Flor da Rosa – Crato, Portugal: Flor da Rosa in Crato, Portugal has had various incarnations in different periods of history—as a monastery for the Knights of the Order of Malta and as a palace-cum-convent during the 14th century. Sometime in the 17th century, it was destroyed by the invading Spanish army, again restored as a monastery, destroyed by a violent earthquake in 1755, and was not rebuilt until many years later. A historical property with medieval charm and a gothic influence, the Flor da Rosa is a rustic dwelling place for adventurous travelers.

First Impression/Lobby: Located in Crato, a little village in the eastern part of Portugal, Pousada Flor da Rosa is an imposing building—looking more like a fort than an old monastery—set on a stark and unimpressive site. When I walked inside, I noticed that the starkness on the outside seemed to carry through to the interior of the building as well.

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Reception: Checking in was an unpleasant experience. It wasn’t that much of a big deal that the young lady at the reception desk spoke hardly any English, but the attitude and personality she exuded— mostly a series of grunts and moans—made us feel unwelcome. It was a good thing that a co-worker stepped in and completed the registration for us.

Unfortunately, the less-than-impressive agent was the one who escorted us to our room, or should I say, pointed us to the general direction of our room. It was a dismaying registration process, needless to say.

The Room: Our room, 401, was a deluxe room situated in the tower, which was an old part of the monastery, generating a slightly creepy, somewhat exciting medieval ambiance. The ceilings were extra high and old, but at least finished in this century. The wood floors and stone walls echoed back to centuries ago, making us feel as if we were in a period film set.

The room had large windows which allowed us to enjoy the beautiful evening breezes but completely useless for admiring a pretty view, as this was virtually non-existent. The location, as I mentioned, was lackluster and dull.

The queen-sized bed was comfy but I would not be surprised if it dated back a decade or two. Overall, the furnishings in the room were dated (and not in a good way) as was the commercial feeling bathroom.

Housekeeping: We were only at the Flor da Rosa for one short night so we did not have the opportunity to experience their housekeeping service. However, I would like to note that the interior of our room was neat and clean when we got there; the outside patio, on the other hand, looked like it had not been attended to for many days.

Concierge: They did not have a dedicated concierge. Inquiring or getting any information from the evening-shift hotel staff was close to impossible due to the language barrier. In the morning, the front desk clerk was fairly knowledgeable on things to do and see in the area.

Restaurant: The Pousada Flor da Rosa had one restaurant with the perfect setting to make it special, but failed miserably.

For dinner, I had Black Pork Steaks (wild pig) with Spinach, which was decent at best. My partner had the Soaked Lamb with Potatoes, supposedly a specialty dish from this area of Portugal, but the lamb turned out to be fatty, tough and tasteless.

Service was horrible and the overall experience was a huge, huge disappointment. Everything about the dinner was substandard.

The buffet breakfast the following day was no better. If I were rating the hotel’s restaurant alone, I would easily give it a rating of Not Bombastic.

Pool/Spa/Activities: The hotel also has a bar, a TV/family room, a snooker table, and a swimming pool that was nothing noteworthy.

Overall Impression The opportunity to stay in an old palace and castle was both interesting and an experience I am happy to have tried. However, it is not one that I will have fond memories of in the future. The level of service, or should I say, lack thereof, as well as the awful restaurant and over-all remote and “not much to do” location made it an overall disappointing visit. My rating for this stay at Flora da Rosa in Crato is Not Bombastic.

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