Where to stay near Pinhão in Portugal’s Douro valley with a dog

Recently, I’ve taken a trip with my dog to Pinhão in the Douro valley in Portual and we needed a place to stay in the area.

We chose to stay at Quinta do Silval, a family owned wine producing estate near Pinhão with an attached hotel. Overall, it was a great choice, with only very minor drawbacks.

If you are looking for a place to stay in the Douro valley with your dog, I can definitely recommend this hotel. For a full breakdown of my experience, read the review below.

DOG FRIENDLINESS

My dog was extremely welcome here. The whole staff was fussing over her during the entire stay. Every one who saw her had to pet her, be it receptionists, cleaners or even the chef during dinner service. It is safe to say: The staff here loves dogs. When they saw that I had a dog with me, they immediately brought her not just a bowl, but a bowl with water in it, right to my room. That has never happened in any other hotel, so sweet!

She was also allowed to join me for breakfast and dinner on the terrace. Fabulous.

THE LOCATION

The hotel is located on a beautiful estate with flowers and trees abound. It is surrounding by true wine country.

Wherever you look, all you see is hills with vineyards, olive trees and more. Absolutely serene.

That also means that nothing else is near the hotel, but for me, that was absolutely fine.

On the property, there is also a set of pools available, one for swimming, and one that I guess is meant for children. It is beautiful, but when I wanted to use it there were actually so many insects floating in the pool that I lost my appetite for a swim.

I saw someone clean it that morning, so I am not sure if they did not do a good enough job or if it just gets dirt really fast. Either way, that ended up being a “no thanks” from me.

THE ROOM

The room was very large and comfortable. There was a huge double bed, as well as another single bed that doubled as a couch. I love it when there is a comfortable place to sit besides the main bed! In addition, there was a closet, a desk with a chair, a proper fridge and a kettle.

The bathroom was nice but could have done with more counter space, and please, a different hairdryer. The one that they had looked more like a small hoover and it took me forever to dry my hair. On the other hand, the hair dryer itself got hotter and hotter as I used it. Thankfully I have short hair, but with long hair this would have been a proper pain. A tool simply not suited for its job!

Unfortunately, my room did not have views of the vineyards, although I did book a room with a mountain view. I don’t know if that was because of the dog or it just got lost somewhere, but never mind. I was very tired when I arrived so I did not even ask to change it. We spent most of our time outside anyway.

Besides the hair dryer situation, one complaint I have is that the room was not very sound-proof. The reception was right opposite, and the staff was often hanging out and chatting there which was very audible from within the room. One day, I was also woken up by the sound of furniture moving on the floor in another room. At 7am. Ouch.

THE SERVICE

The service was outstanding. Beyond being dog lovers, the staff was incredibly helpful. I had a problem with my car, and they made lots of phone calls to try and help me as best as they could, for which I am very grateful.

On my first day of arrival, I was mistakenly was informed that there would be the option to have dinner in the hotel at 8pm. When I asked about it at 8pm, it turned out that no chef was in the house that day. Bad luck for me? Well, no. The receptionist ended up cooking a meal for me himself. And not just any meal: Four courses! Wow. Just wow. What a great service indeed.

THE VALUE

At this hotel, I paid 95 EUR per night including breakfast. In addition, there was a small fee for my dog. I enjoyed the place, but you do pay for what you get here.

Dinner was around 30 EUR per night. As it is a set menu including four courses in a really beautiful setting, I still thought this was good value. Even if you are not looking to stay over night, I think it is worth coming here just for dinner. Do make sure to call ahead and verify that dinner service is available that day though.

Of course, they also serve their own wines which I found to be delicious. I ended up buying some to take home with me. You can also arrange tastings if you fancy that, but you need to be at least two people. So sadly for me that was not possible.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Overall, this hotel was a really good choice. We were there for only two nights, but it was a very nice stay. To me, the staff and the dinner were outstanding. While the room was generally comfortable, there were a few things that were not ideal. On balance, I give it a 4/5.