Pousada Mosteiro Amares - Gerês
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Hotel Details
Location
Pousada Mosteiro Amares - Gerês · Bouro, Portugal
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Key Highlights
- ✓Service: The staff consistently receives high praise for being wonderful, pleasant, helpful, courteous, warm, and professional, significantly contributing to the positive guest experience.
- ✓Furniture Quality: A review mentioned that while the rehabilitation of the historic building was excellent, the existing furniture did not always match this quality.
Expert Review: Pousada Mosteiro Amares - Gerês
Pousada Mosteiro Amares - Gerês, Bouro, Portugal, a Michelin Key Selected property, offers a captivating blend of historic grandeur and contemporary comfort, set within a beautifully restored 12th-century Cistercian monastery. Guests consistently laud its unique atmosphere, exceptional service, and stunning location.
1. Overall Rating & Sentiment
The general consensus for Pousada Mosteiro Amares - Gerês is overwhelmingly positive, with an average "Wonderful" rating of 9.2 out of 10 on Booking.com based on over 570 reviews. Other platforms like Hotels.com and Agoda also reflect high satisfaction, with scores around 9.4 out of 10. Guests frequently describe their stay as magical and elegant, highlighting the property's unique historical charm.
2. Key Highlights
Guests are particularly enchanted by the hotel's:
- Design & Ambiance: The hotel is a magnificent restoration of a 12th-century Cistercian Monastery, overseen by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Eduardo Souto de Moura. The design subtly frames the ancient structure's beauty with avant-garde and modern furnishings, creating a refined elegance and a truly unique, almost "magical" atmosphere.
- Location: Nestled between the city of Braga and the Gerês Mountain Range, the Pousada offers scenic surroundings and panoramic mountain views. It's conveniently located just 17 minutes from the Peneda-Gerês National Park, making it an excellent base for exploring Northern Portugal's natural beauty.
- Service: The staff consistently receives high praise for being wonderful, pleasant, helpful, courteous, warm, and professional, significantly contributing to the positive guest experience.
- Amenities: The property boasts an outdoor swimming pool, beautiful gardens, a rooftop terrace, free Wi-Fi, and free parking, including electric vehicle charging stations. There's also a bar with a fantastic fireplace and a game room with billiards.
3. Room Quality
The 32 rooms are described as welcoming and comfortable, with a design reflecting monastic sobriety yet featuring modern decorations. They are furnished in the name of Siza Vieira and come equipped with cable TV, free Wi-Fi, a mini-bar, hairdryer, wardrobe, robes, and telephone. Guests appreciate the well-appointed rooms, some featuring big bathrooms and amazing views over the garden and valley. While simple in their elegance, the comfort is generally well-regarded.
4. Dining Experience
The hotel's restaurant, "Antiga Cozinha do Mosteiro de Amares," is situated in the old monastery kitchens and offers a menu focused on traditional and regional Portuguese cuisine. Reviews highlight it as excellent and very good, with a short but tasty menu and a good wine list. The dining experience is often described as magical, with the historic stone walls and candlelight creating a romantic and peaceful ambiance. Breakfast receives particular acclaim for being "exceptionally good," offering a wide variety of well-prepared food in a comfortable setting. There's also a bar with a cozy fireplace, perfect for lighter meals in winter.
5. Service & Staff
The service and staff at Pousada Mosteiro Amares are consistently rated among its highest assets, with scores as high as 9.6 for staff on Booking.com and 9.5 on Agoda. Guests frequently mention the staff as wonderful, pleasant, helpful, courteous, warm, professional, and making them feel welcome. Specific staff members are occasionally singled out for their helpfulness.
6. Location & Accessibility
The Pousada is advantageously located in Amares, strategically positioned between the historic city of Braga (approximately 8.7 miles southwest) and the stunning Peneda-Gerês National Park. It serves as an ideal base for exploring the cultural sites of Minho and the natural beauty of the Gerês region, including the nearby Santuário de Nossa Senhora da Abadia. While the location offers picturesque landscapes, one guest noted that hailing a taxi to Braga could take a long time, suggesting it's advisable to arrange transport in advance.
7. Value & Pricing
The hotel generally provides good value for money, scoring 8.8 on Booking.com and 9.1 on Agoda. Typical prices vary, with average room rates around $196 per night, though deals can be found as low as $78-$127. While the overall value is good, one guest mentioned the restaurant as being "quite expensive but very delicious".
8. Common Complaints
While reviews are overwhelmingly positive, some minor criticisms have been noted:
- Restaurant Pricing: One guest found the restaurant to be "quite expensive," though acknowledged the food was delicious.
- Furniture Quality: A review mentioned that while the rehabilitation of the historic building was excellent, the existing furniture did not always match this quality.
- Restoration Work: During periods of ongoing restoration, external views of the monastery might be affected.
- Transportation: One guest highlighted potential difficulties in hailing a taxi to Braga, suggesting pre-booking might be necessary.
Sources
Points to Consider
- •While reviews are overwhelmingly positive, some minor criticisms have been noted:
Google Reviews
1,456 reviews
Recent Guest Reviews
Jim Snell
Everything about this Posada was top-notch. The space is overwhelmingly beautiful, and is a perfect blend of anncient and modern. The staff could not have been nicer. Rudy took very good care of us and we loved talking with him at dinner time. We ate both dinners in the restaurant and thoroughly enjoyed our meals. I cannot recommend this place highly enough.
Madalena Branco
Beautiful historical building. We were there in winter and the rooms are cosy and warm. There are several rooms where we can enjoy a nice talk. The fireplace room was our favourite. The staff are very professional, kind and friendly. They could tell us interesting facts of the building that used to be a monastery.
Response from the owner
Dear Mrs. Madalena Branco,<br> <br>We were delighted to hear that your recent stay at Pousada Mosteiro Amares was delightful and that you thoroughly enjoyed your stay. Our team would like to thank you...
Teresa Hill
A beautiful, magical experience with amazing food, orange trees from which you can pick fresh oranges, And a delightful breakfast! This is one of my favorite Pousadas! This is considered one of the most romantic hotels in Portugal, and looking at the stone archways, the fireplaces, the red-carpeted ancient wide hallways, and the magical views, one can see why. Just a magnificent Pousada!
Sarah Tammi
Such a wonderful place. Very quiet and relaxing, in December. The staff was amazing and the service top notch. Everyone very friendly and accommodating. Restaurant was excellent, breakfasts were magnificent and we really enjoyed the grounds and spending quiet nights in front of the giant fireplace. Would recommend and would visit again the next time we are in Northern Portugal.
Response from the owner
Dear Mrs. Sarah Tammi,<br> <br>We were delighted to hear that your recent stay at Pousada Mosteiro Amares was delightful and that you thoroughly enjoyed your stay. Our team would like to thank you for...
Pedro M.
Pousada Mosteiro de Amares is a beautiful hotel converted from an old religious building, and it has retained a lot of its historic charm. The architecture and atmosphere make it feel very special, with a sense of calm and serenity that is hard to find in modern hotels. The beds were extremely comfortable, ensuring a restful night, and the pool was surprisingly cool even in winter, which made for...
Response from the owner
Dear Mr. Pedro Malheiro,<br> <br>We were delighted to hear that your recent stay at Pousada Mosteiro Amares was delightful and that you thoroughly enjoyed your stay. Our team would like to thank you f...
Rui Rocha
A great place to stay, the monastery is very cozy, with great areas, rooms and social areas. The surroundinga have viewpoints and waterfalls, as well as great typical restaurants. Would definitely recommend for a relaxing vacation
