The Manor House Celeirós

This is a wonderful place to be. It's such a warm welcome and the restaurant is the best we had since times. The people were very friendly and gave us very good advice of the wine and the meals. The restaurant normally is at another place on the site, but was now under construccion. For us even better, we didn't have to go outside to have the dinner. The rooms were not that big, but very comfortable. We surely come back.

Beautiful setting for this hotel but it missed the mark with a few issues. The good was the olde worlde charm with some lovely sitting areas in the main hotel building, sadly very little lighting so very dark. There were no people sitting there so assume others felt as we did. Staff helpful and breakfast reasonable but not overwhelming with no hot options offered to us. There is an honesty bar fridge which in the absence of a hotel bar worked well for us. If thinking of staying here you should be aware that the hotel restaurant for dinner is a considerable walk from the main hotel building and even further from Casa do Lagar, as it was dark we drove between the two. We actually stayed in a family room in Casa do Lagar, three adults and the room was beautiful, just a little different to the norm. The metal spiral staircase challenging for older people but I’d imagine very worrying with young children, it did however suit our needs. The bathroom was clean, with a big shower but the mirror was so high I could only see the top of my head, I commented at the time it must have been put up by a tall man! We had a good nights sleep and were not disturbed by the farm traffic however we were aware of the road right behind the building. The bad! These rooms in the converted olive press are not well sound-proofed! We had been aware of our neighbours changing for dinner but hadn’t really taken too much notice however, after dinner in the hotel restaurant we retired to our room and sat chatting quietly. The very bad …… Now there were three of us, one aged 79, one aged 69 and one aged 44, we were chatting quietly, not holding a riotous party nor were we shouting and arguing but at 10.30pm there was a knock on our door and a lady was standing there in her nightdress complaining we were keeping her party of four in the next room awake! We were ‘told’ to stop talking immediately! When we investigated the next morning there is a huge unsealed gap between the wooden dividing the ceiling areas and the roof, this needs filling in and sound proofing looked into. It is such a shame as these rooms are very quirky and different.

Perfection from start to finish! Tranquil and scenic environment, great for a retreat. The vineyards and the cellars are a must visit. The hospitality and the restaurant service was spot on. Great food and wine pairing menus with detailed descriptions of the wines and dishes served. Amazing views of Pinhao wine region on the way to the vineyard. Will definitely return.

Don't trust the wonderful comments on the net if you want to book a family room . You won't benefit either of the view or the quiet. You will be accommodated in a small building near the road where loud engines start working at 6.30! no view on the vineyards either. Very dark room with a narrow staircase for the third person ( impossible to take the suitcase up if you are a bit old). The shower ceiling is black with humidity. The mirror is so high I could only see my hair in it. The restaurant is good but pricey compared to similar ones. As to the attitude of the lady in charge, it is barely polite. She obviously could not care less. I have just read a comment from four years ago where somebody describes the same experience as ours and apparently nothing has changed since.

Casa das Pipas is a Boutique Hotel with around 12 rooms, it’s on the Quinta Portal wine Estate elevated in the top region of the Douro Valley about 20 minutes from Pinhâo which is on the Douro Riverside. B&B is the best option at the Hotel as there isn’t much in the way of alternative options for Breakfast nearby. Service from check in to check out is attentive, and personalised as you would expect from a small boutique place, the Breakfast service is lovely with the usual selection of fare with eggs cooked to order on demand. Private parking is available within the site. There are a lot of similar places in the Douro region, all of similar accommodations with their own twist. Casa das Pipas is good value for money, we would stay again! The Estate (Chef) Restaurant offers excellent dining at a reasonable cost and is recommended for at least one dinner depending on the length of your stay. The Hotel has a lovely pool amongst the rows of vines making it a great place to relax after a day out. We stayed 3 nights which is probably enough time to explore the area and take in an Estate Wine Tour or two and or take one of the excursions on the River or a great low cost option is the Train Ride up the Douro River from Pinhâo to Pocinho (at the end of the line) and return, the line hugs the riverside and presents a complete view of the terrain along this iconic river. Top tip check the schedule timings with the Pinhâo station office to ride the immediate return train as the is very little to do in Pocinho (Trains frequently get cancelled ‘on the day! Just like being in the UK😉

We stayed for two nights at Casa das Pipas as part of a Portugal Green Walks walking tour. Since Casa das Pipas is part of the Quinta do Portal winery complex, we had easy access to the tasting room and winery tour, as well as the excellent onsite restaurant. Casa das Pipas is a lovely boutique hotel that is nestled in the Quinta do Portal vineyards. The rooms and common areas are beautiful, the breakfasts are great, and the pool is refreshing. It's a short walk up to the Quinta do Portal winery tour/tasting building which was designed by a renowned Portuguese architect and has many eco-centric features like a green roof and cork exterior siding. Dinner at the restaurant was a real highlight of our stay. The chef creates a new tasting menu every evening and the sommelier really went out of his way to introduce us to different wines (for example, he didn't want to duplicate ones we had already tasted on the tour). Casa das Pipas would be a great destination for a group of friends vacationing in the Douro Valley! We'd love to return!