The Lince Santa Clara

Excellent Hotel with state of the art facilities and beautiful touches everywhere. Also the service and food quality is outstanding. I highly recommend this hotel.

O hotel é lindíssimo tendo em conta que era um convento/mosteiro e foi recuperado mantendo a traça de granito, e decoraram o interior com madeira. Uma combinação perfeita. Além disso, encontra-se num alto com uma paisagem lindíssima, de onde se pode ver toda a cidade de Vila do Conde, a Nau Quinhentista e o rio Ave. O serviço de alta qualidade, sempre com colaboradores disponíveis para nos ajudar ou esclarecer de alguma questão. Fizeram um upgrade ao quarto e estavam sempre a mimar-nos. O pequeno almoço muito variado, e com alimentos de muito boa qualidade, numa sala igualmente soberba. Sempre que fazíamos uma sugestão ou um pedido, era imediatamente atendido.

We spent three delightful days at this remarkable hotel over the São João holiday. Set within the walls of a former monastery, the property exudes a breathtaking charm that is both serene and timeless. A true gem among luxury accommodations, it provides the perfect setting for a few days of relaxation and quiet indulgence. The ambiance is further elevated by the exceptionally dedicated and highly professional staff, whose attentiveness and warmth made our stay truly memorable. We will most certainly return.

Almoço executivo maravilhoso, numa sala única e imponente. O almoço estava muito bom. De salientar que todos os dias tem opção vegetariana. Serviço de atendimento excelente! Rápidos, atentos, e com muito cortesia. Recomendo, pois é uma verdadeira experiência não só gastronómica. É um Momento de puro Prazer.

Nous garderons un excellent souvenir de notre séjour au Lince Santa Clara, un havre de paix offrant un cadre raffiné à l'ambiance décontractée. La restauration de l'ancien couvent vieux de 700 ans est une réussite remarquable, nous avons apprècié la sensation de l'espace, l'esthétique générale et le confort des chambres familiales, tout est beau et invitation à la détente. Sans oublier le spa, la piscine extérieure et le personnel sympatique. Le restaurant Mosteiro fut une belle introduction à la cuisine portugaise. Au dela de la ville de Porto, la région Norte regorge d'histoire et offre une immersion culturelle authentique.

As soon as I saw The Lince in photographs I knew it was my kind of hotel. I loved its style, and once there it did not disappoint. It's stylish and 'mostly' serene. When the hotel was quiet breakfast was a divine elevated 5* experience. But when busy it kind of fell apart. Dinner was just okay, the food barely hot. What I found mostly irritating is the "muzak" that seems to be played everywhere in Portugal. "Chill Pop" or "Chill Covers" which is bland interpretations sung by anonymous female session singers covering Queen, Madonna, Michael Jackson, etc, and turning their songs into dreary lounge music. And it's on repeat all day every day. And I found it especially odd to have it played outdoors in the spa area. Silence is luxury. Someone else's music is not. We all have phones and iPods with our own music. If we want music we can play our own. Also, The Lince is a former monastery. And it still has a monastery vibe. Can it not be silence by day, and Portuguese music at night? Fortunately inside the spa there was no music. And I really enjoyed the spa a lot. It appears most people stay for 1 or 2 nights. The hotel deserves to be given more time than that. Although the area of Vila do Conde is lacking in appeal, it has some decent restaurants (that also play the same Chill Pop / Covers as the hotel) 🙄 It's also worth being aware getting to Porto is around a 45 to 50 Euro taxi ride, so a return is around 100 Euros each time. But it's also positioned closer to Braga and Guimarães if they are part of your itinerary. You're also about a 2 hour drive from the Douro Valley if that's also something you want to see. So, overall I did love the hotel and it will remain a favourite. But a few tweaks would have made it bliss.