Ανακαλύψτε τη διαμονή σας σε Covas do Douro

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.

The location is spectacular, the people are amazing and that is before we even got through the door. Our visit began with Tony the house manager meeting us in the driveway. Tony is professional, caring and all-knowing when it come to things in the Douro Valley. Throughout your stay Tony will ensure every detail of your stay is perfect. After an hour or so you will be convinced that you are the only guest at the resort. The rooms are modern, clean and comfortable. We had a magnificent view of the valley that made us hesitant to leave the room. The living room is a common area on the first floor with great views and comfortable seating. We spent hours in here sampling wine, relaxing and meeting with a few other guests staying in the hotel. During the stay we got a chance to meet the owners Ana and Marco in the restaurant during breakfasts and dinner. Both are so knowledgeable and passionate about the valley, their place and ensuring their guests have a the best experience possible. Meals in the restuarant are some of the best we had anywhere on our trip. There is attention to every detail and the food is spectacular. We ate in the dining room for 2 of our 3 nights and wish we had stayed in the house for all three dinners. Should we return to the Douro Valley in the future this would be the only place we would even consider staying.

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.

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!