Grand House - Relais & Chateaux

Our second visit to The Grand House and as the old saying goes “never go back”. We visited this hotel last year and could not fault it - however everything that made it special they no longer offer. Checked in and despite an email the previous week requesting ID which I provided we were asked to provide again - no big deal but annoying. Reception team do not seem to have a clue about anything- I had asked for reservations at the beach club and a dinner reservation in the hotel - neither of which had been done prior to arrival - had to go through it all again - still managed to get dinner reservation wrong. I had emailed to make the reservation, stating we were returning guests, no welcome back in fact barely a welcome. Everything that made this hotel special they no longer do, transfer to beach club is now a taxi not their own vehicle, turn down service comes at about 6.30pm generally when everyone is in their room preparing for dinner, so twice daily towels no longer happen unless you are already done and out of room. No one in the bar at 6.15pm so you cannot get a drink until later. Room amenity kits no longer in room, presumably you have to ask if you need something- you will be lucky if reception team understand what you need. Decanter of port in room to end your evening no longer happens which was such a lovely touch. Cheap fridge magnet gifts seem to appear in the rooms at some point in the day - not sure they are befitting of 5 star hotel. No mattress protector on beds or pillow protectors. Breakfast now mainly buffet - no longer the delight of pretty much everything being bought to your table, ginger shots no longer provided - I could have been in pretty much every 3 star hotel going - nothing to set it apart or live up to Relais and Chateau standard. On leaving today no orange juice available at breakfast, they had no oranges - really send someone to the supermarket- no other juices offered or water. Paid the bill and did not even get a goodbye. Sadly we will not return as no longer lives up to its own hype.

Slightly disappointed with our room insufficient space no wardrobes very few drawers staff very polite and helpful but considering the few people staying breakfast was disorganised especially the cold table,the cooked food at breakfast was very good.

What an incredible evening, Tiago back in the restaurant as head chef… WOW the culinary delights were amazing. If this man does not get his Michelin star then there is something very wrong with their system. Food was simply amazing, already booked to go back for our wedding anniversary. If you like fantastic food then this is a “must visit” place.

We had a really awful experience at the Grand House. It was our friend’s 30th birthday and his partner had organised for us (group of 4) to do the 5 course tasting menu. There are so many wonderful places to eat in Portugal with amazing service and respect for dietary requirements but this certainly isn’t one of them. Their disregard was so dangerous. The birthday boy has dietary requirements and can’t eat pork or shellfish, so his partner had contacted the restaurants 8 weeks in advance to confirm these dietary requirements and the swaps for the vegetarian menu options for some courses. Something they had done before as they had stayed in the relaix in other countries. We also reminded the team at the grand house immediately when we arrived at the hotel of his dietary requirements and we could see a written note had been made on the booking and so felt assured they listened, but we shouldn’t have been because the dinner and service were an absolute disaster. We arrived at the restaurant/bar and we were taken to a side room to have our drinks. We asked for a menu and were told that’s not how the bar works, that it’s all ‘concept drinking and dining’ and so we should tell them what kind of alcohol we like and they’ll make us an original drink. We asked for two amaretto sours and two old fashions, 65 minutes later, our drinks arrived. We chased our drinks order multiple times during that hour of waiting, and we were told they would be 2 more minutes every time. We weren’t even brought water until 40minutes in. When the drinks arrived, they told me and my friend that don’t have any liquor like amaretto and so they made our sours using red wine and kiwi, which would taste similar, needless to say the drinks were horrible but after waiting so long we just wanted to start our dinner and it was meant to be a celebration so we didn’t make a fuss. We were taken into the main restaurant and just left for 15minutes before being served water. The restaurant had 3 other booked tables of between 2-4 people. It really wasn’t busy enough to justify the poor service. Then the first ‘snack’ arrived for the 4 of us, a plate of Parma ham. At this point our friend’s partner began to manic as it became clear that the dietary restrictions and her repeated email reminders and supposed confirmations had meant nothing. I speak fluent Portuguese, so asked in Portuguese for them to double check the rest of the menu they were serving had no pork or shellfish and had been substituted with the Vegetarian options as requested. I was told it was a one off mistake and the rest of the menu would be fine. Then the first plate arrived with some normal fish and we thought things would improve but how wrong we were. The next plate arrives with a giant prawn on the birthday boys plate. At this point again in Portuguese, as I didn’t want to make a scene as it was his 30th birthday and we wanted it to be a fun night, I reminded them of his dietary requirements as the wa

So I booked a night at this hotel for my partners 60th birthday. On arrival we were greeted by the reception staff. After what can only be described as a confusing conversation with the young lady and telling her I already had a dinner reservation ( 4 times) we were shown to our room. The room was pleasant and clean. On inspection we found d that there were no usb charging points in the room and the list of TV. Channels were so small it could be hardly seen. We had hoped that after unpacking we could have made use of the beach club a short distance away from the hotel. However the aforementioned confusing conversation with the reception put a stop to that. As stated when I booked. Check in was at 15.00. The beach club struts at 17.00. So with the best will in the world, it would have given us approximately 1 1/2 hours ( so not worth the rush) . We had asked the receptionist about using the club the following morning, only to be told that it wasn’t opening until 11.00, and our check out time was midday. There for we would no longer be resident at the hotel and would have to pay €60. (Hardly fair as we were staying at the hotel overnight) That evening we were surprised to fine a bottle of wine and birthday cake in our room ( partners 60th birthday). Which at the time was a nice gesture. We changed and went to dinner, stopping at the bar for our welcome drink first. The barman was very nice and offered suggestions of what to drink. After dinner which was lovely, we spent some time out of the hotel. We returned some time later and decided that we would have a nightcap. We ordered a whisky and coke and a Baileys. The whisky cane but no Baileys. The barman was busy waiting in the dining room and was clearly busy so my partner finish the whisky and we went to bed. The next morning we had our showers and was horrified to see that the shower was leaking all over the floor. We used both our towels to mop the floor worried that it would cause damage to the room below. On closer inspection the woodwork around the door at the bottom was blown and this issue was clearly not the first time it had happened. We went for breakfast a short time after ( which was very nice) apart from my partner’s coffee being extremely cold. We asked the waitress to change it , which she did. Time to get our bags and check out. On receipt of our bill I looked over the bill to make sure the Baileys from the night before had not been added to the bill( which it had not), however, the cake and wine that we had no asked for had been added. This was pointed out to the reception who then spoke to a manager about the situation. The manager very politely apologised and took that charge off of the bill. . We notified the receptionist about the issue with the shower and left. In my experience of traveling the world, I found the Grand House under staffed and details missing. Staff training needed as giving confusing and wrong information. While I understand that the hotel has recently t

Slightly faded glory, but interesting place. Lovely staff. Nice river view room with comfortable bed. Found the restaurant dark and a little disappointed with food at dinner. Breakfast was good. The town is a bit scruffy in several areas. There’s some fabulous old buildings on the river front crying out to be restored. It’s almost impossible to park in Ayamonte but very easy to get the ferry over the river and you can park at the terminal for free. Lots of shops in the square and side streets

Nice small rooms in a 100 year old hotel. The rooms are nice but small. There is very little room for suitcases and other items. I had a medium size room so I imagine there are even smaller rooms The restaurant is a major disappointment. Eat outside the hotel and avoid a bad experience. The portions and quality is very unlike the rest of Portugal or Spain.

This hotel is lovely. Appointed beautifully with exquisite design and fabrics. Staff could not be more gracious.

We recently stayed 3 nights at The Grand House while escaping the UK Winter weather for the blue skies and sunshine of the Algarve (even in late February) and visiting Vila Real da Santo Antonio (VRSA) for the first time. The Grand House provided a perfect place to stay and explore the area and we absolutely loved it. You should go there. Vila Real da Santo Antonio (VRSA) is a lovely little town on the mighty river Guadiana with a pretty little marina, a lovely promenade and many stunning beaches. It's great to use as a base for visiting Castro Marim, Ayamonte, etc. It would be hard to visit VRSA and not come across The Grand House - it's perhaps the most architecturally stunning building in the town on the main thoroughfare and just walking through its doors feels like walking into luxury. Our stay here was perfect. The staff at reception and in the restaurant were very welcoming, friendly and provided excellent service. The public areas of the hotel are absolutely beautiful and there are some great views from the roof terraces. Our room was superb - very comfortable, modern and well appointed and, perhaps because Winter is a quiet time, the hotel gave us the central room right at the top of the hotel with a balcony overlooking the river & the marina. A real treat. We had breakfast each morning in the hotel and it was brilliant - a great buffet complemented with food cooked to order and enjoyed in the highly photogenic restaurant/bar. We also had lunch at the Grand Club House down near the beach and were really surprised by what a great extra facility this is - a beautiful space to eat/drink and sit out in the sun with excellent food and service from excellent staff. Lastly, we had a dinner in the hotel and it was very good and I'd especially highlight the service - the waiter was excellent. I'd return to The Grand House any time I was lucky enough to be in the area and would have no hesitation in recommending it to others - it's a super place to be.