The Oitavos
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Hotel Details
Location
The Oitavos · Cascais, Portugal
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Key Highlights
- ✓Guests consistently laud The Oitavos for its exceptional facilities and stunning location.
- ✓Breakfast: The breakfast buffet is highly praised by guests for its outstanding variety of fresh, delicious, and healthy options, including eggs, waffles, crêpes, yogurts, cheeses, and fruits.
Expert Review: The Oitavos
The Oitavos, a Michelin Key-selected property in Cascais, Portugal, offers a distinctive luxury experience characterized by striking modern design, expansive spaces, and breathtaking natural surroundings. Located amidst sand dunes and umbrella pines, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and the award-winning Oitavos Dunes golf course, the hotel aims to harmonize with its stunning environment.
1. Overall Rating & Sentiment
The Oitavos generally garners a "Very Good" to "Excellent" rating from guests, with an overall rating of 8.7 on Agoda and 8.3 on Kayak based on over a thousand reviews. While many guests rave about the luxury and tranquility, some express mixed feelings regarding service consistency and design preferences. The Michelin Guide itself rates the hotel highly, with an 18.5 for overall experience.
2. Key Highlights
Guests consistently laud The Oitavos for its exceptional facilities and stunning location.
- Design & Ambiance: The hotel features a bold, ultra-contemporary, and minimalist design with sleek lines and a focus on integrating the natural elements of the surrounding landscape. The use of glass and painted steel, along with a blue color theme, creates a calm atmosphere.
- Location & Views: Its prime coastal location offers breathtaking panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean, lush green landscapes, and the Oitavos Dunes golf course.
- Amenities: The Oitavos boasts a comprehensive array of amenities, including two gorgeous seawater pools (indoor heated and outdoor infinity), a world-class golf course (Oitavos Dunes, recognized globally), a full-service spa with natural and organic treatments, a 230-stall equestrian center, tennis and squash courts, and a state-of-the-art fitness center. Free Wi-Fi and 24-hour front desk service are also highlighted.
3. Room Quality
The 142 guest rooms, including 16 suites, are consistently described as spacious, modern, and comfortable.
- Size & Layout: Rooms start at a generous 60 square meters (64 square meters or 600 square feet) and feature an open-plan layout. Suites offer even more space, with the Oitavos suite's balcony alone being twice the size of an average Manhattan hotel room.
- Design & Comfort: They are meticulously furnished with modern decor, plush bedding, and state-of-the-art facilities. Rooms have sleek minimalist interiors with clean-lined furniture, white walls, and sky-blue vinyl floors. Large beds are consistently praised for their comfort.
- Views & Balconies: All rooms come with ample windows and private balconies, offering spectacular views of either the ocean or the golf course.
- In-room amenities: Individually controlled air conditioning, soft bathrobes, and daily newspapers are provided. Bathrooms typically feature a blocky sky-blue tub and a stall shower.
4. Dining Experience
The Oitavos offers a diverse and generally well-regarded dining experience.
- Restaurants: The hotel provides four distinct venues offering a variety of memorable dining experiences, with a focus on authentic Portuguese cuisine. Verbasco is often recommended for Portuguese specialties. There is also a Japanese Bar that serves high-quality sushi and sashimi, prepared in front of guests (available on weekends and recommended to reserve due to limited seating).
- Breakfast: The breakfast buffet is highly praised by guests for its outstanding variety of fresh, delicious, and healthy options, including eggs, waffles, crêpes, yogurts, cheeses, and fruits.
- Other Options: Guests can also enjoy light lunches at the pool area or the Golf Clubhouse restaurant, which offers great views. The bar serves a wide variety of drinks.
5. Service & Staff
Feedback on service and staff is somewhat mixed, though generally positive. Agoda rates staff performance at 8.8.
- Positive Feedback: Many guests describe the staff as friendly, helpful, attentive, respectful, and professional, going above and beyond to cater to needs and ensuring a personalized stay. Room service is also noted as very good.
- Areas for Improvement: Some reviews, particularly older ones, mention inconsistent service quality, a lack of attentiveness, and a feeling of being "tolerated" rather than truly seen as private travelers, especially in comparison to corporate guests. There are also mentions of issues like lights being left on by housekeeping and difficulties reaching reception.
6. Location & Accessibility
The Oitavos is situated in a tranquil and picturesque coastal setting, providing both natural beauty and convenient access to nearby attractions.
