Quinta Do Banco

Wonderful
Traveller Type: Traveling as Couple

Wonderful
Traveller Type: Traveling as Couple
  : Even though we turned up a little early, we were greeted warmly and taken into the adega where it was relief to be able to sit and relax. We were given some snacks and drinks and made to feel very welcome by Z and Ana. Then Ana took us to the house we were staying in and showed us around. The house was like stepping back in time, it felt quite a privilege to be in there, seeing how traditional the decor was, and the majesty of the high ceilings kept the place so lovely and cool after being out in the sun. We like to cook, as well as go out to restaurants on other days, and the oven was really good, it sounds like its no big deal but to us it was a big deal as we have stopped in some other places where it took 3 hours to cook a few oven chips. The hot water came through nice and quickly from the taps, and there was good pressure for having a shower. The bed we slept in was king size, and very comfy. The internet was really fast, which meant we were able to hook up our computer to the tv and stream tv from the internet or watch YouTube. We thought the Quinta was a great base for our exploration of the praias Santa Cruz and Ericeira etc, and we enjoyed the Parque de Castanheiras in the Serra de Montejunto. We also had a day around Torres Vedras, exploring the castle and then the Castro (hillfort) of Zambujal, and Tholos (remains of a megalithic chambered tomb). We loved that our dog was made so welcome at the Quinta, even though she was a bit naughty chasing the cats. It was lovely seeing the horses peeping out of their stalls, and to those who are into horse riding it is another option. Breakfast was also a very relaxed but enjoyable experience. We had ham, cheeses, jams, bread rolls, coffee (or tea) and freshly squeezed orange juice. Z and Ana were lovely and friendly, and were very patient with our attempts to practice our Portuguese. There is a nice restaurant very close to the quinta, called Adega Villa Verde, we also went to the Delhi Barbar Indian restaurant.
  : There was a bit of a shortage of cooking pots, saucepans and things like wooden spoons for stirring, ladles, and oven gloves. The oven is really good, and it would make great pizza, that would be a winner, but keep a close eye on it as it really does get hot. There were saucepans on the wall but we were not sure if they were antiques for decorative purpose, so we didn't risk that! Also, we were struggling to find plates, but we found some in the big cabinet in the dining room. And, we found a pressure cooker too, that we thought was potentially another large saucepan, if required. We were planning to have a bbq but there was really only the wood fired oven, and apart from a wooden bench, there were no table and chairs to enjoy sitting outside (though maybe there is no outdoor furniture because the season has only just started and it has been so cold this year up until now).

Wonderful
Traveller Type: Traveling as Couple
  : Everthing
  : Nothing

Very Good
Traveller Type: Family with Young Children
  : A beautiful farm of almost 200 years old, with impressive stables and horses and charming and ancient buildings. We drank wine, ate bread and cheese and sank into great serenity. The hosts were exceptional - Christina and Manuel did everything to make our time at the farm enjoyable
  : The house is not very clean, partly because it is very old and partly because of neglect. The shower is tiny and very uncomfortable, the mattress is not successful and many parts of the kitchen are sticky and unclean.

Wonderful
Traveller Type: Traveling as Couple
  : the staff was lovely and the house very pretty. We wish we had stayed a couple extra nights.

Poor
Traveller Type:
  : Horrible, there was a room with beds that had dirty sheets all wrapped up and when we asked, they just said we were only two and so we didn't have to sleep there. Dirty dishes in sink and bathroom very dirty. The owners just told us this happens and did nothing to make it up for us, they blamed the cats that roam the property for the dirty bathroom and didn't have any explanation for the dirty dishes in the sink. Owners showed no consideration and were extremely rude.

Very Good
Traveller Type:
  : Owner met us in person and showed us around

Good
Traveller Type: