Penha Longa Hotel & Golf Resort

The facility is impressive with a monastary and other very old structures including a section of a centuries old aquaduct and beautiful gardens. The part of the hotel we stayed in was quite nice; our floor/room was recently remodeled and looked fresh. The Japanese restaurant's Saturday buffet was excellent; the pool is terrific; and the staff was very responsive (except for the golf team-- see below). The bar tenders make excellent cocktails (albeit on the small side). The big disappointment was the golf. We paid the "Unlimited Golf" rate and it was kind of a joke. The two Robert Trent Jones courses probably had their best days 25-30 years ago and are in need of a major renovations. The grass is patchy and massively infiltrated with weeds often creating terrible lies. The bunkers had't been raked in days, if not weeks. The greens were okay for the most part albeit slow. They charge a ridiculous amount of money for (heavily used) club rentals ($120) and "Buggies" ($50) per round; they even charge for a bag of tees and a small bucket of balls for your warmup! Bring your own balls or be prepared to pay $22 for a sleeve of 3 balls. Not only that, tee times were hard to get and the golf team was slow to respond to requests (it took 3 emails to get them to answer). If you are used to playing a well-manicured/managed course, this place will disappoint even when the wind is not blowing at 20-30 miles per hour (which it did when we were there). The golf aspect was a key reason why we chose this place, so we have to take off a couple of stars for that. If it had been upto snuff, a 5-star rating would have been conceivable.

From the moment of check-in, I knew that the experience here at the resort was going to be a wonderful one. My husband and I had just left Porto after 3 days and was excited to continue our vacation in Lisbon. The staff at the resort were extraordinary and service oriented. Staff wanted to make sure that every detail of our experience while at the hotel, was positive from check in, to departure. The rooms are beautifully decorated and very comfortable. The amenities of the property are also wonderful. While there we enjoyed, golfing, spa services and the gym. I want to especially mention the hostess Catarina in the Spices restaurant who is a true gem. She recommended the restaurant on our first night and I tell you, it was our favorite restaurant! She recommended the Japanese buffet hosted on Saturday’s and I tell you… don’t miss it! The food, the atmosphere and service were phenomenal. Since we were unable to visit the monastery on property due to weddings scheduled there, hostess Catarina went out of her way to print us a history of the monastery to review at our leisure! How awesome was that! I just want to say thank you to all the staff…This was truly an amazing stay! I would highly recommend booking this hotel.

Such a disappointment in every way, location, service, room, food, coffee, definitely the worst hotel we stayed in Portugal by far

We stayed at the Penha Longa in Sintra which is a Ritz Amex Centurion property. It has a lovely pool bar and a stunning golf course which we really enjoyed! The staff was very nice and hospitable and offered to upgrade us on the last day. Would recommend this hotel if you are looking for a nice stay away from Lisbon city (40 minutes by Uber and right next to the Sintra castle and downtown area). One thing to note is that while the property is slowly upgraded its interiors, the bathrooms felt outdated and small.

Service was generally attentive and good. But appalling on a couple of fronts, such that despite being Marriott guests numerous times, this will definitely be the last. 1. We came for a wedding with a discounted code but hasn't pre filled the form. Tired upon arrival, we were told that we would not be charged the rate when we had booked, but the best applicable rate as at August arrival date (which is close to peak). The groom was unable at the time to provide his wedding block booking. We tried to discuss to say this is patently unfair, give us the rate as of date of booking without any discounts then, because the room was reserved for us regardless. They spoke to their reservation manager and refused, so we ended up paying more than double. 2. Spa was below average. For 285 euros for two persons one would expect a five star massage with amenities. It was perhaps 5/10. Nothing like a proper Thai massage or scalp massage - the staff need training. No understanding of pressure points or where to apply pressure or how. Also staff confused the treatment I wanted Vs my wife, but at least they didn't charge the extras. The spa pools were ridden with wasps. The hot pool was lukewarm, and cold plunge couldn't be used due to wasps. Farewell, Marriott.