Pousada in Obidos
Pousada in Obidos – Hotel do Castelo
The Pousada de Obidos, Castelo de Obidos, has been chosen as one of the 7 Wonders of Portugal.
This luxury hotel within the centuries-old beautiful castle walls that encircle the village of Obidos, was the first Pousada to be adapted and restored from a historical monument.
The original Manueline palace in the castle’s northern wing was built by Joao de Noronha, count of Dijon and alcaide of the town of Obidos, at beginning of the 16th century.
Obidos is a first rate tourist attraction, known for its typical white houses with blue trim, flowered windows, narrow streets and steps paved with beautiful stone.
My wife and I stayed at this Pousada during our 10 day tour of Portugal. It was fantastic. The room was incredible. The views were breathtaking. The employees were kind, friendly, and helpful. We enjoyed champagne and fresh fruit from on top of the castle walls while watching the sun set. It was an experience well worth having.
How often can you spend a night in a real castle? The tower room is one-of-a-kind & the view alone is well worth the money. My husband & I were extremely pleased & highly recommend for a romantic/private getaway.
Our family of 5 stayed in 5 different pousadas. We were lucky enough to get the only room that accommodates three beds for the children. We stayed for two nights. The setting is charming but we found the cost/value ratio to be very poor. We had problems accessing the castle, the receptionist at the desk was inattentive and often on the phone. The chambermaids were all hanging around the bar one morning, chatting.
All other pousadas had printed information about the history of the building except for Obidos which seems ironic since it is the one with the most historic background.
The town is indeed worth visiting and perhaps a meal in the castle (although also overrated)., but I would skip this pousada especially if watching the budget.
Obidos was the first of five pousadas during our Portugal vacation, hence we were initially enchanted by the castle & the town. Access & parking should have been explained when making the reservation, however, which would have saved us a whole lot of time & trouble. Also, when requesting a “superior” room, we should have been informed it was located in a tower with dangerous stairs and nothing more than a ladder to reach the bed in the loft. This would have been impossible for us, but fortunately, there was a “standard” room available overlooking the countyard. By the time we’d figured out the parking, changed rooms & lugged our baggage hither & yon, the charm was wearing off. Still, the minimal staff tried very hard. Dinner was good, but not exceptional, as it should have been at the prices.It is the uniqueness of the castle & town that make this pousada worth a one-night stay, but it has a way to go before being rated five-star. Most disappointing in all the pousadas we stayed in was the lack/void of historical information about the structures themselves, as well as the surrounding villages. Without guide books, we would have been sadly in the dark.
Yes, the road to the castle was a challenge and yes, it was a tough climb up the stairs to get to the entrance but it’s a castle for crying out loud… enclosed in a walled-fortress. We thought it was wonderful. Our room overlooking the courtyard was beautiful. The service was very nice. The employees couldn’t have been more gracious. We loved Obidos. It was one of the best places we visited in Portugal. If you are looking for Las Vegas don’t come here. But if you want a warm castle experience stay at the Pousada in Obidos. And yes, we got the Golden Age discount.
ann & richard leatherbury
the dalles, oregon USA
March 2011
The experience I had staying at the Castle was the best part of my trip to Portugal. The Castle is very beautiful and the rooms comfortable. The lady at the front desk was warm and welcoming. The young man who seemed to be doing everything from carrying bags to waiting tables was exceptional friendly and helpful. The town of Obidos is very charming. The road up to the Castle was an experience in itself, streets are very narrow, can be scary at times, so be very careful!!!! I enjoyed the town too at night when all the tourists were gone, it became quiet and even more enchanting!! I highly recommend this Pousada, and thank you to the staff for the great service!!!!
This was a highlight on our recent trip to Portugal. What a view! I recommend reserving a regular room, not one of the tiny tower suites. Lovely view over the courtyard and just loved the old but working bathroom with it’s beautiful tiles. The best freshest linnens! We had a delicious lunch with spectcular views over the vinyards below and our very helpful waiter recommended a great restaurant for dinner-the only one with wooden benches outside in the small street leading down from the castle. We had lovely weather and enjoyed reading on the terrace with a bottle of wine…felt quite like a princess up there. Since this is a very old town, ofcourse you can not just drive in and park as these streets were build for oxcarts, not cars. Pack lightly and leave the car outside the walls and walk up. You wil never forget this place!
