Second night in Portugal. Considering everything we'd experienced since landing, it felt more like day seven. When we planned to go to Óbidos, our first plan was to find accommodation in the town. It turned out not to be easy, as Óbidos is more of a village than a city. So the choice fell on a hotel nearby – the relatively newly built five-star golf and spa hotel Evolutee Royal Óbidos Hotel -which is located by the sea 15 kilometers outside the center of Óbido.
The hotel is located on a hill in the middle of a large area of golf courses, overlooking both the greens and the sea. There are no restaurants or villages nearby, so a rental car is a must if you are not only staying at the hotel to play golf. Parking is available indoors and is free of charge.
The reception was set up in a large and open hall, with gold and velvet furniture, large heavy wooden doors and a large oil painting with a gold frame. The style of the hotel felt a bit "Versaille meets White-and-fresh" with all the gold meeting the large glass windows facing the golf courses and the pool. Friendly staff and a quick check-in later, the key card to one of their family suites is in our hand.
The hotel has only 39 rooms and all rooms are located in two low glass buildings. The white-and-fresh theme continued in the room as well. One of the few pops of color was the headboard made of real carpets and a large wardrobe wall with a Renaissance motif of a woman and a swan, the rest was in white or beige. There was a capsule coffee machine and a large safe. The whole room had an interesting woven carpet across the floor which also extended over the toilet floor. I wonder what kind of carpet it is that can withstand so much water, because it got really wet on the floor when we showered.
A lovely detail in the hotel room was the large balcony with sun loungers and a view of the golf courses. Unfortunately, the view was under renovation when we stayed here (August 2018) and the entire golf landscape outside the hotel was more of a mud field. Luckily the sea view was not under renovation :)
The sleep that the room offered, we have nothing to complain about. The beds were comfortable with luxurious bedding and it was very peaceful and quiet in the hotel. The temperature in the room was even, although the temperature outside varied quite a bit between day and night.
The absolute best thing about the hotel was the beautiful pool, with pool mosaic in blue and white and views of the golf courses and the sea. The pool is not a family pool, but rather a narrow swimming pool with a shallow side and a very deep side. There are plenty of sunbeds and pool towels provided for anyone who wishes. Here I could spend a moment before dinner with a good book every evening!
The breakfast served in the restaurant was really really good. According to the daughter, this was the best breakfast we had in Portugal and I am prepared to agree. The service at breakfast was one of the best I have ever encountered, so attentive and nice. The selection at the buffet was complete with everything from freshly squeezed juice, fresh bread, yogurt/cereals, spreads with many good cheeses, fruit, sparkling wine, scrambled eggs, oven-baked tomatoes, fried mushrooms and bacon. Waffles, pancakes and eggs (fried/poached/boiled) were cooked to order. On the sweet pastry table were my favorites freshly baked - Pasteis De Nata – the vanilla cream-filled wieners that look like mazarines. I can't think of anything I missed.
So, what was the overall family rating?
A really nice hotel with such a breakfast that I would have liked to sit all morning and enjoy. (Give me a table filled with Pasteis de Nata and I'm a happy woman!) I can't think of anything to complain about, except for the renovation of the golf course which I hadn't read about anywhere when booking. But since my golf clubs are untouched in storage at home, I can't say that I suffered so much from not being able to play golf outside the hotel complex. The rating of the restaurant below applies to the breakfast.
