Quinta das Lagrimas

The Hotel Quinta das Lagrimas is unabashedly luxurious. Occupying a historic 18th-century palace, the hotel’s oldest wing has brightly painted wooden molding on the walls and parquet wood floors polished to a high sheen, intricate works of antique furniture, and plush couches in classic red fabric, as well as a wood-paneled library and a chapel. The concrete shell of the newer wing manages to look rather the worse for wear -- from the outside, at least. Inside, though, is a moody spa walled with tiny dark tiles and dark slate floors. Rooms split between the two wings follow the varying decor schemes. A standout here are the sprawling gardens with paths winding through the ruins of a Gothic chapel, a Zen garden, and a Romanesque colonnade, all shaded by mature trees. The Quinta das Lagrimas tends to attract a more mature, well-heeled crowd looking for a sedate vacation, who are happy to drive or take cabs into Coimbra.

On the far side of the Mondego River, away from the historic center of Coimbra, much of the old part of town is not within a comfortable walking distance of the Quinta das Lagrimas. For instance, the Se Nova de Coimbra, a 17th-century cathedral with a dramatic Mannerist interior right next to the University, is a half-hour walk away, as is the Jardim Botanico. Guests might be better off getting taxis into the old quarter of the city. Expect transfers to Porto Airport to take between 85 and 100 minutes by car, and between 105 and 120 minutes to Lisbon Portela Airport.

Regardless of whether they are in the old wing of the hotel or the new one, the 52 rooms are all decorated to a high standard. Room decor varies a bit within each category as well, though generally to the same effect. Some Standard Rooms in the garden wing are outfitted in cool, fresh cornflower blues with bright, flower patterned perspex panels and furniture painted in the same color, which creates a serene feel. Some furnishings, however, look like they could use an update.Superior Rooms in the palace wing are far more opulent, with furnishings such as a silky canopy over their beds, molded-wood paneling painted in contrasting shades of rich cerise and dusky pink, and satin bedspreads. Suites add a living room with a sofa, armchairs, and a chest of drawers topped by a Nespresso coffee machine.Rooms in the spa wing are bright and contemporary, with whitewashed walls and deep-brown carpet, a king-sized bed covered in crisp, white linen, a dark wooden desk and closet, and an armchair. Their bathrooms are tiled in white veined marble, with a bidet and a shower/tub combo that has hydromassage jets. All rooms have a flat-screen TV, minibar, safe, and free Wi-Fi, plus lovely bathrooms with shower/tub combos, hairdryers, slippers, and toiletries. Some rooms automatically come with bathrobes, while others need to be requested from the front desk.

The Quinta das Lagrimas has an impressive list of amenities, including a golf club that features a nine-hole course, a chipping green, and a putting green, plus a clubhouse with pool tables and a coffee shop. A moodily decorated spa offers an indoor swimming pool, massage treatment rooms, a sauna, and Turkish bath, as well as a small gym with limited equipment. There is an unheated lap pool within the hotel’s rambling grounds, but more diverting are the paths that wind through mature trees and verdant lawns, passing by a ruined Gothic chapel, a Zen garden, and a Romanesque colonnade. Guests generally love the free buffet breakfast, which includes freshly made "pasteis de nata". Meals in the hotel’s two fine-dining restaurants are typically well-reviewed, though unsurprisingly, they come with a steep price tag. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout.