Does anyone have any experience with this hotel? It's a beautiful old castle and some people say it's not a great hotel. I am fascinated by the idea of it. The other choice is find somewhere fun in Coimbra. I'll take suggestions there as well. Thanks for your feedback.
Posted by
11161 posts
We stayed at the historic La Quinta de las Lagrimas in Coimbra, across the river from the main part of the city. It is an interesting property.
Posted by
Reading, PA, USA
1589 posts
It has a 7.9 rating on Booking.com which is good, but not great. One comment that stood out was that it had no AC. Depending on when you would be there that could be important.
Posted by
WA USA
1093 posts
I had thought of staying there, but I don't believe they are keeping up with maintenance which is impacting their ratings. Sounds like a really neat place to visit though.
Sadly, the Palace Hotel bedrooms are in need of renovation so I would hesitate to stay overnight there.
https://juliedawnfox.com/something-for-everyone-at-bucaco-national-forest-in-central-portugal/
Posted by
Lubbock, TX
402 posts
If it indeed does not have AC, I would definitely avoid it in the summer. I’ll be in Coimbra this week and it is going to be 109 both days. Obviously this is an unusual heat wave, but I’m so glad my hotel does have AC or I would literally die.
Posted by
San Diego, California
31 posts
We visited the Busacco site as a day trip and enjoyed it very much. However, I don’t think I would stay there. We stayed in Coimbra at the Hotel Oslo. It’s not fancy, but it’s clean and comfortable, the breakfast buffet is good, the people are wonderful, and the location is very good.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7319 posts
I think a 1997 report is virtually worthless, but I don't think you'll get a lot of replies. We stayed there (1997) a night or two, and it was a creaky ruin but clean and safe. We had a meal in a grand ballroom, but the place wasn't even 50% full when we were there. On that basis, I can't recommend sleeping there, but it's a long, long time ago. Had a car rental.
The massive grounds did deliver, on gardens, sculpture, fountains, and grottoes. The gardens were in decent shape, and that was very important to us. We weren't "Sorry" we went there, because we did not have high expectations. I haven't actually read "Great Expectations", but I think it may be a little like a visit to Miss Havisham.
I might add that when we drove into Guimares (nothing to do with Busacco), we passed a municipal 20-tub hand laundry facility on the outskirts of the city. There were some users there. I suspect that version of Portugal is gone today.
Posted by
WA USA
1093 posts
"a little like a visit to Miss Havisham". As a child, I always wanted to visit a place like that. Makes Busacco Palace a bit more appealing. A once glorious palace.... That is, as long as the cost isn't too high. :)
Posted by
257 posts
A visit to Miss Haversham’s? Tim you have a delightfully creative mind! I agree, it did sound a little Miss Haversham-ish when I investigated it a couple years ago. I love old hotels, nature hikes and spa towns so it was high on my radar when was curating my last trip to Portugal. I had considered exploring it from the nearby spa town of Luso which wasn’t quite as isolated and had the amenities of the Luso Spa hotel. If you do go, bring your water bottles and fill them up like the locals do at the town springs in Luso. This is where all that refreshing Luso spring water comes from.
If you do go, please report back. I’d love to hear how it was. I ended up zigging west and spent my time in Aviero. There is always next time..