Parador de Santo Estevo

UN LUGAR CON MUCHO ENCANTO, ESPECTACULAR EL MONASTERIO Y EL ENTORNO, PARAÍSO NATURAL CON MUCHO ENCANTO, UNA VERDADERA MARAVILLA.

It truly is that great as the reviews say! We were coming from the Six senses Duoro which is 5 times more expensive, but this parador is equally great if not better! The rooms, the service, the food, the view, the underground parking, the trails to the river, everything!!

The Parador itself is very nice. We liked the room, very comfortable beds and nice shower. We had a sitting area that made the room bigger. The hallways are covered with glass, so it helped with the early morning cold temperatures. The public rooms seemed empty, some with just two modern chairs. Not too much effort to decorate these areas to appeal to the history this place represents. Be careful with the elevators, they do not have a sensor on the door. Our friend was hit by the door while closing as he was coming in. He backed out and put his hand thinking it would make the sensors stop it and ended up with damage to his nail. The reception staff was a bit cold, to say the least, except for the young lady that we did not have the fortune to be the one to take care of us. The older lady wanted to get done as soon as possible and the guy honestly does not have the bit of interest in helping guests. He seemed bothered. We saw how rude he was to other people, so we tried to avoid him, but unfortunately he was the only one there when we checked out. We had made reservations at the main restaurant to eat there for the two nights, since going out at night was not a good option, but found out that they only have one menu and it does not change. We were not impressed with the food the first night, so we canceled the second night and ate at the cafeteria where we also had breakfast the two mornings. The location is very nice, but tricky to get to. As you get near, the road only allows one vehicle, but you have an empty area on the side with quite a drop. We asked the housekeeping staff and were told that if two vehicles need to pass at the same time, one must back up. That's concerning, luckily for us, we did not experience this situation. We cannot imagine that happening with all the buses that go there. Both nights there were 2-3 buses bringing large groups that only stayed one night. We visited a nearby town called Luintra to have lunch on our second day. The O Campanario restaurant was great. Loved the food and the service. It does fill up, so you may want to make reservations, which we did. We went to the lookout point to take those amazing photos of the Parador. It's quite a walk through uneven rocky dirt road and at the end you have to walk uphill, the ground was wet which made it very slippery. We were told that they have the queimada at the Parador, but when we inquired closer to our reservation they said it was not going to be possible. That was a disappointment, we were looking forward to it since it's something that we have never experienced and was highly recommended by a famous youtube couple from Spain. We enjoyed our stay for a couple of days. We always stay in different Paradores when in Spain to experience the history and amazing places where they're located. Not sure this is one we will return to, but it was worth it.

This hotel is absolutely amazing. The unique setting, far up in the hills, gives it a special, remote feel. The views are spectacular, the service is excellent, and the peace of being in a place that has served as a sacred, prayerful site for centuries is unreal. We did 2 of the many hiking trails that lead out from the hotel, and they were also full of great views. The rooms are comfortable, impeccably clean and quiet.