Hotel do Parque — Hotel in Braga

Wonderfully situated hotel, on top of a hill overlooking Braga, right next to the beautiful Bom Jesus do Monte church and its magnificent Baroque stairway. There is (limited) free parking right in front of the building - you will get reimbursed for the 1 Euro you pay at the entrance to the parking lot a bit further down the hill.||The hotel is classy yet modern, with a minimalistic and well-kept interior. After a professional (yet somewhat lengthy) check-in by the receptionist, we entered our huge room. The bathroom area is integrated into it in a way that might make it a bit difficult for people seeking privacy, but for us it worked perfectly fine. The bed was large and comfy, the quiet surroundings made for a deep and undisturbed sleep (the church bells don’t ring during the night). We appreciated the chic furniture but needed some time to figure out how the many different light switches were connected to the actual lamps.||The only real downside was the breakfast: served in a not too inviting room, with unwelcoming staff not caring about COVID rules (allowing some guests to help themselves at the buffet without using the mandatory gloves). The selection of food was also mediocre at best, the quality even worse. A bummer in a hotel which we would otherwise...

Français : Dès que nous sommes arrivés, nous avons trouvé une dame d’accueil dédaigneuse qui a essayé de nous donner une chambre inférieure à celle que nous avons réservé ma femme et moi et je trouve que c’est un manque de professionnalisme. Puis nous nous sommes dirigés vers la chambre, pas de bouteille d’eau, pas de message, rien du tout, pour je le rappelle une chambre à 180 € la nuit. Certains éléments de la chambre ne fonctionnaient pas comme des interrupteurs ou encore les cheminées artificielles. Sur le site Booking, il y avait la promesse d’un spa. Quel spa ? Je vais vous le décrire. Un mini sauna, un petit bain turc. Et une douche. Et quand nous avons essayé de nous diriger vers ce dernier pour le découvrir, un monsieur nous a arrêté et à essayer de nous mettre dehors jusqu’à ce qu’on lui dise que nous sommes clients de l’hôtel. Même un employé à critiquer le spa de l’hôtel en disant qu’il en avait un plus gros chez lui (j’ai admiré son honnêteté). Puis nous avons essayé d’aller à la piscine. Nous nous sommes dirigés vers l’accueil et ils nous ont dit que la piscine se trouvait dans un autre hôtel qui appartenait au même groupe, mais qu’il fallait payer 20 €, j’ai alors signalé que je voulais parler au responsable, la dame de l’accueil m’a répondu que cela ne servait à rien, et que de toute façon il n’y a personne. Après tout cela, nous avons voulu aller au restaurant de l’hôtel, bien évidemment il était fermé. Bref, si vous souhaitez passer un moment idéal avec votre femme dans un hôtel à côté du bom Jésus, n’allait pas dans celui-là. Portugais : Assim que chegamos, encontramos uma recepcionista desdenhosa que tentou nos dar um quarto inferior ao que reservamos, minha esposa e eu, e acho que isso é uma falta de profissionalismo.

Depois, fomos para o quarto e não havia garrafa de água, nem mensagem, nada, para um quarto que custava 180 € por noite. Alguns itens do quarto não funcionavam, como os interruptores ou as lareiras artificiais. No site do Booking, havia a promessa de um spa. Que spa? Vou descrevê-lo. Uma mini sauna, um pequeno banho turco e um chuveiro. E quando tentamos ir até este último para conhecê-lo, um homem nos parou e tentou nos colocar para fora até que dissemos que éramos clientes do hotel. Até um funcionário criticou o spa do hotel, dizendo que tinha um maior em casa (admirei sua honestidade).

Depois, tentamos ir à piscina. Fomos à recepção e nos disseram que a piscina estava em outro hotel que pertencia ao mesmo grupo, mas que teríamos que pagar 20 €. Eu então disse que queria falar com o responsável, e a recepcionista respondeu que não adiantaria nada, e que de qualquer forma não havia ninguém.

Depois de tudo isso, queríamos ir ao restaurante do hotel, mas, claro, estava fechado.

Enfim, se você deseja passar um momento ideal com sua esposa em um hotel perto do Bom Jesus, não...

Never again. We were booked to Hotel do Elevador and then moved to this hotel. Although it is nicely decorated and in a good location, it is a trap. We’d have to go to Elevador for dinner, which is overpriced. Then, the bar which was supposed to be open, wasn’t. So, they have a captive audience up there. Granted, we could have driven to Braga. But the reason I demanded a refund and left was the air con, which was not working, it was hot and stiffling. When I talked to the manager he told me they could not provide “cold air” because the tanks had hot water and most guests asked for heating as it was cold (24C outside). A load of rubbish, as air cons don’t work this way. So, I got my refund and left. Not going back. Next time, we’ll stay in...