Vidago Palace Hotel — Hotel in Chaves

I came upon Vidago Palace while browsing through the properties that were included in the Virtuoso Network portfolio. I was immediately attracted to its unique and handsome architecture; the rather remote northern location, I thought, would be a welcome respite after spending the previous nine days in Marrakech and Lisbon. Bonus: there was a “Fourth Night Free” promotion being offered—an excellent value for this Leading Hotel of the World! It isn’t the easiest hotel to get to without a rental car (not on a rail line, and about 80 minutes from OPO), but judging by the information on the hotel’s website, and the reviews here and elsewhere, it|seemed that it would be worth it.||And it was.||In advance of our arrival, I had several email exchanges with the concierge team to discuss transportation options and available tours. The rate we were quoted for the airport transfer seemed exceptionally high, so we used Bolt instead for almost 1/3 the cost. All emails were answered promptly and courteously.||After an easy 80-minute drive from OPO with an affable Bolt driver, we turned into the driveway that leads to the hotel…and our jaws dropped. It is a magnificent building with lush, impeccably maintained lawns and gardens, and an atmosphere of times gone by…||A pair of friendly bellmen took our luggage and escorted us up the grand staircase to the lobby to check in. Because we booked with a Virtuoso agent, and I’m a LHW Club member, we were upgraded to a Junior Suite. It wasn’t quite ready when we arrived (around 1PM), so we were invited to have lunch on the terrace of the bar. We ambled down a long hallway impressively decorated with a gorgeous wallpaper mural, and then through a sumptuous lounge outfitted in metres of velvet, brocade, tapestry, and fringe. Palace indeed!||We ordered cocktails and sandwiches from the delightful Beatriz, and before they were even served we were informed that our room was ready.||In my pre-arrival notes, I indicated that I like a corner room on a high floor, so I was delighted to discover that Junior Suite 208 was exactly that. With soaring twelve-foot ceilings, It’s more like an actual suite, however, as it has a small sitting room that can be closed off from the bedroom. In that room you have a daybed, a small coffee bar, and a wall-mounted television. There were four sets of French doors that could be opened onto delicate Juliet balconies; they were framed in a heavy and opulent brocade. The bedroom had a king sized bed with butter-soft linens, a cocktail table with armchair, a desk with straight chair, another television, a BOSE radio, and a pair of nightstands. We greatly appreciated the ample storage that was provided by two closets with lots of shelves, drawers, and hanging space.||The large marble clad bathroom also had French doors directly in front of the soaking tub, double sinks, heavy monogrammed towels, and a terrific range of toiletries by Molton Brown. ||The temperatures during our stay were so comfortable that we were able to have all of the doors wide open most of the time (but at night, there are mosquitoes about, so we had to close them and use the AC). Upon returning to our room after an early evening walk into the town, we found that a proper turndown service had been performed: used towels replaced, curtains drawn, bottled water and glasses placed on the nightstand, slippers placed bedside on damask floor covers, and a duo of delicious cookies (ginger and chocolate) on the pillows. Few hotels get this right anymore, so it was lovely to receive that service here.||During our stay the hotel had only about 10 occupied rooms, so we felt like we had the palace to ourselves! We made excellent use of the spacious and well-equipped gym, the water features at the spa, and the large outdoor pool with ample seating and umbrellas. ||We dined at all of the hotel’s facilities (bar, pool bar, Winter Garden, Wine Cellar, Salão Nobre, and room service), and all were excellent. Starting the day with a generous buffet breakfast in the spacious and beautiful Winter Garden room was a treat. The staff there was so welcoming, and our coffee and tea orders were always delivered in a flash. And don’t miss dinner at the hotel’s signature restaurant, Salão Nobre, in the lavish ballroom. The decor alone is reason enough to visit, but the food and service is outstanding as well. We appreciated the many little extras provided by the kitchen: bread and oil service, amuse-bouches, palate cleanser, and mignardises. It was the perfect way to spend our last night at the hotel.||The two tours that the hotel arranged for us were highlights of our stay. I didn’t realize that the concierge himself, the suave and handsome Angelo, attired in an elegant navy pinstriped suit, would be our chauffeur and guide. He drove us in an impeccable Mercedes sedan (stocked with water) and provided interesting commentary about the region along the way. Everything was included in the tour prices: transportation, admission tickets, boat cruise, and three-course lunches at fantastic Michelin-recommended restaurants. We felt like VIPs!||Make sure to spend some time exploring the vast grounds of the hotel to take in the beautiful scenery, and visit the whimsical antique buildings that used to house the famous mineral water that people would drink for its restorative powers. There is still one that is operational, so you can pop in and have a cup. The interiors of these buildings are delightful as well!||Our stay at Vidago Palace exceeded my very high expectations for a 5-star Leading Hotel of the World and Virtuoso property. After the heat and chaos of Marrakech and Lisbon, this bucolic and tranquil retreat was exactly what we needed. This kind of hotel experience seems increasingly harder to find, so it is definitely worth the effort to get here and experience what surely must be one of Portugal’s...