The most beautiful building and town we have stayed in. It was unfortunate then that the service (except for the restaurant) was at best casual, the room was small and windowless (putting the bed on a shelf did not make it a suite!) access was problematic, the TV did not work and the plumbing was poor and smelly. It was also very expensive. Not good value as compared with many other pousadas where we have stayed.
We stayed at the Pousada in October. Getting to the parking lot was a challenge as there were no specific directions. Moving on; the receptionist was intitially attentive, but then answered the phone and we waited and waited for her to continue with us; finally due to the help of a young man did we manage to get checked in and received the key to our room. Room was small but comfortable with a nice view over the courtyard. Dinner was very good and beautifully served. With the exception of the initial check in, it was a fine experience.
I stayed here with a friend in October. I agree with most of the comments of other guests. It is difficult to get to by car, but we managed. It is up many steps, but our bags were carried & our room was small and it is expensive. But it is a unique experience to stay in a castle & when the weather is warmer it would be wonderful to sit on the private terraces ( on the castle walls) admiring the views. Obidos is a lovely place & staying overnight allows you to soak up the atmosphere when the day visitors have gone.
Great experience to stay in the castle. The service was very good, especially a pleasant woman who brought us breakfast on the terrace – very nice! The castle is stunning. We would have liked some information on the history – we got 2 conflicting answers when we asked 2 staff. All in all a wonderful experience that we have recommended to others. A highlight of our trip through Spain and Portugal.
Obidos was the most expensive pousada we visited (it doesn’t participate in the Golden Pass program) yet was our least favourite because we felt unwelcome. Having hauled our bags up the hill to the front door we were left standing for some time while the woman on the desk ignored us totally to continue a phone conversation. Later, asked to repair or replace a faulty bedside light. she shrugged, saying no replacement available! Plus the bed was bad and the fuse box hummed noisily all night. Her couldn’t-care-less attitude soured our stay.
Why is there no historical information about the pousada in the rooms? There was none available on request either. Thankfully, a hospitality student working there was fantastic and also suggested many great places to visit. Hopefully she’ll get the manager’s job.
Je ne puis que vous féliciter pour le séjour passé à la Pousada de Obidos.
Tant l’accueil ,la gentillesee du service et le confort de la chambre et
de la salle de bain étaient parfaits.
Pour le repas du soir,nous avons été bien conseillées,c’était
excellent.De même le breakfast était très agréablement servi ,le choix
diversifié et vraiment copieux
.Nous n’avons vraiment aucune restriction à vous faire et nous vous
remercions de votre gentillesse.
Le seul point noir,(qui n’estpas de votre ressort) est que la Pousada
n’est pas suffisament indiquée,on indique simplement le monument
historique à voir,à visiter,mais pas la pousada.Nous savions que c’était
dans ce monument,mais nous avons laissé la voiture loin,ce n’est que
plus haut qu’est apparue l’indication de la Pousada.Des Français,qui
visitaient les ruines,ignoraient qu’il y avait cet endroit magique qui
est le vôtre.
Je vous remercie encore pour toutes vos gentillesses et espère revenir
bientôt chez vous.
Désolée d’écrire en français,mon portugais n’est pas parfait et,si je
comprends facilement l’anglais,je n’ose plus l’écrire!!!
Obidos was the 2nd Pousada of 4 we visited during our holiday. The Pousada and Obidos are an absolute must for anyone visiting this part of the world. It is absolutely fabulous but probably not for more than a night or two at a time. We had a room in one of the turrets with the bedroom on a small upper floor and a bathroom and rather cramped lounge underneath. One very thin embrasure window provided the only light. You definitely know you are in a castle and the atmosphere is great. However a word of warning, travel light when you stay at Obidos, as there are many stairs from car to room and no lifts etc to transport your bags.
