Six Senses Douro Valley

Let me first start off by saying the manager , Daniel, who I met when checking out (apparently he says good bye to all guests) should get manager of the year award. To run a ship this tight takes huge effort and a lot of hard work. Every top hotel in the world should come train under Daniel. My wife and I are very well traveled and always stay at the finest hotels in the world, but this resort takes customer service to the next level. From housekeeping to pool staff to kitchen staff and chef’s this entire crew is best of the best. Even for kosher travelers (us) they offered us everything from glatt kosher steaks, chicken, to anything else we wanted. They offered new dishes , new pans to only be used for our stay. Never making us feel backward , every staff member knew our restrictions (no clue how even housekeeping knew) and they all were super respectful about it. Even housekeeping , they asked us on Shabbat about turn down service ,(literally came to the pool to ask us) if they can go in, if there were any lights that should be on, or off or keep as is , etc etc. That NEVER happens, anywhere. Huge shout out to chef Jose who made us feel at home with our meals, and taking the time to make sure everything was perfect. Only issue we had, was the mattress , it was wayyy too soft. Like sink in the middle soft. I only found out that they offer some mattress tops to firm it up, when we check out and I mentioned something. They should offer a firm mattress tops just like the pillow menu when guests check in. That’s it, this could be the number one hotel we’ve ever stayed at (and believe me, we’ve stayed at them all) Only regret is not being able to stay another week. We will back.. Thanks to the ENTIRE wonderful amazing staff at the Six Senses Douro Valley !!

Pros: beautiful hotel and property. Great staff Cons: Spa no amenities and you have to wait for your service where people are having an alchemy class. The quiet room After your service is lovely…but a man was shouting on his cell phone while the staff did nothing. NOTHING in the spa no razor no toothbrushes no hair band…not what I would expect. Service was great but honestly no need to book a spa service here…VERY underwhelming. I’m a spa girlie don’t do it. Stay at the hotel it’s lovely.

What an absolutely delightful place. Beautiful views, perfect grounds, very nice rooms, great food (even at the pool bar, best chicken ever), and a very attentive and nice staff that seemed proud of the place and of their work. Nothing to fault it, except our mistake in only staying one night.

Obviously a very high quality resort experience. But is it worth the very high price? My research suggests this is the most expensive hotel in Portugal. Perhaps 2-3 times the price of other comparable hotels such as the Ritz or Intercontinental. While the experience is high end and service levels are excellent, we felt the resort left something to be desired. For starters, the layout of the rooms are functionally difficult. There is no door to the bathroom area so one person getting up in the night (or early in the morning) will disturb the other. The pool deck gets extremely hot. You have to walk through the restaurant to get to the pool. The layout of the fitness room is cramped (great equipment and weights though), and other minor functional irritants. Yes, this sounds like “champagne problems” but at this high price there shouldn’t be ANY such problems. But our biggest issue is the nickel and diming. For example, the hotel adds a “service charge” of $75 Euros a day to the bill as a “tip” to the staff. I did not know this going in and was tipping the staff at dinners, drinks, parking etc. Then it magically appeared on the bill at check out and I then felt shamed in asking them to reduce it. It is optional, but not presented as such. Drinks are very expensive (18 Euros for a margharita?) and not substantive or special. We had some issues with service at our first dinner, as though they were understaffed that night. In fairness, they do have some “freebies” such as putting food out from 3-6 (cakes and pastries) and we attended a very lovely cocktail hour with live music that had complimentary drinks and some appies. Overall, the food is very good and the ambiance is spectacular. It is a very relaxing place that you won’t want to leave even for day trips to nearby towns. But I hesitate to say I would return because the value isn’t there for the price (room was 1500 Euros a night, compared to the Ritz Penha Longa which was 500). I’m sure that is money is no object you won’t care much about these comments. But if you are willing to spend the money and want to come away from it thinking you got your “money’s worth”, I suggest you research other options.

Amazing botique hotel with a great location in the Douro Valley. Great restaurants, pool, workout facilities, and incredible views along with amazing guest hospitality. If you can afford it, don't miss it!