Hotel Quinta das Lagrimas - Coimbra, Portugal: One of the most historic accommodations in Coimbra, Portugal, the Hotel Quinta das Lagrimas, which translates to “House of Tears” in English, is upheld as a romantic getaway that immortalizes one of the most famous and tragic love stories in Portugal—the undying love of Prince Pedro and Dona Inês de Castro. A lady-in-waiting to the prince’s wife, Dona Ines shed her last tears at this once majestic 14th century estate palace before she was put to death under the orders of Prince Pedro’s father, King Alfonso IV. Converted into a four-star hotel, the Quinta das Lagrimas is one of the most sought-after hotels in the area.

First Impression/Lobby: Outside, the pale yellow palace with its white trim still looked stunning and the entrance grand and stately. As we drove down the long driveway we were greeted by vast and beautiful gardens and already, we were impressed. I could easily imagine myself arriving from a summer holiday by horse and buggy from centuries ago with the uniformed staff waiting to greet and welcome us to the gorgeous estate. I was excited to get inside and see what this exquisite old palace had to offer.

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As we pulled up, however, it was unclear where we were supposed to go or where we were supposed to park as there was no one there to meet and greet us. It definitely was not the luxury hotel welcome that I was expecting.

Reception: Reception was a joke. We entered the grand palace only to be blankly looked at by three young and apparently inexperienced staff members. Only after I told them that we wanted to check in did they start showing any interest in us.

The actual registration process was quick and professional but when it was time for the young lady to show us to our suite, she only took us as far as the top of the staircase and simply pointed with her finger and said “you’re down there, room three,” turned around and left. This was as far from first-class service as you can get.

The Suite: The palace suite was dark and had an overriding musty smell, bad enough that we had to ask for a different room. The second room assigned to us, a spa suite, was much more modern in design but was worn down and in dire need of a facelift. Also, the air conditioning in that room didn’t work. Once again, for the second time, we asked to be moved.

The front desk personnel were completely useless in helping us. They were slow to respond and when they did, they offered us no solutions. We had to go all the way to the manager just to get things resolved.

Finally, after more than an hour and a half of waiting, we were moved to a Garden Suite. The Garden Suites are located in the newer part of the hotel, a mere 30 seconds from the pool area. Our suite had a small but not-so-private garden, as well as an exit to the swimming pool.

The suite was divided by a partial wall and had a small living room large enough for two to be comfortable in, a small couch and two chairs, and a large wall-mounted flat-screen TV. The décor—70’s retro with a pink and fuchsia motif—was a little too loud for my taste but at least the room was clean, fresh, and most importantly, cool.

The bedroom had a king-sized bed with exquisitely embroidered sheets and another flat-screen TV mounted on the opposite wall. The small bathroom was quite dated and in need of a renovation. It was fitted with dual sinks, a shower/tub combo, and a private toilet stall.

While the room was pleasant, it was not the palace experience we were hoping for and lacked the luxury feel we were expecting from a hotel that was supposedly a member of the prestigious Relais and Chateaux.

Room Service: Their room service was grossly inconsistent. The first person who brought our order did a marvelous job of setting up our dinner. He made sure that everything was perfect before he left. Later, when we ordered dessert and coffee, another server came and simply brought the tray, wanting to hand it to us at the door. We even had to ask her to come in and prepare it for us, plus ask her again to clear the dinner dishes as she didn’t offer to do this herself. Clearly, this was definitely not five-star service.

Their menu was quite basic with a small selection of salads, sandwiches, a few pastas and main dishes. It was a bit disappointing especially after a long day of site seeing, driving, and wanting to relax and unwind in our suite.

Housekeeping: Since we were there only for one night we did not have the chance to experience the full housekeeping service, but since we had seen three different rooms that were less than impressive, it was enough to convince me that their standards, and most likely their training, were subpar.

As I mentioned above, the first suite was dank and musty smelling, the second suite had a broken air-conditioner, no robes and no room service menu, while room three was the closest to perfect in terms of housekeeping and maintenance. Apparently, the standards and expectations of luxury service were not shared by all the housekeeping staff. Never have I seen such inconsistency!

Concierge: The hotel had no such thing as a concierge. Any requests and information were handled by the inexperienced front desk staff. You can guess what the results were like. Very poor and almost infuriating!

Restaurant: The hotel had one restaurant, Arcadas da Capela, which boasts of a Michelin star and serves local and international cuisine. But if their room service menu and staff were any indication, the quality of their restaurant was highly suspect. Either way, we weren’t able to try their restaurant.

Pool/Spa/Activities: The grounds, as I mentioned as we came in, was one of the best things about the hotel. The gardens were covered with old trees of different types and sizes. There were romantic pathways and fountains that made the estate’s tragic-romantic past come alive. There is also an amphitheater at the back of the gardens where the occasional production and concert is held.

The hotel had an indoor pool and spa, as well as an outdoor swimming pool. While the pool area was nice and refreshing, there was nothing to make it remarkable, and again, lacked service.

Overall Impression I was anticipating a bombastic romantic experience at the famed Quinta das Lagrimas only to be extremely disappointed. My expectations for this luxury hotel in Coimbra were very high but I was let down at almost every turn. The thought of a beautiful stay in an old palace was ruined by an uninterested, untrained staff, subpar rooms, inconsistent room service and an overall we-don’t-care attitude. The only employee who stood out as passionate in his job and interested in our comfort was the bellman. Rating: Not Bombastic.

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