Areias do Seixo — Hotel in Torres Vedras

GOOD|Beautiful resort. Main pool has a nice ambience and the green house eating and pool area is very fun and great space|The decor in the rooms is incredible. Whomever did the interior design was very talented.|The owner on Wednesday did his take on a manager's cocktail reception, which was him singing and playing guitar by a bonfire while offering people free wine. Was a nice touch. |The walk to the beach was quite nice going through a cool sand dune area and then to the cliffs, before the steps to the beach. Would be nice if the path was a bit wider in some areas but it was manageable. ||BAD|1. For the "Love" rooms, they are all different layouts, features and decor, but cost the same, and you can't specify which one you want. Kind of weird but I am sure there is some reason, but sucks that you can't choose the one that is clearly better and nicer than the others even if you book well in advance.||2. We stayed in the green superior villa, which is a 3 bedroom villa. Stunning. Nice layout. Bedrooms have blinds, but the rest of the villa does that. In fact, there is absolutely no privacy as other villas look right into the backyard area, AND right into the villa living room. The lack of privacy was not at all shown in the photos online, and in fact, it appeared like there was privacy so perhaps the photos were taken before the other road of villas were built. A bit deceiving and an easy enough fix: put in curtains or blinds. ||3. There are some good design elements that are just completely dysfunctional, and frankly dangerous. For example the master bedroom bed had an platform bed, but the platform extended about 18 inches wider than the bed. So to get out, you have to really extend your legs. It seems silly to complain about it, but if you aren't used to it, you will get out of bed and maybe trip or bang your feet. Secondly, to the side of the bed, just above where your head would be once you stand up, there is a suspended light. So to be able to get out of the bed, you either trip and bang your feet, and/or hit your head on the overhanging light. I did it 3 times until I got used to it. These are just 2 examples, but there were a lot of cool design choices that were insanely dysfunctional. ||4. Service was very slow. As in, incredibly slow. Would have to ask for things numerous times.||5. When I checked in, they asked if i had any allergies. I informed them I couldn't eat seeds. Then I ordered food, asked what was in the hummus, they didn't mention seeds, and then when I got it, it was covered in seeds. I asked the waitress and she said "oh i didn't know". Not a sorry. Nothing really to make up for it. Not end of the world, but weird they'd ask but then do nothing with that information and not take any accountability. ||6. There is no AC at all. They say that on the website, as I know they are committed to sustainability, but would have been nice to have AC in the rooms and time restrict it to the nights only. They recommended to just open the doors or windows, but there were no screens at all, which seemed unwise to leave windows and doors open without any screens overnight or when unattended. Maybe that is just me being used to not doing that in Canada in fear of mosquitoes or animals getting in. ||7. The hot tubs were kind of gross. They are small stand alone units, and despite us being at the pool area the whole day, I didn't see anybody come to test or shock the tubs. Not sure what their procedures are, but a tub that size with minimal waterflow and filtering, and that many people using it, it should be shocked numerous times a day. There was a lot of debris and hair in them. Again though, could just be me as a hot tub owner and always ensuring it is clean and balanced. ||8. Could maybe have a few more activities to do. We did the morning trek to "explore wildlife" but turns out, there is none. Not just by our own observation, but the guide told us straight up "there is no wildlife here".|Not a big deal, but pretty misleading. We didn't learn anything on the trek and basically just had somebody walk us along the path, which we could have easily done ourselves....

This was the absolute best hotel stay I've ever had. The friendly service, the rooms, the property, the food. Everything was perfect. We stayed here for our first 2 nights in Portugal, and I wish we had just stayed the whole time! It was such a lovely introduction to how friendly and peaceful the country is overall.

Service - Raquel was extremely kind, and helpful in getting us into our rooms, I felt immediately calmed after a long day of travel once she welcomed us into the hotel. Andre was so knowledgable and helpful with recommendations for food and wine when we dined. Every other member of staff we met was equally friendly we just didn't get everyone's names! They set such a calming vibe.

Rooms - Since we booked very last minute, we had to switch from one room to another but this ended up being a blessing because the rooms are incredible and unique. Our first night was in one of the Love rooms which are all one of a kind. Ours ("Me Ma Bo") had its own large patio terrace with hot tub and day bed, a jacuzzi near the bed, a wood burning fireplace, and a beautiful bed and bathroom area. Truly luxurious and worth the splurge. The next night we were in I think one of the Tree rooms ("Terra") which are a bit more standardized but still just as beautiful and have an amazing bath area, fireplace, and porch looking out over the gardens. All the finishes and fixtures are modern / natural and create a very peaceful and calming environment.

Property - this property has it all. Beach access, countryside landscape, gardens that serve farm to table meals, beautiful pool areas, privacy and peace. Easy access from Lisbon, but far enough away to feel you've escaped.

Food - all of the food and wine we had was amazing, we ate all our meals on site and the food was fresh and I loved hearing about the gardens and locally sourced ingredients. They have menus available throughout the day and two locations to dine - the greenhouse is incredibly beautiful and was our favorite place to eat.

Other - this is the type of place you come to stay put and be still. We did join yoga class, had some work outs on our own private porch, and grabbed a bike to take a ride down to Noah's Surf Shack (their sister property). All super enjoyable! If we stayed longer we'd have tried to take advantage of the spa as well.

Value - while this was on the pricier side of places we stayed while in Portugal, we felt it was more than worth the value in every way and it felt fairly priced for the experience. Noah's Surf Shack is their sister property which is a few minutes away and offers a less expensive alternative (although it's a very different vibe - a bit more social / family oriented / in the midst of a small walkable town).

Would love to return here and can't...

This was a 25th wedding anniversary treat and a surprise from my wife. As such, I don’t know all the details that went into making our stay one of the best hotel experiences ever. All I do know is that the place, the staff and, of course, my fellow guest were wonderful!

Apparently we visited after a 4-month refurb. It’s an hotel with loads of carefully curated ‘stuff’ that add opulence and interest to every space. The building itself is concrete and ‘rusty’ ironwork. I’m sure there’s an architectural design term for this style. The setting is within managed but ‘wild’ grasses and dunes atop the coastal cliff. A staircase leads down to the beach below but we didn’t get that far.

On the first night we sat in the dunes and watched the sun set whilst enjoying a picnic prepared for the occasion by the hotel. Glorious!

On the second evening, a 3-course dinner for two was served to us in the cinema dome – a large tent in the grounds, equipped with wood burning stove, giant lounging cushions and a projector. The occasion was beyond special.

Our coast-facing room was extended with a large private terrace that had a concrete jacuzzi and double sun bed. Inside was a concrete sunken bath next to the bed, wood burning stove and a separate bathroom area with double shower.

The hotel has bikes that guests can borrow and organises well-being activities like yoga each day.

There’s a green ethos to the place. They grow their own fruit and veg and keep chickens for eggs. Other produce is locally sourced. Concrete isn’t green and there’s a lot of that. Plus, with wood burners in every room, the carbon emissions won’t be low during the cooler evenings. But hey, who doesn’t love a romantic log fire at the end of the bed?

This place is blissful and the occasion created by my wife and the highly imaginative staff will be unforgettable.

Utterly,...