Casa Holstein Quinta de São Sebastião

We thought we were only renting a room at at a hotel. Turns out we rented a room at a royal-family's estate. This is a first class place to stay. The breakfast buffet is the best we have ever had anywhere in Portugal. The location is perfect, just a couple of blocks from the heart of Sintre's historic center.

Poor Casa Holstein. It was probably a great hotel pre-Covid. You can see it in its bones. The grounds, one of their points of pride, were in horrible conditions. Looks like zero maintenance for the past two years. The boxwoods have fallen victim to European boxwood blight. The staff were all non-Portuguese. They knew nothing of the surrounding area. Great restaurants close but you had to figure out that for yourself. I was told by a local that the elderly owner of the property died a year or so ago and the folks who lease/operate the property have let it go downhill. No one in the family seems to be holding the operators accountable. With that said, the rooms were nice. Linens were okay but not of the quality you would expect from a hotel of this stature. We stayed in the villa. Words of warning! DO NOT RENT THE VILLA UNLESS YOU ARE IN TOP PHYSICAL CONDITION!! The villa is down below the hotel. The stairs are long, steep and treacherous. I can not even imagine navigating the hike to the villa in the rain. With this said, we liked the hotel. There is a special charm to the place. I hope the owners hold the operators to a higher standard and return Casa Holstein to its grandeur.

We loved this hotel! It’s a beautiful property located near the National Palace. We had a fantastic time on our babymoon. Breakfast was convenient and the hotel staff were lovely. Would recommend in a heartbeat!