L'And Vineyards - Relais & Châteaux

Located closely to Lisbon, nice hotel, amazing cafe on the lake.

Perfect for romontic couples . We were lucky the weather . We experienced the « Make your own wine » tasting . We loved the restaurant and our sky suite . We watched the stars at night . Service was perfect Attentive but not intrusive. We will come back

Currently here on a two-night stay with a friend. Lovely room, friendly employees, peaceful surroundings (maybe extra peaceful as it's the off-season), and good food - eggs benedict for breakfast was a nice surprise. It's been the perfect little getaway.

L'AND looks like a fantastic property based on their website, but the reality is far different. Let me start with the positive - the food and wine. The restaurant staff at both Mapa (the formal restaurant) and Café da Viagem (the casual wine bar) were exceptional and the food was delicious. We had the Caminhos tasting menu at Mapa, and it was a true delight. Major props to the sommelier, who was masterful in his pairings. This part of our stay at L'AND was unforgettable. The accommodations, however, are in significant need of maintenance and upkeep and do not live up to what I've come to expect from Relais & Chateaux member properties. We stayed in Lake Sky 9, one of the sky view suites along the man-made lake on the property. Like most of the suites here, the front is one large window and has a blackout curtain for privacy. When we first arrived and pulled on the privacy curtain to close it, it fell off of the ceiling track. When I first used the sink in the bathroom, the handle came off in my hand without much effort. Likewise, the outer door handle to the WC (thankfully not the inside handle). The drain in the shower was clogged and resulted in a significant accumulation of water during even the shortest of showers. At one point during our stay, the electricity ceased to function in half of our suite, impacting the bathroom, thermostat, and most of the lighting in the main living area. I understand that Portugal is having an unusually wet season, but that doesn't excuse the poor upkeep on the pathways - most of which are dirt. The numerous and significantly large holes made it difficult to walk the property after dark. We had to use our cell phone flashlights to avoid twisting an ankle or soaking our shoes in a large puddle. Finally, I have to speak to the service, which was lacking. When we first arrived, we requested an iron and ironing board (which the website says are available upon request) so that we could freshen up our clothes before our dinner reservations at Mapa at 8 PM. We requested this at around 4 PM. At 6 PM, no iron had arrived, so I texted the front desk on WhatsApp with a gentle reminder and asking for it by 7 PM so we could have time before our reservation. At 7:45, still no iron, so we tried calling the front desk without answer and texted the staff again. Finally, we made due with what we had and went to dinner. At about 8:15, I got a reply text asking if the iron had arrived and replied that it had not. When we returned to our suite at about 10 PM, after a wonderful dinner, the iron and ironing board had arrived, but had been left outside in the rain rather than being placed in our room. In all, this property did not live up to our expectations.