Luna Hotel Dos Carqueijais - Serra da Estrela

Great hotel. Perfect location.

Good.

This Hotel is part of the LAM Hotel group, it’s perched on an isolated mountainside above Covilha on the edge of the Sierra da Estrala Natural Park. The position is dramatic! Looking down southwards to the plain below. There is plenty of free Car Parking on site, the welcome and all of the staff are really engaging and happy to help with any request. There is a large open pool and sun terrace with the views described above. The rooms are quite well appointed and have Air Con which in summer you do need. The breakfast service was quite good not in the top rank but adequate. Due to the hotels isolated position (there are no other bars or restaurants nearby) we took the Half Board option which of course included dinner. Our ‘expectation’ for dinner was a ‘table d’hote’ type menu with course options and table service. However this was not the case, the dinner was a two option hot Buffet and was VERY poor quality fare, we were in the first tranche of evening diners and the food was already looking very tired and dry. So please beware of the inclusive dinner and perhaps ask more questions than we did when booking. In mitigation the man that was servicing the tables, drinks, clearing refreshing the food etc was working very hard to a. Please the clientele, he was very personable and friendly b. Try and keep,on top of what was clearly a several person task. I asked on check out if they were short staffed, ‘They were’ so being fair everyone was trying hard to deliver the best service under duress. In summary, great staff, great view, reasonable services but questionable food.