrooms which is a separate small house next to the pool. Everything is spacious and stylish (some IKEA purchases mixed with old furniture but why not?)||||Wifi only in main house (could be improved), also we were missing some more tables and chairs to sit ourside of our house. Otherwise just perfect place with a lotof space.||||We didn't try their dinner meals (a bit steep with 27€/Person) but other guest praised the cooking of Fernanda!||||With the mandatory car you will find restaurants in the surrounding villages (Resende, Mesao Frio, Santa Maria Zezere):||||The nearby "Restaurante Nova Sol" (on main street from MesaoFrio) ISNOT recommended (cheap but only warmed up stuff, don't go there) instead I'd recommend in Mesao Frio "Restaurant O Convivio" where got fresh fare for very reasonable prices.||||This is our 2nd time on this beautiful place - 1 week of pure...