Pousada in Guimaraes – Santa Marinha
Pousada in Guimaraes – Hotel Santa Marinha
On a hill outside the town of Guimaraes in Portugal, this Hotel Pousada Santa Marinha is a converted 17th Century Augustinian convent.
This is one of two Pousadas in Guimaraes and it is considered to be one of the best in the group. It was awarded the coveted Europa Nostra prize for its renovation and restoration.
Guimaraes, “The cradle of the Nation” is the birthplace of the first king of Portugal, Afonso Henriques, and was the first capital of Portugal. As befits a town of such eminence, Guimaraes has a wealth of magnificent buildings.
King Afonso Henriques was born in the impressive 10th Century castle, he established the first Portuguese court here in the 12th Century.
Just below the castle, the little Romanesque Capela de Sao Miguel still celebrates mass on the king’s birthday.
The medieval Paco dos Duques was the residence of the Royal House of Braganca in the 15th Century. Extensively restored, it now houses a museum and an art gallery with a fine collection of portrait paintings.
The old town has some wonderful medieval buildings particularly round the Largo da Oliveira, the most impressive of which is the church of Nossa Senhora da Oliveira.
We stayed at the pousada for two nights in October. It was very beautiful, quiet, interesting, had good food, and an excellent staff. It is quite far from town which is a problem if you are without a car but we enjoyed our walk to the castle and the palace then returned via taxi. We were without internet for the length of our stay which was an inconvenience.
We liked this Posada. It was well situated, the staff friendly and helpful; food excellent.
We stayed in the Pousada for 3 nights in October 2011. We had a wonderful stay. The building itself is very and historic. There is so much to see in the building. We stayed in one of the old rooms which was very interesting. We found the staff to very pleasant and professional. The food is very good, especially the breakfast. The gardens also add greatly to the experience.
Guimaraes is a town full of history. The old square is a lovely place to lunch and enjoy the sunshine.
Yes we would recommend this Pousada and also state that the town of Guimaraes is well worth a visit.
Der aufenthalt in dieser Pousada hat uns sehr gut gefallen.
Das personal war hilfsbereit und sehr aufmerksahm auch Guimaraes is eine sehr gemutliche und interesante stadt und wir werden bestimt wieder kommen in dieser schone gegend
We stayed 4 nights at the Santa Marinha pousada at the end of March. We really enjoyed our stay. The gardens are beautiful, all the camellias were in bloom when we were there. We walked up the hill to the Pena which had fantastic views out over Guimaraes and beyond. The staff were very friendly and helpful and the service in the restaurant was excellent. In the evenings the bar with windows out onto the terrace and the comfy seats were a delight. As far as food goes, the breakfasts are excellent, the dinners were good if a little lacking in variety. More Portuguese specialities would have been good, especially fish. It is a lovely place to stay and we hope to go back.
We enjoyed our stay: Guimaraes is a nice place, full of history.
It’s also a very interesting location for visiting the region.
We had a perfect stay: a nice and comfortable room, in a perfect environment of furniture and lodges we dreamed to live in. The Poussada is obviously well managed and positively animated. The staff is open-minded and tries always to be helpfull.
Very positive stay.
My wife and I stayed 2 nights in this Pousada back in December 2010. We started out in a smoking room with 2 twin beds pushed together which put us on the newer wing. The room was spacious and nice however the smoking part didn’t sit well with the wife. Also having experienced 2 twin beds pushed together at another Pousada and knowing someone usually ends up on the floor between the beds as they separate easily, we requested another room. They where happy to accommodate the no smoking and 1 queen bed request. This put us in the older wing, the rooms there are smaller but the walk through the old museum like sitting rooms was really neat. The gardens in the back are also really neat. We did dine at the Pousada one night as well, much like other Pousadas their food is okay to good, nothing spectacular, it’s pricey for what you are getting, the wine has an extreme markup like 300%-400% over the same bottle that you could get in a grocery store in town and the service is a little snotty. They do have complementary WIFI at this Pousada which was nice since some of the other Pousadas charge for it, however for some reason the WIFI in our second room did not work but a short walk down the hall and we had no problems.
We loved our stay. Guimares offered plenty in the way of interest and food. A lovely walk into town but beware of the traffic! Our Pousada accomodation was perfect and the service and courtesy was great. We would have preferred in the dining room more portuguese music ( Mariza or Amalia) rather than the rather boring modern so called popular records.
We spent a week at S. Marhina in September2010, it was delightful. The bedroom clean, impressive and spacious with a grand view of the town. Dining was an experience in the vaulted hall, the food and service were excellent. We were impressed by the space both inside and outside and there was a feeling of tranquility, something special in a place that seemed to be almost full. The staff, from cleaners to concierge were welcoming, smiling and proficient, friendly without being intrusive and helpful. They all helped to make the stay very special for us. Thanks to them all.
