Best Sao Cristovao do Douro Hotels

Have just enjoyed two nights at this fabulous boutique hotel which enjoys unparalleled views across the Douro Valley. Panoramic views are available from each of the three bedrooms, the restaurant and residents lounge. The rooms are well appointed and the hotel is managed by the very capable and attentive Tony, who together with the owner Marco cannot do enough for you. The food in the restaurant is high quality and the wine list showcases a number of local wines. Given the size of this hotel it’s essential to book early and it’s a must when visiting the Douro and the local wineries in Pinhão.

The LBV is a small hotel on top of a big hill. If you arrive by train get a taxi (out of the station and turn left). Once you're there you can have a nice ten minute very steep downhill walk back to the town through the back alleys. The hotel staff were very welcoming - Rui checked us in and was our barman that day. The rooms are modern with most having nice balconies overlooking the valley. We also love a good strong shower - be careful what you wish for if you use the water jets :) The bar was really comfortable with a great view and Rui gave us a little history of the hotel and the area. We also got introduced to Moustache the house cat who was very friendly and allowed us to befriend him (this isn't mandatory if you don't like cats but made our stay even more perfect). For those that are cat adverse there was no evidence there was a cat around and he was only allowed in as we were very keen to meet him. Breakfast had a nice spread however the fresh orange juice was a little thin and was lacking in flavour. We appreciate this is a subjective view but the 3 of us that tried it all felt the same. However this would not put us off recommending LBV to our friends. Overall we loved our stay - everyone was really friendly and the hotel was everything we wanted.

You need your own transport. Location is amazing, staff is super helpful, amenities are great, cleanliness great. They have a kind dog :)

Stopped here for lunch on a day trip from Porto. It was part of our itinerary for the day and after our boat trip our driver brought us here for lunch. We had the most fantastic 2 hours with beautiful views and amazing food. The staff were so friendly and at no stage did we feel rushed. It was so quiet and the views were amazing. A nice place to stop and chill for a few hours and I'm sure to stay would be fabulous. Maybe next time!

This was a luxury one-night stay during our two-week Interrailing holiday. It’s pretty expensive - a great bedroom with an awesome view, but for some reason you have to take your nespresso pods to a communal machine to make coffee (which wasn’t explained to us at check in). Outdoor Tim’s Terrace bar was a fab place to sit and read and the oddly-shaped swimming pool was nice. The winery tour was underwhelming, easily bettered by one we recently did near Stroud (Woodchester) because there really isn’t that much to see. Our guide, Patricia, was enthusiastic and knowledgable with excellent English. Food at dinner was exceptionally good, and the many inexperienced staff coped ok. On another guest’s recommendation we opted for the accompanying mid-range wine flight - and were surprised to have four tiny glasses poured before the meal had even arrived. Our request for a small top up of white to accompany our starter was met with incredulity. At €26 each, given the wine only came from next door, this felt super costly. Breakfast was every bit as delicious as we’d hoped for. For some reason the hotel is reluctant to assist guests with station pick up, and I don’t know why. Arriving by train into Pinhao must be routine, but emails beforehand suggested we don’t bother and just drive. To be fair, reception did willingly book a return taxi. I suspect the local taxis are run as a cartel - we saw Mr Big in action “pirata, pirata” - and Quinta de la Rossa is not in his good books. So look, we had a great time overall, it was a bit of luxury and we don’t regret going. But it was a very, very expensive stay, and at that price I’d hoped for perfection, which we didn’t get.

In the restaurant, the first night we ordered the set dinner tasting menu, it was average. The second night, we ordered from the a la carte menu for the fish and octopus, they are sooooooo good! Thus, I recommend ordering from a la carte. I also love the service in the restaurant, the head chef will take ur orders, and his colleagues will help delivering. The orange juices during breakfast are freshly squeezed from the oranges in the yards, very delicious. The restaurant is likely the best thing in this quinta. I lived in the maker rooms, the rooms are average for its price. The wine tasting is definitely a rip-off, they gave you some recent year cheap wines. I can get similar wine tasting at a similar price in Florence Italy wine region with delicious wines from 1800. I do not recommend doing wine tasting in this quinta. They created some circuits or paths for you to tour around which is nice, but the notations and map are not updated. You may get lost, but you should also be able to figure your way out so no big deal.