Hotel team members were very attentive to all of our needs and requests, and provided superb and courteous service. The hotel public areas are excellent and possess a very strong sense of place. Breakfast quality and service were excellent, and very much "Five Star" quality. The same applies for the Dinner and service in the restaurant. The location of the Hotel amidst the forest, and the architecture of the Palace, are breathtaking.

The Guest bedroom facilities are not in keeping with hotel as a whole: Space temperature almost impossible to control at a level necessary to provide comfort. The bed quality extremely poor. Bathroom design and fixtures are extremely dangerous; a step into the bathroom is not acceptable in any hotel type or category, much less in a "Five Star". The bathtub and shower combination is a potential disaster, and the leftover components of a non working wall mounted hair dryer, are simply bad and not acceptable for a hotel of this category. The TV program available should be upgraded; there should be European and international channels available in a "Five Star" hotel guestroom!

The ambience of staying in an old world palace! Such incredible decor & loved the history & the garden’s & natural forest surroundings

Nothing! We did look at a lot of the previous reviews & I think you have to accept you are staying in a +150 year old building with all its quirks & charms. We did opt to eat out of the palace in Luso & had a lovely dinner at Pedro do Sal in Luso

My kiddo and I felt like we were experiencing living like real princesses. This historic building, the gorgeous grounds were straight out of my dreams. We LOVED the forest walk nearby, with the famous steps with water flowing down (which is a MUST to go on the walking trails in the forest!), with gate where Jesus was thought to have also crossed under. The forest itself is so lush, it's a magical place! We loved sitting in the grand room (on the main floor) to have a cocktail, as we played a boardgame and read our books. The hotel staff went out of their way to help us when we messaged our questions/concerns about a bad storm that was said to be coming (it passed us thankfully), and took great pride giving us a private tour to describe the history of the building before showing us to our room (which I believe they do for all upon check in). The breakfast which is included was amazing, as is the stunning ball room you get to sit in.

We had dinner at the hotel restaurant- it was extremely overpriced, the food was sub-par- would not recommned. Given the hotel being in the middle of the forest with no other options nearby, would have really enjoyed local ingredients, homemade, Portuguese food instead of the hotel trying to be overly fancy ie with soups poured in a small seashell for 18 Euro. I appreciate the grandness of eating in the ballroom, however, the food did not not at all suit the setting.

This hotel is remarkable for its location. Its like entering a museum or movie set, but you're welcomed in and invited to relax and enjoy your stay. Because it's a period property, some of the amenities reflect an earlier time period, but we had everything we needed and found the details charming. The gardens and surrounding grounds are beautiful, even at the tail end of winter, and you're up in the hills, so the air is crisp and clean. The dining room and lounge are beautiful and the meals were excellent, focussing on mostly local produce. I highly recommend dining on site. If you have the opportunity, stay here!

The building and interior take you royal times. It's as if you are in a museum, but you can touch everything and sit on the old chairs. - true masterpieces. Respectfully, for sure. The atmosphere is very soothing. It's very calm here. If you happen to stay when there are no loud guests or big companies in the property, you'll be lucky to enjoy trully quite dinner time and peaceful time in salon with a glass of porto. Everything here makes you slow down, lower your voice and just relax or enjoy the details of the preserved interior. Yet please remember: it's not a gorgeous palace covered in gold, but place for the royal family and their guests to stay during hunting time. It's pretty modest, yet awesome. If you opt for dinner here, try meagre fish for the main dish. It's worth of the gourmet attention.

Breakfast was good. The Palace Hotel itself was gorgeous. We felt like royalty staying there. Reception desk had good folks. Being in the midst of a forest where there were well laid out trails was fantastic.

Ant problem in the room. Reality is this is an old, charming palace. It's bound to happen and I threw out our mints and small bag of granola. That fixed it. The man working the bar in the large lounge area may have had a twin in the restaurant picking up the dishes. He was a curmudgeon. Very expensive tasting dinner with multiple courses was good, however, the main steak at the end was raw, and I couldn't cut it with steak knife due to all the ligaments.

This is an extraordinary Hotel on a Palace built for one of Portugal last kings and it is by itself a masterpiece of architecture in the Manuelini style ( linked to Porugueses Sea Discoveries). Highly recommended for its historical value/ architecture.

The wifi is a shambles and not aceppatble at all on a 5 Star hotel . Did not work in the lounge where we were told it was working and several attempts to get it going all failed . To be sitting in a magnificent room full of history and enjoy a Cognac whilst reading the news on my IPad as my ideia of excellence which without wifi was totally ruined . Not acceptable, I say again on a 5 star hotel.

For us this quality of hotel was a special treat and we were not disappointed. It is full of amazing art and carvings and you really are staying in a royal Palace. When you check in the staff give you a personal tour and explain the history. They must do this hundreds of times, but still managed to make it sound fresh and personal. The meal at night was also special and we really enjoyed the breakfast.

Sadly we visited when the forest fires were all around, so couldn't explore the outside, this was not their fault and the staff were very apologetic. My only suggestion for improvement is the lighting in the fabulous reasturant for dinner. It is too bright and harsh, they did light candles on the table and it would be perfect if the main lights could be dimmed or turned off and the 2 beautiful chandeliers used

The setting of the hotel in a Royal Palace and a nature park makes it unique. The building is a 19th century wonder with furnishings that were extravagant. The connection to the peninsular wars and Wellington are shown in the murals. The food was excellent and the dining room impressive. The staff were discrete and helpful. To do justice to the gardens and the park would require a visit of at least two days.

The rooms are comfortable but showing their age. Wi-Fi is too restricted and not available in the bedrooms.

Truly unique location with gorgeous art, architecture, amazing history in a lush national forest. The staff were enthusiastic about sharing the details and very professional. It was amazing to eat where Royals had eaten and walk their gardens - so much better than peeking into a roped-off room for a few seconds on a tour. We thoroughly enjoyed our meals.

I loved it but from some poor reviews, people need to appreciate the history here and the special qualities. I was very comfortable and impressed by how clean it was. The bathroom is large by todays standards and that decor reflects an earlier time. I’m grateful the history was preserved … we don’t need everything everywhere to be brand new. The toll on the environment to rip everything out every few years is awful.