Why I won't stay here again: The state of the resort has deteriorated significantly (see…read morepictures), and management doesn't seem to be doing anything about it.
Tony's Tip: there's an "overflow" room for the daily breakfast buffet to the left of the stairs. It's adults-only and will keep you away from the chaos of the main room.
This is the first 1-star Yelp review of mine in more than one hundred I've written. I see that the large majority of glowing reviews are from a number of years ago. Whatever its condition then, this ain't the same resort those people were staying at.
We attended a wedding in the town of Sintra this past Summer. In choosing a hotel, my wife opted for this Ritz-Carlton property that was viewed as the highest end hotel in the "area." I put area in quotes because in reality, it was a 15-20 minute drive into and out of the center of Sintra, and it could take at least a half hour if you hit daytime tourist bus traffic. After our first day of commuting during a 4-night stay, we immediately regretted our decision. But it would get worse.
While the vista is nice, I don't think I'd call it stunning. Perhaps we've been to too many other great places in various settings over the years. For us, the grounds and views fell short of the "wow" factor.
Check-in was prompt, and the front desk people were nice, particularly one woman who made a couple of restaurant recommendations, including calling on our behalf. That was probably the high point of the stay.
Once in our room, it presented more like a Marriott than a Ritz. Dated (circa 2005), with many imperfections. Beyond that, however, as we explored the hotel, we were taken aback by how much the resort was in disrepair. For starters, our own balcony had four vertical railings that had rotted out, leaving sharp dangerous edges (especially risky if you had children staying with you). Outside stairs leading to a common seating area had countless stained and broken tiles, leaving you to question the safety of using the stairs at all. The handle to a main door leading outside near the spa was completely gone, forcing you to put your finger into a sharp opening to pull that door open to reenter. Plus, windows in a lounge area near the front entrance had been compromised, leaving the panes cloudy. I could go on, but I stopped documenting this disaster once it was clear that management was content to leave things in deteriorating condition.
I mentioned the breakfast buffet. It was okay - certainly fell short of the better European buffets we've experienced at resorts of this supposed caliber. We had trouble one morning getting someone to bring us a simple pot of coffee and cream as we watched them deliver to other tables. Took three requests. Beyond that, the main dining room is far from relaxing. This is a destination resort for many families, and you know what that's like in the morning. We discovered the "escape" room on our second morning and ate there during the rest of our stay.
In sum, the Penta Longa Resort was a big disappointment. It's not cheap, and when a place is carrying the Ritz-Carlton brand, that has historically come with a broadly understood high standard of luxury. My wife will be the first to say that Marriott has blurred the lines between R-C properties and the rest of its brands, and not for the better. My suggestion to those planning to visit Sintra is to stay in the town itself. There are one or two properties that should deliver at a higher level than this place, and it will be much more convenient for you as well.
