Palácio de Estói

The Hotel has now opened (April 2009)and the older buildings have been beautifully restored internally to the highest standards. Very unfortunately, the gardens have not received the same standard of care or expertise. As usual, the context of the buildings seems to have had no significance in the project. Our recent visit left us horrified at the use of orange pine back mulch in the formal beds of the old parterre - surounding old cycads and a pomegranate tree - yurch ! All of the gardens in front of the paclacio are still building site and storage and there seems to be no planned renovation or maintenance of these areas. If you visit please complain to the front desk about the sorry state of the gardens, it might sink in eventually that they must have employed the worst landscapers on the Algarve, and believe me, there are plenty of bad ones to choose from.

(1.0/5)

When I visited this lovely place in the early 90s on a hot summer day it was like an enchanted fairy garden sleeping for a 100 years. Though it is good to read this is going to be restored and a pousada hotel now and the garden open to the public it really is absolutely outrageous that these two wonderful 'preguicas' - the italian fountain sculptures - have been stolen in 2006!!!

(5.0/5)