Hotel berhampiran Pa Hin Ngam National Park, Ruivães

We weren’t wowed by this place, I think an average rating is fair. Check in was fine, the price of the room I think is too much but choice of hotels is more limited in this region. The room was a little dated but the bathroom was better, everything was clean. A minibar fridge with not much in it which is helpful for bringing your own drinks. The bed was two singles put together, but also the sheets and duvets were for single beds put together which is always a bit strange when you’re a couple. Be careful with the room you book, I didn’t pay enough attention. We booked a superior terrace room with view to the dam. The view can’t be seen from the room really, our view was of the back of the kitchen. The terrace is a balcony like section with a short wall and then a road, which is an access route it seems for some guests and staff. I just didn’t feel like there was much privacy in the room with the door open or sitting out on the terrace, I’d have preferred a balcony if I was doing it again. I did check if I could upgrade and unfortunately nothing was available, so my fault but study the rooms carefully. We spent a lot of time listening to next doors TV through the wall, we complained but ultimately its poor sound insulation and even when the guy turned it down a bit we could still listen along to Sky News headlines. The breakfast was quite good, wide selection in the buffet, restocked regularly. The glasses are stupidly small so you get about theee sips out of them and you’re up to refill again, these should be changed. We found the dinner not as good, and very expensive. €4 for a single slice of bread and some olive oil, service was patchy. The ambience isn’t amazing and the guests skew a bit geriatric. The restaurant choice close by is quite small and all really require a drive, but we had a better time elsewhere. The pool is nice, there are numerous areas to sit and admire the very good view. The pousada itself is an interesting venue. Of all the places we visited on our northern Portugal trip we found this hotel the most disappointing - not because there’s anything massively wrong with it but just the little things I’ve mentioned here dragging the experience down. We may have been the wrong clientele, the guests mainly seemed to be older groups and couples who perhaps enjoyed the older style hotel on offer.