Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
The Pousada Castelo de Palmela is located in the historic centre of the city of Palmela, 42 km from Lisbon. Sitting 230 metres above sea level, it has fantastic views of the Serra da Arrábida, over the Atlantic ocean and over the lowlands and vineyards of the region. The Pousada includes cloisters from the old convent constructed in the castle. The Pousada de Palmela offers an elegant restaurant where you can enjoy a variety of local dishes paired with beautiful local wine. Also visit the Pátio do Pessegueiro and contemplate the beauty of the scenery. Each room features different decor and is equipped with a TV and free Wi‑Fi.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Quiet
Family
Languages Spoken
English, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Location
Castelo de Palmela, Palmela 2950-434 Portugal
Name/address in local language
Pousada Castelo Palmela
4.4 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Pousadas are Portuguese state owned but Pestana run hotels that succeed in offering good quality accommodation at affordable prices. But sometime the add-ons don’t quite add up…for instance, they had not yet staffed up for the season and the food offering from the kitchen was not up to the same standard. It wasn’t bad, just I probably wouldn’t recommend eating there. Staff are helpful and the hotel is clean and quiet; recommended to stay.
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Date of stay: May 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Very large and beautiful suite and very nice common spaces. Wonderful landscape. Well preserved castle. Very friendly staff. Everything (almost) perfect. The reason is that dinner at the Inn restaurant left a lot to be desired. All because now it is fashionable to distort traditional recipes and try to invent unbelievable things! Let's see. We chose the cod pataniscas with tomato rice because they are among the few dishes of traditional Portuguese cuisine. The Pousadas de Portugal, formerly, were hotels where traditional Portuguese cuisine was preserved with all the quality. The 3 or 4 pataniscas, served on a pan, were more like too fried potatoes than pataniscas. If I had made those patanishes at home, I would throw them away because the pasta did not have the desired consistency. The rice was served in a mini pot, so small, that the fork hardly fit inside to eat the rice! Dessert - cheesecake, half peeled, with red fruit syrup and some blueberries and raspberries, decorated with a lemon macaron. But these flavors didn't connect well with each other! I'm not talking about the rest of the other family members' dishes... Wouldn't it be better to bet on well-made dishes than to try to innovate without criteria?
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Date of stay: July 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
For setting and history this hotel scores very highly. The room was large and the bathroom excellent and there was a nespresso machine but don’t expect a lot of frills.
The restaurant severs up hearty no nonsense fare. The traditional stew, described as a soup (Sopa Caramela) was a meal all by itself. The bream was unfussy and tasty and the noodles with prawns was also good. The crème brulee was home made and excellent where as the chocolate temptation which sounds exciting looked like a commercial chocolate fondant.
If there was a weak point it was the breakfast pastries, you would expect the pastel de nata to be good but it was poor, other elements such as cheese, hams, yogurts were good, hot food was OK, just not hot.
The buffets on Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day lunch were good value, though if you do both there is a little commonality in the appetizers and desserts. Enjoyed the traditional cod on Christmas Eve.
Note, there is no heating so a jumper is advisable for the evenings, if you need to warm up a bit there is heating in the bar and library
The castle next door is great for an evening wander and sun set views before dinner.
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Date of stay: December 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â There is no heating so a jumper is advisable for the evenings, if you need to warm up a bit there...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Hugo Murilhas, Guest Services / Front Office at Pousada Castelo Palmela
Responded 9 Jan 2025
Dear Mr./Mrs. Blue D, On behalf of our entire team at Pousada Castelo Palmela, we would like to thank you for taking the time to provide us with your positive feedback. Your opinion is crucial for us to continue improving our service and anticipate our Guests' needs. It was a real pleasure for us to have you as our Guest, and we look forward to welcoming you again at Pousada Castelo Palmela. Best regards, The Team at Pousada Castelo Palmela
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I visited Portugal on a group tour that included stays at three pousadas. A big takeaway from my experience is that pousadas are remarkably variable. Pousada Mosteiro de Guimaraes, was fantastic, while Conimbriga Hotel Do Paço was abysmal. This one, Pousada Castelo Palmela, was somewhere in-between. I recommend you choose your pousada carefully.
The positives of Pousada Castelo Palmela are many and significant. It’s a magnificent building with fantastic views. I recommend you save some time to explore the fortress the hotel is part of, and, when weather permits, you go to the west side of the pousada’s grounds to enjoy a lovely sunset.
However, the staff of this pousada could improve. I got the impression that the place was understaffed, and not all staff were fully trained. Dining was disappointing; the pousada’s restaurant has limited capacity and books up quickly, and there are few if any local restaurants to use as an alternative. To solve this, you could book half board, or reserve your dinner table well in advance. However, I don’t recommend that because, as well as being small relative to the number of guest rooms, the restaurant isn’t very good. My dinners here were frankly awful – uninspired and badly served, often cold. I recommend you go grocery shopping and bring food with you when you return to the hotel, or use Uber Eats to have your dinner delivered (as I did).
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Date of stay: September 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip:Â Enjoy the building, but avoid eating in the hotel
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Hugo Murilhas, Guest Services / Front Office at Pousada Castelo Palmela
Responded 31 Oct 2023
Dear Mr. Robert16, Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback on your experience at Pousada Castelo Palmela. Your opinion is crucial for us to improve how we work. We would like to sincerely apologize for not fully meeting your expectations and for any inconvenience this may have caused. We have shared your comments with our teams to ensure that improvements will be made. We would like to thank you for staying at Pousada Castelo Palmela. We hope this experience has not tarnished your impression of our hotel permanently. We would be delighted to change it during your next stay. Kind regards, Pousada de Palmela
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Wonderful location, this is a historic building and wonderful experience. The breakfast was spectacular, both in its setting and the extensive choices available. The hotel is infinitely quiet with very thick stone walls and beautiful pictures on the walls. There is a lot of history here. The only downside was when we arrived, I had specifically booked a family room that stated it came with a double bed and a smaller twin bed. In fact, it did not. The reception explained that the standard travel agent sites give false information, so if you are using booking.com, expedia or orbitz you probably won't get your choice of bed or type of bedroom, even if you think you are "upgrading" by taking a more expensive room.
