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5 Stars - 1 Review and 104 Opinions
We chosed this hotel for its quite and beautiful surroundings, and because its a member of the hotel chain Relais et Chateaux, who has a good name worldwide.
The room was spacious and well furnished, but roomservice was not a big deal. If we wanted a beer or another drink we had to call the bar and that could take some time before we got our drink. (no mini-bar)
One very negative point to me is the language. 1/3 of the personel speaks English (forget French and German) and 2/3 are stagiares and speaks only Portugese.
The restaurant inside and outside were very enjoyable and the bar was a nice place to take your aperitif.
It was lovely on the terrace, niping on your port, and watch the trafic on the river.
Unique Quality: Situated on the banks of the River Douro, this former warehouse is now a first class hotel with most of the 43 rooms having splendid views of the River and surrounding vineyards. There is a first class restaurant (on Portugese level), library, and bar. And for the Port and wine enthusiasts private tours of local vineyards and wine tasting can be arranged by the hotel. With its unique location on the banks of the River Douro, this is perhaps the best place to stay on the upper reaches of the river.
Directions: On the left river bank going stream upwards.
Just behind the railway stattion
As the village is bathed by River Pinhão (which is navigable) it has a small marina. The path that runs along the marina is a quiet and nice place for a stroll.
The path runs by Vintage House Hotel, allowing you to admire this nice building and also the metallic bridge. For boat admirers, some modern yachts may be seen as well as the typical wooden boat from River Douro called barco rabelo.
When visiting the Douro area you can't miss the opportunity to buy Porto sweet wine or Douro wine.
There are several makes, and some of them are equally good. As in any other wine, price and taste will depend on year, being that Vintage are more expensive. You should avoid tourist shops and go to a wine cellar. You will probably get a better deal in wine cellars, concerning quality.
The Vintage House Hotel apart from wine also sells olive oil.
Although this is a hotel, I consider it as a must see in Pinhão and not only just an accommodation. The hotel is a beautiful house overlooking the river and the slopes covered in vineyards - breathtaking!!
Apart from enjoying the magnificent views, this hotel also has a Wine Shop and provides Douro wine tasting. We visited the Wine Shop and tasted some sweet Porto wine. The view from the Wine Shop over the river is awesome, so you may sit for a while on the tables and benches made from barrels and enjoy the river while tasting some delicious wine from this region. Cheeers!
The Douro valley is one of the most impressive landscapes in the world, quite justly classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Generations of men labored to carve extraordinary stepped terraces out of the steep hillsides, transforming inaccessible land into vineyards. A region of great contrasts, the Douro is marked by the shale mountain ranges of Marão and Montemuro, sheltered from Atlantic winds and creating a Mediterranean and continental climate. The Douro River and its tributaries wend their way at the bottom of vertiginous valleys, forming a landscape of wild and mysterious beauty subject to huge temperature changes from scorching summers to freezing winters.
Let me start saying that, for my taste, Douro wines are among the best in Portugal. The designation "Douro" was recognized as wine-growing denomination, reserved to typical local wines, white or red, produced in this delimited region. The wines with right to origin denomination can be put into bottles only after a development of at least 9 months (white) and 18 months (red).
The Douro region produces some exceptional wines like Barca Velha, esteemed as the best (and most expensive) Portuguese red wine. Also rather known are the Quinta do Côtto, Quinta da Pacheca, Ramos Pinto, Duas Quintas, Caves Velhas, and Caves Aliança. But you will find some really good wines at a very low price on the local supermarkets such as Caves de Santa Marta, Mazouco, or Quinta de Roriz (I usually buy some of these bottles for less than 5euro).
The region also produces some of the best sparkling-wines like Murganheira and Raposeira. I do prefer Murganheira and strongly recommend a visit to their cellars if you are around Lamego region.
The Oenophilist Fraternity from Douro delimited region (headquarters in Peso da Régua) is watching over the prestige of this wine produced in such a famous zone of the country.
Itineraries for the tourist are endless, from the famed Port producing “quintas” (estates) around Peso da Régua and Pinhão (beautiful small village where I recommend you to stay here) to the more recently-discovered pre-historic rock-carvings along the banks of the River Côa. You should also visit the recent Douro Museum in Peso da Régua and if you have a little extra time and want to take a breath-taking view of the Douro valley and its deep gorges terraced with vineyards not far from Peso da Régua you will have the wonderful belvedere of São Leonardo at Galafura.
There are fine restaurants and good hotels to discover, with boat trips up the Douro and steam-train journeys - all within sight of the countryside’s breathtaking beauty. Regional cuisine is matched well by fabulous Ports and the ever-increasing number of fine Douro wines. Charcoal grilled maronesa beef (posta à Mirandesa), pork with chestnuts (porco com castanhas), cured sausages -pork (chouriço) and poultry (alheira)- or the trout with ham (truta com presunto) are outstanding.
Vintage House Hotel
Vintage House Hotel
I'd like to visit wineyards in Pinhao village in the Douro area.
But there are 2 Pinhaos. One near Sabrosa, one near Alijo. Which one is it?
Also, I've been told its worth visiting (and taste) Neipoort and Crasto wines.
I've not found where is the Neipoort wineyard.
I'll travel from Porto by car and I have one full day to explore the area.
thanks for your help
Very difficult to pinpoint in Google Maps. I just returned from the area, and I did stay there so I used the postal zone. If you try the following in Google maps, you will see it by Alijo.
"5085-034 Pinhão, Portugal"
The roads are good - but have you thought of taking the early morning train and engaging a taxi once you arrive to Pinhao? They know their way around well and could save you some time. The ride in the train is beautiful, about 1/3 into the trip you're bordering the Douro all the way to Pinhao.
I did stay there overnight (CS Vintage House Hotel) - and they arranged a driver for me, as well as a guide to go for a walk in a vineyard. You don't really need the guide, but as a woman traveling alone I did not want to get lost up there.
I would also suggest you go to San Leonardo de Galafura to see the views.
I went to Galafura in the morning and hiked in the vineyard in the afternoon. If I were to do it again I'd do the hike in the morning (cooler) - and Galafura in the afternoon (sun will be better positioned for photos).
Have not had time to build my pages yet, but here's a shot I took from San Leonardo de Galafura: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/9e639/461db/
Enjoy!
Not sure where tye vineyard you're looking for is ...
Niepoort pages here:
http://www.niepoort-vinhos.com/History.html
I can't find anythig about visiting but you can email them (click on the phone picture top right of the page) and that same page includes addresses and phone numbers (and google map links, which is helpful).
ps. If interested I could look up the name/email of the taxi driver that drove me to Galafura, or the name/email of the owner of the Quinta where I went hiking.
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We've found that other people looking for this hotel also know it by these names:
Address: Lugar Da Ponte, Pinhao, Northern Portugal, 5085, Portugal
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