This was our second visit to the pousada of Santa Marinha and we enjoyed it as much as the first. The staff on reception were charming, the rooms delightful, the restuarant personnel were attentive, knowledgeable and fully conversant with English humour! We ate in the Pousada on both nights as we did not fancy the drive back up the hill after sampling the delightful Portuguese wines and had two memorable meals. We intend to continue visiting Pousadas in the future.
The drive up to the hotel was tricky but the first impression as we pulled into the gates was well worth it. The reception staff were very friendly and helpful, and our room was in the new part of the hotel. The room was large and very comfortable. We dined in the hotel restaurant on our first night and had a wonderful meal. Our waiter was very informative about the local dishes and wine.
The pousada has been beautifully renovated, the dining room and the old parts of the hotel are very tranquil and the new pool area is a peaceful place to relax and unwind.
We visited Braga on the Saturday morning but unfortunately only stayed long enough to see the cathedral briefly as everything shuts at 1 oclock.
Guimares is a good mixture of old and new. The old town boasts beautiful squares and alleyways with delightful restaurants surrounded by tall houses covered in fairy lights at night. We ate in the square by the old church on the Saturday night and had a very inexpensive but lovely meal. A visit to the Palace of the Dukes of Braganza is a must.
Guimares was a very good start to a wonderful holiday.
I stayed at the Pousada for five nights and thoroughly enjoyed my stay. My room overlooked the city and the neighboring park – a pleasant experience watching the city change from day to night.
The grounds and building are spectacular, the pool well maintained, and attentive staff. I plan on returning to Guimaraes again and will definitely stay at the Santa Marinha.
The reception on arrival in Pousada St. Marinha was one you normally only get in the very best hotels. When we were led to our room we had the feeling to be led through a museum which impressed us a lot.
The bedroom itself was spaceous, very well equipped, was very cosey and not a single noise could be heard from outside or from the other rooms
The view from your room was beautiful as it showed directly down on the city of Guimaraes, which is just a few minutes away and for the sporty ones within reach by foot.
The restaurant is situated in a beautiful setting which gives you the feeling of luxury and authenticity.
The hotel is beautifully situated on a hill and has an immense, immaculously kept garden and one of the most beautiful swimmingpools I’ve ever seen.
We will certainly return to St. Marinha!
This pousada has beautiful grounds and a very helpful staff. The rooms and public areas are particularly nice.
wij verbleven hier voor 3 nachten in een mooie suite op het 1e verdiep met zicht op het intieme kerkhofje dat er mooi versierd bijlag. Deze imposante pousada was een oord van rust en elegantie en in het restaurant hebben wij zeer lekker gegeten. De tuin (park) had iets magisch en de tijd was daar blijven stilstaan. Een geweldige ervaring. Anderzijds heerlijk gebruik kunnen maken van het zeer verzorgde zwembad en haar snackhuisje. Personeel was heel vriendelijk en gedienstig. Een echte aanrader voor al diegene die gesteld zijn op luxe, autenticiteit en rust.
We stayed here in October and loved the pousada. Our room was lovely and clean as was the bathroom. All the public areas are beautiful and comfortable – so much to see and explore. We did not have time to get into town which I am sorry to have missed but it was so lovely when we arrived that we just enjoyed sitting on one of the patios watching the sunset and then off to a delicious dinner with wonderful service in the dining room. Breakfast was also plentiful and delicious and the entire staff was friendly and very helpful.
My wife and I have visited the beatuiful Pousada several times, and this year in September. This time we stayed over two weeks for five days, and this gives the problem, that your menu card is changed too seldom. You should change some of the dishes at least every week. When we wanted to try the restaurant in the other Pousada in central Guimaraes, we found out, that i was excatly the same menu card. But we love the place, and will probobly be back next year, and we hope that you then will have solved the problem.
Kjeld Christensen
with my wife we enjoyed to stay at pousada for 4 days(27th/30th Jul 09)
wonderful place,impressive building,small but nice room and nice restaurant.Guimaraes and nearby places as Porto,Braga are easy to reach.
Hotel personel are really very friendly.
we hope to come back soon.
We stayed there on July 4th for one night and had a delightful experience, nice room with the view good food and very beautiful surrounding, may be one day we can come back. The Hotel personel was very very friendly.
Christine McAllen
I am told that the town is very interesting ….. but with such perfection at the poussada, I was loath to wander in to the very hot and sticky Guimaraes.
I did visit Amarante, the rather quaint and picturesque town nearby, to see a nephew but other that that, I enjoyed the facilities and the excellent, helpful staff.
We stayed at the pousada for 3 nights (28 Apr – 1 May).
It is a wonderful place, very impressive building, nice room and excellent restaurant.
The town of Guimares is very interesting and easy to reach from the pousada.
I believe this Pousada was restored by my old friend Fernando Távora. The last time I saw him, he recommended this pousada to us. My wife and I stayed there, but, sadly, did not have time to visit the environs, which sound fascinating. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the quiet elegance of our room and the dining room, where we had excellent meals. There was a cemetery next door, which, being November first, was decorated with flowers and candles.
Sadly, both my wife and Fernando are no longer with us, but the memories live on.