I came upon Vidago Palace while browsing through the properties that were included in the Virtuoso Network portfolio. I was immediately attracted to its unique and handsome architecture; the rather remote northern location, I thought, would be a welcome respite after spending the previous nine days in Marrakech and Lisbon. Bonus: there was a “Fourth Night Free” promotion being offered—an excellent value for this Leading Hotel of the World! It isn’t the easiest hotel to get to without a rental car (not on a rail line, and about 80 minutes from OPO), but judging by the information on the hotel’s website, and the reviews here and elsewhere, it|seemed that it would be worth it.||And it was.||In advance of our arrival, I had several email exchanges with the concierge team to discuss transportation options and available tours. The rate we were quoted for the airport transfer seemed exceptionally high, so we used Bolt instead for almost 1/3 the cost. All emails were answered promptly and courteously.||After an easy 80-minute drive from OPO with an affable Bolt driver, we turned into the driveway that leads to the hotel…and our jaws dropped. It is a magnificent building with lush, impeccably maintained lawns and gardens, and an atmosphere of times gone by…||A pair of friendly bellmen took our luggage and escorted us up the grand staircase to the lobby to check in. Because we booked with a Virtuoso agent, and I’m a LHW Club member, we were upgraded to a Junior Suite. It wasn’t quite ready when we arrived (around 1PM), so we were invited to have lunch on the terrace of the bar. We ambled down a long hallway impressively decorated with a gorgeous wallpaper mural, and then through a sumptuous lounge outfitted in metres of velvet, brocade, tapestry, and fringe. Palace indeed!||We ordered cocktails and sandwiches from the delightful Beatriz, and before they were even served we were informed that our room was ready.||In my pre-arrival notes, I indicated that I like a corner room on a high floor, so I was delighted to discover that Junior Suite 208 was exactly that. With soaring twelve-foot ceilings, It’s more like an actual suite, however, as it has a small sitting room that can be closed off from the bedroom. In that room you have a daybed, a small coffee bar, and a wall-mounted television. There were four sets of French doors that could be opened onto delicate Juliet balconies; they were framed in a heavy and opulent brocade. The bedroom had a king sized bed with butter-soft linens, a cocktail table with armchair, a desk with straight chair, another television, a BOSE radio, and a pair of nightstands. We greatly appreciated the ample storage that was provided by two closets with lots of shelves, drawers, and hanging space.||The large marble clad bathroom also had French doors directly in front of the soaking tub, double sinks, heavy monogrammed towels, and a terrific range of toiletries by Molton Brown. ||The temperatures during our stay were so comfortable that we were able to have all of the doors wide open most of the time (but at night, there are mosquitoes about, so we had to close them and use the AC). Upon returning to our room after an early evening walk into the town, we found that a proper turndown service had been performed: used towels replaced, curtains drawn, bottled water and glasses placed on the nightstand, slippers placed bedside on damask floor covers, and a duo of delicious cookies (ginger and chocolate) on the pillows. Few hotels get this right anymore, so it was lovely to receive that service here.