Hotel Convento de São Paulo

A stunning place

Lovely area but remote. Difficult to find room as there are multiple buildings on site.

The overall experience at the Hotel Convento de São Paulo was good but we were really disappointed and almost ready to cancel our entire stay from the first room they gave us. We booked the Suite, Annex Building (Fonte (outside the Main Building)) and what we got was nothing like the vaulted ceiling room we chose when booking. The room 314 we got should be condemned for having a serious mold problem and was extremely uncomfortable to breath in regardless of trying to air the space out with the windows open. The sheets literally felt damp to the touch as if they either hadn't been dried properly or the dampness of the space was affecting them. The bed was not the double/queen bed shown in the pictures either. We were shocked that this was what we were paying $150 usd a night for in the off season. If we hadn't gotten there so last the first night from our long drive to the hotel we would've gone to the front desk right away and had the room either changed to our great inconvenience after un-packing. The next morning we brought this to the attention to the staff member at the front desk who then switched us to the correct room that we booked and from there on out we were extremely happy. The claim made by staff is that there are many rooms (11 different options). There is only 1-2 pictures of the rooms yet nearly 100 of the property grounds... Very misleading and should be improved. Again, we were happy with our correct room but what a hassle it was at the start.

Annex rooms are comfortable, with good countryside views when one sits outside. Air conditioning aids good sleep & one can park the car outside the room close by. EV charging points for 2 cars are available & one pays per minute charged, which encourages swift change to allow other ev owners to charge. Breakfast buffet is good, with a decent variety. Coffee & orange juice could be improved. Service is excellent and most helpful. There are hiking possibilities around the convent, with marked trails. Other activities are close by: cycling, horse riding & canoeing. More relaxed activities like wine tasting and visiting castles and towns in the area are recommended. Arraiolos is worth a visit to buy a hand made carpet. Estremoz is a beautiful town within a short drive, also worth a visit. The Hotel has 2 swimming pools. The whole area is a discovery of nature & a retreat from busy life. We will certainly stay at the Hotel again, for a few days longer.