DOURO VALLEY - Portugal - page 387

$$$ Vintage House Hotel is the place if you want to splurge on a fancy, formal hotel
on the Douro (as opposed to a hillside pousada or manor house). It's all class, with a won-
derfully atmospheric bar (under tree-trunk rafters), a good restaurant with an over-the-top
formal interior and riverside terrace outdoor seating, and a wine shop featuring expens-
ive tastings for aficionados (see “ Quintas Tours and Tastings” on here ) . Each of its 43
rooms has a river view and a terrace or balcony, and elegant tile in the bathroom. The
halls are lined with baskets of free local oranges and apples, as well as 19th-century pho-
tos of the Douro (Sb-€117-200, Db-€133-220, suites-€175-420, extra bed-€40-60, extra
child's bed-€25-30, includes breakfast, air-con, elevator, pool, between train station and
bridge at Lugar da Ponte, tel. [phone], fax [phone], www.cs-vintagehouse.com ,
[e-mail] ).
$HotelDouro offers 14 basic, clean, and bright rooms, many with cute riverview bal-
conies (Sb-€37-40, Db-€45-60, breakfast-€5, cash only, air-con, Wi-Fi, Largo da Estação
39, tel. & fax [phone], www.hotel-douro.com , [e-mail] , Oliveira
family).
$ Residencial Ponto Grande has 17 comparable rooms with lower prices and older
furnishings (Sb-€25, Db-€40, cash only, air-con, Rua António Manuel Saraiva 41A at
Largo da Estação, tel. [phone], Vieira family).
Near Pinhão
$$$QuintadelaRosa, a mile downstream of Pinhão, is a riverside winery offering seven
comfortable rooms with traditional country furnishings; all but one overlook the river (Sb/
Db-€85-120, a bit less for 3 nights, extra child's bed-€20, includes breakfast, ask in ad-
vance for the €27.50 three-course dinner including wine and port; tel. [phone], fax
254-732-346, www.quintadelarosa.com , [e-mail] ). They also offer
in-depth tours and wine tastings (described earlier), and rent two houses by the week.
Getting There: Drivers leave Pinhão to the west (downriver), cross the concrete
bridge, turn left and look for the quinta on the left side, up the hill. If walking: From the
boat landing, cross the blue pedestrian bridge and continue 20 minutes (or take a €6 taxi
from Pinhão station).
Above Pinhão, in Casal de Loivos
$$$ Casa de Casal de Loivos hovers on a lofty perch above Pinhão, with perhaps the
most dramatic views in all of the Douro Valley. The warm Sampayo family converted this
17th-century manor house into a six-room hotel with quaintly rustic furnishings and com-
manding Douro vistas. The family brags that when the BBC filmed a show about the best
views in the world, they set up their camera right here (Sb-€80, Db-€100, discounts for
longer stays, includes breakfast, dinner-€25/person without wine, cash only, swimming