||During our stay the hotel had only about 10 occupied rooms, so we felt like we had the palace to ourselves! We made excellent use of the spacious and well-equipped gym, the water features at the spa, and the large outdoor pool with ample seating and umbrellas. ||We dined at all of the hotel’s facilities (bar, pool bar, Winter Garden, Wine Cellar, Salão Nobre, and room service), and all were excellent. Starting the day with a generous buffet breakfast in the spacious and beautiful Winter Garden room was a treat. The staff there was so welcoming, and our coffee and tea orders were always delivered in a flash. And don’t miss dinner at the hotel’s signature restaurant, Salão Nobre, in the lavish ballroom. The decor alone is reason enough to visit, but the food and service is outstanding as well. We appreciated the many little extras provided by the kitchen: bread and oil service, amuse-bouches, palate cleanser, and mignardises. It was the perfect way to spend our last night at the hotel.||The two tours that the hotel arranged for us were highlights of our stay. I didn’t realize that the concierge himself, the suave and handsome Angelo, attired in an elegant navy pinstriped suit, would be our chauffeur and guide. He drove us in an impeccable Mercedes sedan (stocked with water) and provided interesting commentary about the region along the way. Everything was included in the tour prices: transportation, admission tickets, boat cruise, and three-course lunches at fantastic Michelin-recommended restaurants. We felt like VIPs!||Make sure to spend some time exploring the vast grounds of the hotel to take in the beautiful scenery, and visit the whimsical antique buildings that used to house the famous mineral water that people would drink for its restorative powers. There is still one that is operational, so you can pop in and have a cup. The interiors of these buildings are delightful as well!||Our stay at Vidago Palace exceeded my very high expectations for a 5-star Leading Hotel of the World and Virtuoso property. After the heat and chaos of Marrakech and Lisbon, this bucolic and tranquil retreat was exactly what we needed. This kind of hotel experience seems increasingly harder to find, so it is definitely worth the effort to get here and experience what surely must be one of Portugal’s...

The hotel has grace and charm and is properly and fairly described as 5*. It is expensive . It has all the amenities it boasts, including a golf course. We found the staff very friendly and helpful. However, is it the holiday destination for you ? The hotel has the ambiance of a residential home for the elderly (even though there were some young families there). It is very quiet and will have had more popular days. We enjoyed the golf course but it does need some investment and parts of it are a bit tired. The club house is large but deserted. Apart from the hotel, the town of Vidago is a ghost town with derelict or empty hotels, shops and restaurants. There are a few very affordable restaurants/pizzerias but they are not always open. The restaurants we were in were friendly . The town centre is only a few minutes walk from the hotel . My understanding was that Vidago was a vibrant and popular spa town in the past but that it's best days are now long faded. The train stopped running to the town and people stopped coming. The hotels suffered first, then the stores and restaurants. As a tourist town it is largely abandoned save for the locals and there is nothing to see or do. I did not appreciate from reading the reviews before I booked it that there is no easily accessible public transport to the hotel. We came from Porto and doing the best we could we paid €120 for a taxi there and €170 for a private transfer to Porto Airport ( the hotel can organise this but for €350 one-way ). Note: we had two golf bags. As a couple we made a nice time of it and treated it as a pool holiday, but if you were going with friends/family you might struggle finding something to do. If you are looking for a group golf destination, I do not think this would suit. There is a high end tasting restaurant €165- €110 which I am sure is good. We didn't try it but we looked in - big room and not very busy. The other hotel restaurants' menus weren't really that inspiring- you can check them online. This hotel probably suits those who travel by car and only stay a few days for peace and quiet. We enjoyed our stay but I am not sure that I could recommend it because of its location - there isn't any relief from its old fashioned...