Penha Longa Resort — Hotel in Sintra

We had our wedding at Penha Longa Resort on the 25th of August. Let me start by saying, I do NOT recommend nor endorse this venue whatsoever.

Upon agreeing the terms, the hotel makes you pay for security for the event. So can you explain to me why we found a random person taking drugs in the toilet where the event was taking place? Communications with the events team are simply terrible, take too long to respond to emails, forget to take notes so they have everything up to date. We complained more than once and demanded to speak with the general manager throughout the months but the service remained terrible, nothing changed and the complaints were never handed over to the GM. I sent all dietary requirements prior to the event, so again why did I have a mother being served soya and her 1 year old son when they are both allergic to soya? No attention to detail at all and even more something so simple as dietary requirements! I did not have any dietary requirements, when the diner began I was being served vegetarian food for no reason and I was the bride, I don't even want to think what else was being served to the people with dietary requirements! At the end of the night, the staff informed us that all of our items were being sent to our room. This is where it gets even worse... Nothing was sent to our rooms, envelopes with money from our guests (were inside of a box we had on display) went missing, guestbook, the phone for the guests to record messages went missing, some wedding advice forms we had on the tables for the guests to fill in were thrown in the bin, illustrations of our guests were also put in the bin... Minutes before the bar was meant to close, they were already packing up and did not even give us the option to extend the bar for another hour, HOURS before the wedding was meant to finish the staff were already packing up the dining room where the guests still left their belongings... One of our guests went golfing the day before the wedding and the ground collapsed and his left was injured, no compensation was given whatsoever and reception simply said "It is just a scratch". They did not keep the leftovers of our wedding cake and not every guest was offered cake when I know there was a lot leftover. At the start of the wedding, when guests started to arrived at 4pm there was no waiter at the water stations so the groom had to go behind the counter to serve the guests. This is absolutely beyond ridiculous. The pond in the garden was still dirty on the day of our wedding, again the groom had to informe the staff so they could clean it. One of our guests at diner sat on a chair and the chair just broke! Luckily, he did not get injured. We got a call from one of our suppliers on the night of our wedding at around 4:50am stating that the hotel had a wedding the next day so he had to go and dismantle everything during the night and it was going to cost us an extra 300€ and the hotel NEVER informed they had a wedding the next day. We went on our honeymoon all stressed thinking everything went missing and after sending multiple emails to the hotel, we finally got an answer saying they found a few items but not all of them (of course the rest of the envelopes with the money from our guests were still missing). On that zoom call the general manager was very dismissive of our complains and also was very disrespectful as he had his camera turned on and NEVER ONCE showed his face whilst talking to us. This level of disrespect I would never expect from the Ritz Carlton. We sent an email with an amount of compensation that we think is more than fit to receive back and draw a line at these issues and they negated this, so we are having to go legal because they simply think they are still in the right here.

A wedding is something that only happens once in your life, never would I ever expect mine to go so bad as this and lost count of the amount of times I cried thinking about it. I do not understand how the Ritz Carlton is still associated with this hotel, I simply...

I believe this resort is a very mixed experience. I'll start off by stating that I only stayed for 2 nights, but I will try to detail my stay well.

First off, the staff is very friendly and accommodating. From the moment you exit your vehicle, you will be treated like a guest of honor. However, every small request I made took a very long time to get an answer on, still. Asking the front desk if there was a table available for dinner (which they implore you to go through the front desk for) took upwards of ten minutes. I believe this may have been from being short staffed. Other requests just got lost, seemingly being passed through so many hands. Oh well.

I arrived the evening of the Italian buffet night, which is 49 euro, and would have been very worth it. However, a few hours after my meal came the harsh realization that it'd given me food poisoning. I'd had nothing else to eat before that for 10+ hours, so I am sure that's what it was. Most of the food options are just laid out, without a means to keep them at a safe temperature. So I spent near the entirety of my stay anchored to my bathroom.

