Casa do Visconde de Chanceleiros, Pinhao

...in the case of the Casa do Visconde at Chanceleiros, I shall definitely want to go again. My stay there was among the most enjoyable I’ve had anywhere, and I’ve stayed in a lot of places.

This judgement does need to be put in the context that I have a slightly individual taste in hotels, tending to prefer the small and independent to the large and chain-corporate. Also, whilst some people delight in the deference of others and enjoy ...
...far as I’m concerned, the Casa do Visconde is up there with the best.


* Location *

Perched in the tiny hillside village of Chanceleiros above the Douro valley, the hotel is beautifully situated, with views over vineyard-clad and wooded slopes in all directions. You can’t, admittedly, quite see the Douro itself, since the river is hidden by a fold in the hills, around which the only access road winds precariously ... more

You know you’ve hit on a real gem of a hotel when you’re in two minds whether or not to write the review. On the one hand you want to express your enthusiasm and give the place the benefit of a little well-deserved publicity. On the other hand, the more you disclose the more over-subscribed it might turn out to be the next time you want to go there yourself. And in the case of the Casa do Visconde at Chanceleiros, I shall definitely want to go again. My stay there was among the most enjoyable I’ve had anywhere, and I’ve stayed in a lot of places.

This judgement does need to be put in the context that I have a slightly individual taste in hotels, tending to prefer the small and independent to the large and chain-corporate. Also, whilst some people delight in the deference of others and enjoy being waited on hand-and-foot, I detest it. To me, good service is defined by friendly, informal responsiveness, not bowing and scraping. Nor am I much impressed by sumptuous luxury; I look instead for character and charm.

But these are only some of the ways in which, as far as I’m concerned, the Casa do Visconde is up there with the best.

* Location *

Perched in the tiny hillside village of Chanceleiros above the Douro valley, the hotel is beautifully situated, with views over vineyard-clad and wooded slopes in all directions. You can’t, admittedly, quite see the Douro itself, since the river is hidden by a fold in the hills, around which the only access road winds precariously down to the town of Pinhao, but its very isolation makes the hotel a haven of tranquillity. You could lounge all afternoon in the terraced gardens, luxuriating in the sunshine and the scenery, watching the swallows swoop around the pool perhaps, but without the least disturbance from traffic or the outside world.

* Style and scale *

The Casa do Visconde is small, having been converted from a former manor house of imposing frontage but modestly-proportioned interior. Built in the early 18th century, it was the summer retreat, rather than the main residence, of the viscount who gave it its name. On entering, you find yourself in a traditionally-tiled hall and ascend an impressively aristocratic granite staircase to the main reception room, but you soon realise that the building is not as large as it first appears. Most of the guest-rooms consist of converted out-houses or cottages in the grounds to the rear.

* Accommodation *

The Casa do Visconde has just ten guest-rooms, including one extra-large ‘family room’. I did not see this one, but it must be truly outsize, to judge from the three standard rooms that I did see – we were offered a choice of those available – all of which could easily have fitted in an extra bed or two to accommodate a family.

The three rooms we saw were all individual in shape and decorative style. Each had its own terrace for the occupants to sit outside. Indeed, the cottage/room we chose had two terraces: one facing a little cobbled courtyard with flower-beds and an ornamental well, the other facing out over the valley. This was shaded by an olive tree, and also fringed with flowers – roses, jasmine and daisies of various hues. It was a very pleasant place from which to view the landscape.

Inside, the room was L-shaped around the en suite bathroom, with the ample double-bed hidden round the corner of the L. The sitting area, focussed on an open fireplace, offered a choice of chaise-longue, rocking chair or scatter-cushions on the hearth-rug. The hearth, incidentally, is perfectly functional, and the basket of logs is topped up daily if you light a fire. Not that you need to, since the room is warm enough, but it provides cosiness if you are sitting up late in the evening, and a comforting glow from the embers as you fall asleep. Some of the rooms have under-floor heating; ours had free-standing electric radiators, not very elegant but effective enough. The absence of air conditioning might be a problem in high summer, though mitigated by ceiling fans. Also, there’s a mosquito net to protect the bed if needed, though we had no trouble with insects while we were there in April.

Every room has a television connected to a satellite service offering a variety of channels. Wardrobe, chest of drawers, table and sideboard complete the furniture. None of it is antique or even plushy, just comfortable, well-thought-out and tastefully in keeping with the style of the room.

The bathroom is clad in terracotta tiles. It has a deep bath with shower, a big basin and a loo. Again, nothing truly luxurious, but clean, spacious, and fully supplied with soaps, shampoos, tissues and so forth.

Talking of essential supplies, the room also held a complementary decanter of port waiting for us on arrival. We didn’t exhaust the contents during our stay – we were drinking enough outside the room – but I understand the decanters are replenished as necessary.

And, in case of rain, big umbrellas were on hand beside the door.

* Public Rooms *

Back inside the main building one finds a large, elegantly-furnished lounge with sofas arranged around a marble fireplace. There are magazines, books and local guides, and a table with further decanters of the local speciality to sip while you study them.

For those who prefer a barroom ambience there is a separate, well-stocked bar. It is not staffed: here, you help yourself and sign for what you take – a gratifying show of trust and probably shrewd business too. I doubt many people cheat, while the hotel saves the cost of keeping a barman in attendance. Adjacent to the bar is a games room, with pool table, darts, babyfoot and a pinball machine. Neither the pool table nor the babyfoot require coins to operate them; usage is free.

Finally, of course, there is the restaurant. This juts out on a cantilevered extension above the rear gardens, with picture windows affording a spectacular panorama of the surrounding hills as one eats one’s breakfast, or over the lit pool during dinner in the evening. The windows are equipped to slide, so in summer I imagine they would be rolled aside to give an open-air feeling to the dining-room, though there is also an outdoor eating area equipped with barbecue that is probably utilised in hot weather too.

* Food and drink *

Breakfast at the Casa do Visconde tends to be what I call ‘continental plus’ – based on bread, rolls and croissants, but supplemented with fresh fruit, cereal, ham and cheese as desired. This suits us very well; we tend not to want a cooked breakfast and I don’t know what would happen if you asked for one, though I wouldn’t be surprised if they provided it. The cook is on hand to bake the fresh rolls and croissants, after all. For fruit juice, you have a choice of a jug of pre-fabricated, or a bowl of oranges and use of a machine on which to squeeze your own. We squeezed fresh every morning, and found it well worth it for the extra flavour.

If you are around in the morning and staying, you may well be consulted on your preferences for dinner. It does, though, always follow a four course format, along traditional local lines:

1. A savoury starter, often based on ham, smoked fish or cheese. With this, white port is served.

2. A soup, usually vegetable of one kind or another, with local white wine as an accompaniment, though you can move straight onto the red if you wish.

3. A main course, generally meat-based though I understand they sometimes do fish, with a selection of suitable vegetables. On the three nights we ate in, we had braised pork fillets, roast cabrito and chicken cooked in lemon. We drank a full-flavoured local red wine with the first two, stayed with the white for the third.

4. A dessert, which might be a sweet pudding or a fruit concoction, or both. Accompanied by either of the earlier wines, or port, as you prefer.

All of the above were delicious on all three nights, which helped us maintain our appetites in the face of the enormous portions. As you will have gathered, my wife and I are neither vegetarians nor teetotallers. I believe vegetarians can negotiate suitable alternatives within the menu. Teetotallers could stick to water, but I imagine that, in any case, few teetotallers would be touring a region mainly famous for its wine. The hotel, incidentally, does carry a preference for only serving regional products to the point of pedantry. My wife fancied a lighter white wine one evening and enquired about vinho verde, only to be told that they regretted that they didn’t stock it because it wasn’t local. True enough; the nearest vinho verde vineyards must be nearly thirty miles away. Personally, I didn’t mind too much, since it was fascinating to discover how much good wine the Douro produces that is not simply port.

