Vidago Palace Hotel

The hotel has grace and charm and is properly and fairly described as 5*. It is expensive . It has all the amenities it boasts, including a golf course. We found the staff very friendly and helpful. However, is it the holiday destination for you ? The hotel has the ambiance of a residential home for the elderly (even though there were some young families there). It is very quiet and will have had more popular days. We enjoyed the golf course but it does need some investment and parts of it are a bit tired. The club house is large but deserted. Apart from the hotel, the town of Vidago is a ghost town with derelict or empty hotels, shops and restaurants. There are a few very affordable restaurants/pizzerias but they are not always open. The restaurants we were in were friendly . The town centre is only a few minutes walk from the hotel . My understanding was that Vidago was a vibrant and popular spa town in the past but that it's best days are now long faded. The train stopped running to the town and people stopped coming. The hotels suffered first, then the stores and restaurants. As a tourist town it is largely abandoned save for the locals and there is nothing to see or do. I did not appreciate from reading the reviews before I booked it that there is no easily accessible public transport to the hotel. We came from Porto and doing the best we could we paid €120 for a taxi there and €170 for a private transfer to Porto Airport ( the hotel can organise this but for €350 one-way ). Note: we had two golf bags. As a couple we made a nice time of it and treated it as a pool holiday, but if you were going with friends/family you might struggle finding something to do. If you are looking for a group golf destination, I do not think this would suit. There is a high end tasting restaurant €165- €110 which I am sure is good. We didn't try it but we looked in - big room and not very busy. The other hotel restaurants' menus weren't really that inspiring- you can check them online. This hotel probably suits those who travel by car and only stay a few days for peace and quiet. We enjoyed our stay but I am not sure that I could recommend it because of its location - there isn't any relief from its old fashioned tranquillity.

Just great. Nothing more to say really. Probably the most luxurious hotel in terms of atmosphere and prestige in the north of Portugal

First and foremost the place is wonderful. It’s so high maintenance. The staff are so welcoming and polite. The food is delicious exactly you couldn’t ask more. Definitely It’s a dreaming come true. Highly recommended. Also the room was so nice and clean.

Beautifully restored old historic palace. Great staff. Beautiful grounds. Breakfast was excellent in a well decorated room. Cool grand staircase in the lobby. Very nice and inviting outside bar/cafe area overlooking the gardens. Short walk to the small village.

One of the best hotels I ever been to. It's an experience. From the arrival, the spa, the meals, breakfast, the building and the surrounding gardens and even the check-out. Loved it.