This hotel is out of the way but if you’re wanting to do some hiking and relaxing it hits the note. It’s small, quiet and slightly weird (in a good way) and with truly excellent food. The staff are friendly but my advice is that you should be very specific in the information you request- they’re almost too polite to preempt you. The recommendation for a local restaurant resulted in one of the best meals we had in Portugal.
We thoroughly enjoyed our two-nights stay at the Cooking and Nature Hotel. We stated in the Moulin Rouge room. Just gorgeous and what attention to detail.
The grounds and common areas are magnificent with an honesty system to help yourself to drinks and coffee as you like. Breakfast features a range of home-made pastries and jams, with fresh fruit and quality coffee. For dinner one night I had the seafood linguine - the best meal I had in my three weeks in Portugal.
All in all an amazing stay.
We welcomed our time in the "middle of nowhere" after a few busy days in Lisbon. Perhaps it is best to sum up our stay at this hotel with pros and cons.
Pros:
The staff, hardworking and pleasant.
The general hotel grounds are pretty with mountains, trees and places to lounge.
Our room had a spacious deck with table and chairs and a lovely view. (not all did)
The room was quiet and the bed good.
The shower was good.
Cons:
The room was small for a non-city hotel. At first I was aghast at the bold colors and odd decor, but after we re-watched our movie that corresponded with the unique decor, we had a better appreciation for what the room was supposed to achieve. The lighting in the room could be improved. The tub did not drain quickly. The pillows were a bit flat. The pool in September was too cool to enjoy.
The personnel was so friendly!
We enjoyed the breakfast very much, as well as the cooking experience.
Although we found the wheather to cold to swim, it was amazing to just enjoy the sun outside while reading a book.
Not to forget the nature surrounded by the place which is perfect for walkings on/off road :)
Finally, you cannot leave without having a massage, and please take the Ayurvedic one!
Thanks for making our stay so nice!
Anneleen
Thank you so much for the lovely words about our hotel, Anneleen.
It is a true pleasure to see our work recognized!
We hope to see you again soon!
This is a fantastic hotel. You must experience it to fully understand. We came from Lisbon and went deeper and deeper into the mountainside - then it is amazing to find something like this. We stayed for two nights in a new small self-catering complex next to the hotel called “The Nest”. We slept there only and had all our meals and services at the hotel. Went bicycling every day in great surroundings, very hilly, but no problem with e-bikes. We can truly recommend the hotel, and the service was great from the moment we came till we left.
Thank you so much for your preference, Henning D.
It was a pleasure having over at The Nest and it is great to learn that you enjoyed this new place of ours!
Thank you so much for the lovely review!
We hope to see you again soon!
We were expecting a lot based on the review and the description in the brochure and on the website. Unfortunately this hotel puts concept before content. The room was an explosion of colours, the food was average at best and this hotel is nowhere ecological. Overall a very big disappointment. The only positive is the welcome and hospitality of the staff and owner.
Dear Rudi,
First of all, we would like to thank you for your visit and review. But please let us assure you that we are indeed an ecological hotel and here are some examples to prove it:
we separate all our waste and recycle it,
we use sunlight as an energy source,
we use low consumption lights,
our isolation materials (like cork, for example) are eco friendly,
not a single tree was put down to build to hotel,
we don't use water on our garden,
and our gardens are the living ground of endemic plants.
Best regards,