* Management and service *

The Casa do Visconde is owned and operated by a couple, Ursula and Kurt Böcking, who restored the manor-house from a dilapidated state in the 1990s, and extended it into a hotel. They were not, however, in residence during our stay, when it was being run by the manageress, Adelaide by name, with faultless efficiency and friendliness. She was everywhere, chatting with guests fluently in several languages – including excellent English – telling us about the area, ensuring that we had all we needed and that everything was working smoothly.

Apart from her there were not many staff in attendance – cook and waiters at meal times, and chambermaids to clean the rooms – but we felt no need for lots of staff. Everything was conveniently laid on and everyone was helpful.

* Facilities and pastimes *

You might imagine that in such a small hotel facilities would be limited, but in fact they are more than ample, and all without extra charge. Inside, I have already mentioned the games room. Outside are:

~ The swimming-pool, eighteen metres long and therefore big enough for serious swimming as well as just splashing around. It was a touch chilly in early April, but a few hardy souls such as my wife braved it anyway and lived to speak well of the experience. For the less resolute, such as me, there is plenty of space, both sunny and shaded, to lounge and watch, as well as an outside bar (also run on an ‘honour’ system) to refresh oneself while doing so.

~ A well-maintained tennis court, with ping-pong as an alternative for those who prefer their tennis on a less energetic scale.

~ A charming children’s play area, including a kind of wendy house formed of a huge disused wine-barrel, and a comfortable sitting area for accompanying adults.

~ A jacuzzi and sauna. I’m not a big fan myself, but they’re there if you want them.

~ Apparently, there is a squash court too; we never came across it, but that’s not wholly surprising, since the grounds are rambling and terraced down the hillside on several levels. They are also well-tended and abundantly planted with olives, palms, blossoming scented citrus trees, wisteria, rose bushes and peonies, delphiniums and flowers of many other kinds. Just sitting among them is a pastime in itself.

* Location and access *

The Casa do Visconde faces the main square of Chanceleiros, the rest of the village, such as it is, sprawling outwards down two or three little lanes. There is a tiny church, originally the manor’s chapel, and a bar/café that looks a bit basic, but which I cannot describe in detail since we never went inside. Access is strictly by car, or taxi, the fare from the nearest railway station, Pinhao, three miles away, being about 7€ (£6.30). Something Adelaide said gave me to understand that she is ready to pick car-less guests up from or deliver them back to Pinhao. I can't say for sure whether there would be a charge for doing so, but given the generally generous style of the place, it wouldn't surprise me if there were not. If you do bring you own car, parking is easy; there is a hotel car park (no charge) down at the bottom of the garden, but generally there’s plenty of free space right in front of the hotel in the square.

* Room rates *

The tariff at the Chanceleiros is extremely straightforward. Bed and breakfast for two in a double room totals 120€ a night (just under £110 at today’s dismal exchange rate). I can’t find a single room tariff on the hotel website, so it’s probably best to take a companion; you wouldn’t want to pay that to be on your own.

Dinner is a set price of 30€ (£27) per person for the four courses, including as much wine as you can drink. Children get away with 10€ (£9), though perhaps without the wine. Not cheap, but well worth the price.

Indeed, you could certainly stay for less, possibly much less, elsewhere in the area, but I doubt you’ll find better value.

* Recommendation *

As you may have detected from the above, we loved the Casa do Visconde. Welcoming and relaxing, efficient without being fussy, stylish without being stuffy, unusual without being outré – all this amid outstanding scenery, plus excellent facilities and food. It’s a lovely place, and I can’t recommend it too highly.

© torr 2009

For a review of the Douro Valley region, see:
http://travel.ciao.co.uk/Douro_Valley_Northern_Portugal__Review_5839541
 

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