Hotel da Oliveira — Hotel in Guimarães

Can’t recommend this hotel enough. Its location is perfect and in the heart of the old medieval town close to the historic castle and palace Duques de Braganca which can be reached by a short walk. Numerous bars and restaurants nearby in the pretty squares/courtyards the hotel sits between as well as the hotels own a la carte restaurant where we enjoyed their delicious version of fish and chips. ||What makes this hotel special is the care and attention of the staff. We had originally checked into another hotel which fell short of our expectations and checked out and found ourselves checking into this hotel around 11:00 pm and feeling very grateful they had a room free! The staff could not have made us more welcome keeping the kitchen open so we could eat having not eaten all day travelling and arranging taxis for our daily excursions/airport. Nothing was too much trouble. The rooms were very comfortable and clean with contemporary finishings, air conditioning and we enjoyed our juliette balcony looking out over one of the narrow medieval streets. We enjoyed a lovely breakfast every morning outside overlooking the pretty square. The only thing I would change is the bath which was difficult to drain due to the shower screen in the way. ||If you are visiting Guimarães then this is the hotel to book and also a very easy drive to Braga around 25 mins by taxi. We ate a delicious lunch in |Cafe A Brasileira in Braga and dinner in Amute found in the adjoining square was in Guimarães which we highly...

We spent three very enjoyable nights here in April/May and recommend it with one small caveat: our room and bathroom were quite dark. The room itself was large, the king bed very comfortable with wonderful linens, and with a terrific shower. We needed to open the window for air circulation and fresh air, however. Minor quibbles.||You cannot top the hotel’s location, in the heart of old town and steps from cafes, restaurants, shops and sights. ||We used the hotel’s parking which is a little tricky upon arrival, although the hotel provided us with good directions. At 5 euros per stay it is a great deal.||The included breakfast was excellent, with variety (pastries, breads, yogurt , fruit, cheese etc) plus the option to order eggs in a variety of ways, also bacon and sausage. My only suggestion would be to add cappuccino to the offerings rather than just hot coffee and hot milk (& tea). ||Having stayed at the pousada in Guimaraes on a previous visit (which was incredible as a destination hotel) I would recommend the Hotel da Oliveira wholeheartedly both for its quality and wonderful location, and would return. |Finally, the staff are uniformly excellent- friendly and helpful. Our particular thanks to Marcia, who welcomed us upon arrival and provided outstanding assistance with restaurant...

This could be a very nice hotel. The rooms are large and the beds are good. The position of the building is right on the main square. So, what's wrong with it? The welcome was none existent. We were not greeted in a way you would expect. We were told to fill out a form and he complained we had no passport. There were no pleases no thank you's. It was borderline rude. The hotel room needed some TLC. There was missing paint, mould in the bathroom, a blocked drain so the shower flooded the floor and entrance. We needed to ask for more shower gel, as we had one tiny bottle between two. Crazy. Later we asked what time breakfast was and we asked for a late check out, which was denied. The answers had no warmth and the woman could not care less. Breakfast was adequate, but again there was no welcome and the waiter never smiled. Food items ran out and were not replenished. Coffee was instant and the water was pumped out of a flask, this is in Portugal for goodness sake. Great coffee is everywhere, this hotel serves instant and it's supposed to be 4 star. Overall the breakfast was poor. This hotel lacks a friendly service ethos. The structure, position and room size are excellent, everything else is not. For £80 a night, I would expect it to deliver a far better experience...