The Monverde Wine Experience Hotel is an incredible getaway experience. Its natural placement within the vineyard creates quiet and intimate moments for guests. The hotel’s balance between modern and rustic aesthetics made the experience feel luxurious, yet still authentic and local. All of the wines grown by Monverde’s vineyard were such a delight to try and we learned so much during our hour-long tasting with their knowledgable staff. Monverde is by-far one of the best places we’ve stayed and we plan to come back on our next return to Portugal. - The Apartment on Silveira
It was just last fall when I and my partner, Shay, returned to Porto for a second week-long visit.
Since May, we’d been process of purchasing a one-bedroom Porto apartment we found earlier that year. The idea was to convert the apartment to a functioning Airbnb for investment. This visit would mark the completion of the final contract, allowing us to begin furnishing the apartment.
From the start, we knew we wanted to make the most of our little work-vacation. Presuming many shops would be closed that Sunday, we decided to take the weekend visiting the Douro Valley and return on Monday to start furnishing our Airbnb adventure.
It was during this weekend, we stayed at the Monverde Wine Experience Hotel. Here’s a short glimpse into our experience there.
Arriving to Monverde Hotel
The drive into the Monverde hotel, was already like an opening scene to a vacation. We drove from Porto to the hotel within an hour, winding our way through winding roads and enjoying scenic views. And as we turned off the main road, we found ourselves weaving between vineyard rows and into a beautiful dirt road lined with tuscan-like pines.
— For the journey, we had rented a diesel Fiat Hatchback in Porto. Europcar had originally tried to book us an electric car which I was originally thrilled about, but a quick check for charging stations in the area quickly ruled that option out.
Driving into the hotel premise we came upon multiple Tuscan-like houses. This is where we checked-in.
The Check-In
Check in was smooth. The concierge poured each a glass of “green” wine as the hotel sent someone to check that our room was ready.
We’d paid for the hotel purely with Booking.com points, accrued from our first to in Porto earlier that spring.
The main building of the space was absolutely stunning. Coming from the South of the US I found the plaid green chairs and warm wooden interiors oddly familiar. I half-expected to see deer mounted on the wall — luckily, Europeans have a few more sensibilities.
The center of the building was a voided so that you could see the ground floor from the 1st where we entered from. Wooden leaf carvings hung in the empty space and light poured in from the skylight above; bouncing across the many mirrors of the space and illuminating the warm green-plaided upholstery.
“You’re room is ready”— I hadn’t yet finished the complimentary glass of wine when the concierge returned. I had been too distracted, photographing the chairs and the large mirrors of the building.
— I shoot on film because I’m Gen Z. I reassure myself that this allows me to be more present when I travel but, actually it does the opposite. By not being able to immediately review each photo, I’m secretly filled with a wave of stress that the photo won’t come out clearly exposed when I finally decide to develop the film a month later.
The Room… Erm… Villa
Yes! We arrived only to realize that the “room” we’d booked was a private villa!
From the main check-in building (where they also serve breakfast and hold wine tastings) we were escorted by one of the many golf-carts in the premise to a row of hotel villas further away. The walk between the house and the row of villas would have only taken 10 minutes, but it was nice to not have to lug our bags down the gravel road.
The villa was stunning, we were stunned, and it the feeling was only enhanced by the fact it was all covered by Booking.com points.
To describe the villas at Monverde hotel, we were one in a row of about 5 villas; each with a private pool and separated from its neighbor by a shared wall, for privacy. As we’d come in September, the pool was too cold for leisurely swimming and so it turned into a sort of cold-plunge activity for the morning. If you can come in the summer I recommend it as the private pool is a highlight.
The Hotel Spa
After putting our bags down, we quickly headed over to the spa, located just west of the main building. The spa features a heated indoor pool, sauna, Turkish bath, and a range of other massage treatments. We stuck to the pool and sauna. The entrance to the spa is dark. The saunas and showers sit closely off to the sides and the room opens up as you enter. There was a calm to the space and warm air quickly met us as the door shut behind us.
The pool area is simply designed, with a rustic-modern decor and soothing natural lighting. There was a tranquil ambiance which instantly put us in vacation mode.
This was momentarily interrupted by one of the staff insisting each of purchase little green pool cap. Though we looked ridiculous as we slipped our caps on, we truly didn’t mind. It spoke to the cleanliness of the space and we had a good laugh. We did, however, managed to sneak in a few photos, as well, without the caps which is probably for the best.
A Pop Over to the Wine Tasting
If you’re on the fence about booking a wine tasting, do it! Shay spontaneously booked a tasting for us on check-in and I was blown away by the experience. Monverde has an extensive selection of wines from its local vineyards, including red, white, and ‘green’ varieties as the name of the local region suggests (Vinho Verde = Green Wine).
During our tasting with Sofia, one of Monverde’s staff members, we tried at least 8 different wines from their private vineyard. The extent of Sofia’s knowledge about wine and the local region was impressive; we thoroughly enjoyed our time and her humorous comments made it a lot more enjoyable.
Our Thoughts on the Hotel
The Monverde Wine Experience Hotel is an incredible getaway experience. Its natural placement within the vineyard creates quiet and intimate moments for guests. The hotel’s balance between modern and rustic aesthetics made the experience feel luxurious, yet still authentic and local. All of the wines grown at Monverde were such a delight to try and we learned so much in our short time there.
Monverde is by-far one of the best places we’ve stayed and we plan to come back on our next return to Portugal.
If you enjoyed this review and are looking for more Portugal content be sure to also check out 6 Affordable Porto Airbnbs for 100 Euro or Less per Night and Hotel Mouco — An Honest Review. Follow us on Instagram and Pinterest at @theapartmentonsilveira where we post tips, recommendations, and more content about Porto and our Airbnb.