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Date of stay: March 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Call the hotel to make sure the room you are reserving is actually the way you expect it.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Alexandra Brás, General Manager at Pousada Castelo Palmela
Responded 11 Apr 2023
Dear Mr. sherlock1954, We were delighted to hear that your recent stay at Pousada Castelo Palmela was delightful and that you thoroughly enjoyed your stay. Our team would like to thank you for your very kind feedback. Many thanks for choosing Pousada Castelo Palmela for your holiday. We look forward to hosting you again soon at our hotel. Kind regards, The Team at Pousada Castelo de Palmela
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This is a beautiful hotel in a stunning location. The bed was extremely comfortable and we appreciated the heavy blanket on an unusually windy night. The high ceilings and traditional furniture are striking. We would have appreciated being able to make tea and coffee in the room, especially as breakfast was not served until 7:30am.
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Date of stay: December 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Hugo Murilhas, Guest Services / Front Office at Pousada Castelo Palmela
Responded 26 Dec 2023
Dear Mr./Mrs. funfunfun, We were delighted to hear that your recent stay at Pousada Castelo Palmela was delightful and that you thoroughly enjoyed your stay. Our team would like to thank you for your very kind feedback. Many thanks for choosing Pousada Castelo Palmela for your holiday. We look forward to hosting you again soon at our hotel. Kind regards, The Team at Pousada de Palmela
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We have just completed a two week holiday in Portugal including a three night stay in this pousada. The hotel is lovely but our experiences in the restaurant left us disappointed. We advised them that we were vegetarian but we discovered meat in the appetiser. When we complained it was whisked away without apology. The service was very slow because the two serving staff were dealing with a Jules Verne party. Our wine was dumped in a chiller nearby but never served. The waiter thought it funny that a desert might not be vegetarian (no help on menu). After waiting half an hour for it to arrive it obviously was not vegetarian and we walked out. The receptionist was sympathetic but we got nowhere with our complaint. Earlier in the year we stayed in a Pestana hotel in Madeira and the restaurant standards were high - but not here.
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Date of stay: September 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Hugo Murilhas, Guest Services / Front Office at Pousada Castelo Palmela
Responded 31 Oct 2023
Dear Mr. Raymond W, Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback on your experience at Pousada Castelo Palmela. Your opinion is crucial for us to improve how we work. We would like to sincerely apologize for not fully meeting your expectations and for any inconvenience this may have caused. We have shared your comments with our teams to ensure that improvements will be made. We would like to thank you for staying at Pousada Castelo Palmela. We hope this experience has not tarnished your impression of our hotel permanently. We would be delighted to change it during your next stay. Kind regards, Pousada de Palmela
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Comfortable chairs, but it is not allowed that the chef's menu is the delight presented in the photo. I wasn't waiting. Disappointment is an euphemism.
Moreover, they had the desplant to say the price of said menu... 28€... Worth the dessert - chocolate mousse!
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Date of stay: October 2024Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
All went as expected. Room, bed and sheets were good. Breakfast was excellent. The hotel is peaceful an quiet. The room was a little cold and the heater/cooler had some extra noise. Did not bother to locate/play with the adjustments late in the night (and the front desk told us that they would have helped us if we had asked) but we went to bed instead and that was warm enough : ) Location is very nice, quiet and have wonderful views. Hotel has parking right in front of the entrance. It was quite full tough when we arrived late (23:00) but manged to get the "last free space". It seemed possible to park further below as well so you'll probably find a spot for your care in reasonable vicinity after dropping you bag at the entrance.
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Date of stay: April 2022
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Alexandra Brás, General Manager at Pousada Castelo Palmela
Responded 20 Apr 2022
Dear Mr. Janos Arrakoski, On behalf of the entire team at Pousada Castelo de Palmela, we would like to thank you for your kind feedback. It is delightful for us to know that you had a pleasant stay with us and that we could help you create beautiful memories. We look forward to hosting you again soon at our pousada! Warm regards, The Team at Pousada Castelo de Palmela
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This hotel was expected to be a special experience but failed to live up to expectations. The settee in the room had dirty marks on, the sealant round the bath was black in places and the shower didn't work. My complaint to reception resulted in a visit to the room from the receptionist who after saying it was OK, agreed that there was a problem and it didn't work. I asked for a reduction and was given a 5% discount on our evening meal which made a difference of around 3 Euros! I hasten to add that staff in the restaurant were very friendly and attentive and the meal was enjoyable. I recieved an email from 'Pestana' the pousada owners but despite completing their questionaire and voicing my discontent, I didn't hear anything further from them. The location is splendid, the ambiance excellent but lack of attention to detail spoiled the experience and clearly they aren't too concerned.
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Date of stay: November 2019
Value
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I've been tp Palmela all my life from child hood to the present.
I'm from Lisbon, the wind depends on the season. The summer
has the least amount of wind even on the hill were the hotel is
located, Spring and fall is the worse time ,even then it is not
Very windy.
Dear Guest,
We are located 30 minutes by car from Lisbon, the Pousada do not have transport to get you there, in the meantime we can do the properly arrangements with a transfer company upon request.
Kind Regards,
There are more places to choose from in the Palmela area.
PRICE RANGE
S$145 - S$204 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
PortugalAlentejoSetubal DistrictPalmela
NUMBER OF ROOMS
28
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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