Also, during my otherwise wonderful time at the Italian restaurant, I noticed that they were also short staffed. They couldn't take on too many tables due to this and people were getting upset with staff, which obviously isn't their fault. My server seemed to be the only one actually waiting tables and not just bussing. She did a phenomenal job and I thought she'd been generously attentive. And then came the manager. I don't believe it was the restaurant manager, maybe a higher up, as he came from elsewhere in the hotel and clearly had no idea how to handle staff. There was no music playing in the section of the dining room that we were all seated in so it was very quiet. This man enters and just starts tearing into the server, mind you while she's still trying to ring orders and take care of the dining room alone. After several minutes of this, she looks about ready to cry or quit and he just keeps opening his mouth and berating her more. Remember, it's quiet aside from this, so everyone who was enjoying their meals got to be a part of this mismanagement experience. It's no wonder they are short staffed with bosses doing that to employees in the middle of their shifts, while they're singlehandedly carrying service for you. I was irate after witnessing that.

On my last day, I did take a stroll around the grounds to get my legs back and it is a sprawling property. I was a bit disappointed that the historical landmarks around the resort are not well kept, and many of them looked still halfway setup for hosting large events. It's still a business, so I understand, but it just kind of kills the atmosphere of it all.

I also did go to Arola, which was delicious and I thought the food was appropriately priced. I was only able to get a few bites down before having to retreat back to my room, but I'd wished I could have enjoyed my time there more. It was wonderful.

The resort is obviously not in Sintra, necessarily, but it's not far either. It's not difficult to Uber between the two for 7-9 euro each way.

So overall, I'd been very excited to stay and left feeling unfulfilled due to being incapacitated from the food poisoning I picked up there, but the hospitality is still top notch and the resort itself is quite impressive, even if it's not being utilized/upkept to its...

We recently returned from a truly memorable stay at the Ritz-Carlton Penha Longa Resort in Portugal. From the moment we arrived, the warm and thoughtful check in set the tone for what turned out to be an exceptional visit.

One of the standout aspects of our stay was the attentiveness shown towards our 1.5 year old son’s dietary needs. As a very detail focused parent, I was deeply touched by the effort the team put into understanding his preferences and routines. The chefs created a bespoke menu tailored just for him, a gesture that truly exceeded our expectations. A heartfelt thank you to Marisa, Patricia, Lara, and the in room dining chefs for their kindness and care.

Service throughout the resort was faultless. Every meal we had was exceptional, and the food and beverage teams consistently delivered top-tier service. Room service, the bell staff, and the entire F&B team were always attentive and professional - a clear reflection of excellent management and hiring.

We especially appreciated the B Lounge team, who were always so kind and playful with our son, making him feel welcome even in more formal settings. Another special highlight was the thoughtful gesture from Julia, who took the time to connect with me personally, and along with Joao, surprised us with something very meaningful that we’ll never forget.

The resort itself is beautifully maintained - clean, spacious, and full of thoughtful touches. With multiple on site restaurants, a well equipped gym, a beautiful golf course, and great leisure facilities including several pools and a kids club, it truly caters to a wide range of guests.

This was our first visit to Portugal, as we usually travel to the Far and Middle East where service standards are consistently high. To our delight, Penha Longa delivered an experience that rivaled our usual destinations and created lasting memories for our family. We’re already looking forward to returning.

There are only a few suggested improvements that I have that I think could make a huge difference to our stay next time: • The lack of a heated outdoor pool made it difficult for our young child to enjoy swimming. • Restaurant hours could be slightly earlier to better suit families with small children. While we were able to feed our son in-room before dining, we would have preferred to enjoy mealtimes together and not have to rush. • Housekeeping was inconsistent. On several occasions, we needed to call for towels or amenities that had been missed -understandable during busy periods, but worth improving.

Special thanks to Marisa, Liliana, and Oliver for their support and warmth throughout our stay. We will forever appreciate your kindness.

In summary, A stunning resort with convenient access to Lisbon, Sintra, and Cascais, offering exceptional service, beautiful grounds, and outstanding hospitality. This is what I love and trust about the Ritz Carlton brand. A perfect destination for families and couples alike. We can’t...