On the plus side, the whole atmosphere is great and you know you are in a very old castle building with stone walls etc. The staff were all very helpful and the restaurant and other public areas very nice. Satellite TV in the room but no instructions and was unable to locate an English speaking channel. Food again very good although breakfast had the least variety of the 4 Pousadas we stayed at.
We came to the Posada by car, it was difficult but not impossible. Parking was almost impossible without the help of Hotel personnel who was very kind with us.
The castle is splendid, our room was large and confortable, only gosts were missing.
I absolutely recommend this experience.
A Pousada de Óbidos é maravilhosa! Quando se chega na cidade, já é encantador, com as muralhas ao redor… Os funcionários educadíssimos, as camas confortáveis, o restaurante com uma comida incrível!!! Um dos lugares mais interessantes de Portugal!
We enjoyed our Pousada stays at Obidos and Ourem. The rooms are nothing special and the price for accommodation and food our high but service was good and somehow they were unique places to stay. Ourem was less expensive but Obidos is a really cool town.
We took a cab from the train station in Santarem so we had no issues re: directions or parking. Not to be sarcastic, but if you read a guidebook it mentions that Obidos doesn’t allow cars – so try to avoid driving into such towns. (The only place you can drive to is the Pousada parking lot- still, why bother).
We booked the stand alone tower suite, and yes it is expensive- but you are paying for the experience and uniqueness. I would not recommend this room to anyone over 40 and am surprised they don’t have some warnings about the room’s stairs etc- they are incredibly steep, dangerously so. The room is also very small (the walls are about 10′ thick) but you get a huge terrace right in front of your room with stunning 360 degree views. since they are only 8 or 9 rooms in the hotel, it is essentially a private terrace.
Service is very good and attentive.
Breakfast was very good.
Diner sort of summed up the hotel; tried hard, nice service, shot for the luxury (silver domed plate covers, fancy wines, nouvelle preps), fancy wine list, beautiful room, etc. Basically the things that can be typically lacking in Portugal. But they still have a ways to go.
I would certainly recommend staying here. It is a once in a lifetime experience and you are paying more for the location, you are staying in the castle over looking the most beautiful town in Portugal! And only guests of the hotel can get to the top of the highest tower- no public allowed. The pictures I took at dawn are epic.
But like most things memorable, it ain’t cheap and it ain’t perfect.
We were very impressed by the Pousada, steeped in history and very comfortable although the following could be noted:
1. It was very awkward getting up to the Pousada and the parking was very tricky. I first had to walk it to get directions on how to actually get there by car!!!
2. Bedroom was lovely and spacious although we thought the stainless steel four poster bed was a bit out of character with the historical setting. The linen was awesome and room very comfortable.
3. Dinner was very enjoyable but also thought that it was slightly overpriced as was the cost of the accommodation.
All in all we enjoyed our stay and would recommend it to others.
The location was splendid, the building impressive and the staff friendly and courteous, but our room was disappointing. I cannot recall anywhere on earth where we have paid so much for such a tiny bathroom.
The castle is lovely but the rooms are of average value. There are no views from our room, just a tiny ray of light from the window grills. The service was excellent but they should improve on the parking arrangements as it was impossible to park anywhere for guests.
The directions given to Óbidos were not correct and on our arrival at Reception I informed the staff of such and was told they were aware the directions were misleading.
On arrival our suite was not ready and we were told to return at 2pm. We returned at 2.50pm and the suite was still not ready.
We were exceptionally disappointed with the suite. Having just spent several days in the Castelo de Palmela we felt as if we were in a one-up one-down cupboard. To add insult to injury, we were not given the same discount so we paid considerable more for this ‘cupboard’ than we did for our suite of rooms at Palmela.
To say we were highly disappointed is an understatement and we will neither return to this venue nor recommend it.
We found the restaurant higly overrated, it did not give correct value for money.
But the hotel itself was very nice. And so was the service.
Thanks for introducing Dr Madeira to the Presidential Suite.. Queen for a Day was a big hit.
E L Bruce II DDS
Dulce Madeira MD, PhD