- Neighborhood: It is nestled in the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, amidst sand dunes, and offers breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean and the Oitavos Dunes golf course. This offers a serene and peaceful environment.
- Attractions: The hotel is just 5 minutes from Cascais town and approximately 30-35 minutes from Lisbon International Airport. Nearby attractions include Guincho beach (recommended for its beauty and tranquility), Pena National Palace, Sintra National Palace (both about seven miles away), and the Museum of the Sea (two miles away).
- Transport: The hotel provides airport transfer services. For exploring, mountain bikes are available for hire (around 12.50 euros a day), with safe cycling paths leading to Cascais town (about 20 minutes by bike). Taxis to nearby towns or beaches are approximately 6 euros and take about 5 minutes. Private parking is available on-site for EUR 15 per day.
7. Value & Pricing
The Oitavos is considered a luxurious 5-star hotel, and its pricing reflects this.
- Pricing: The average price per room is around $360, although rates can start from $296. This is higher than the average hotel room in Cascais, which is around $205.
- Value: Despite the higher price point, many guests believe it offers exceptional value for money due to the unparalleled comfort, stunning views, and top-notch amenities. Agoda rates its value for money at 8.0-8.5.
8. Common Complaints
While generally highly rated, some recurring issues and criticisms have been noted:
- Service Inconsistencies: Some guests have experienced less attentive service or a feeling of being overlooked, particularly in comparison to corporate guests.
- Dated Decor/Sterile Atmosphere: A few reviews mention the decor feeling somewhat outdated or the overall atmosphere being sterile, comparing the modern design to a "hospital-like feeling" or a "high-tech new airport terminal."
- Pet Policy Charges: The hotel allows pets, but charges an extra fee of 30-35 euros per night, which some guests find excessive compared to other hotels in the same category. Pets are also not allowed in public areas.
- Indoor Pool Access Fee: Some guests express frustration over having to pay extra to use the indoor pool, jacuzzi, and steam room within the spa area. Children under 16 are also not allowed in the spa and balneotherapy area, including the interior pool.
- Bar Closing Times: One review mentioned the bar not staying open late.
- Club House Maintenance: One older review noted that the golf club house needed some maintenance.
Sources
Points to Consider
- •While generally highly rated, some recurring issues and criticisms have been noted:
Google Reviews
1,405 reviews
Recent Guest Reviews
Camerin O'Connor
I had an incredible experience staying at the Oitavos hotel! It was my first visit, and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment. The breakfast was outstanding, with a fantastic variety of high-quality options. The pool was lovely, and the spa facilities were exceptional, featuring a beautiful sauna where you could watch the sunset in the evenings. The gym was also well-equipped for a hotel gym. However...
Chia-chen Lehahn
Very spacious room but a bit cold in November. The bed is very comfortable and big. The design of the room is however not very good. There is no door between the bedroom and the bathroom/ toilet so it will be really awkward for friends or teenager siblings staying in the same room. The breakfast was really great. Many choices, especially the fruit bar was super nice. A lot of staff running around ...
Elle Peifer
Lovely location just outside of Cascais! We went here for our honeymoon and it was lovely. I suggest getting a room where you can watch the sunrise, it’s so peaceful. Very clean rooms and outside. Pool was very nice and relaxing. Best hotel breakfast I’ve ever had!!
Mila Staneva
The rooms are spacious and pretty, but the bathroom/toilet situation is weird if you are not alone in the room. The staff is friendly and polite. The hotel is a bit outside of the city so you always need a car to get around. The balconies are also very big and with a nice view. The breakfast is great so if you are staying in the hotel, deffinitely get the room with breakfast.
Hilary R.
Pros: - Massive rooms - Nice front desk and breakfast staff Cons: - This is the kind of hotel that looks great in photos but when you get there you notice that it looks like it hasn't been maintained in a decade. Peeling paint, everything rusting and dirty, stains all over, etc. It feels like a convention center, and has as many rules (not allowed to bring anything from breakfast to the room, not...
Vasko Petrov
I recently stayed at this hotel and was extremely dissatisfied with our experience. It's hard to believe that this place is rated 5-stars given the significant lack of professionalism and organization. 1. Heating Problem in Our Room On our first night, we felt cold but thought it might just be the change in climate. However, the real issue became evident when we returned from an event on the seco...
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