Name: Casa de Retiro e Repouso Balsamão
Address: Convento De Balsamao - Chacim, Macedo de Cavaleiros, Macedo de Cavaleiros, Macedo de Cavaleiros, 5340 - 091, Portugal
Rating: 7

Smoke-free property

Ticket assistance

Gift shop

Garden

No elevators

Reception desk

General

Concierge services

Services and amenities

Breakfast

Restaurant

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Multi-language staff

Languages Spoken

Tour assistance

Tourist services

Free parking

Parking

Business center

Event facilities

Meeting and presentation facilities

Conference Hall

Business

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Location

At the hotel

Braganca Airport

Casa de Retiro e Repouso Balsamão

Macedo de Cavaleiros

child-bed

child-bed-fee

external-private-bathroom

private-bathroom

shared-bathroom

10-beds

11-beds

12-beds

13-beds

14-beds

15-beds

16-beds

17-beds

18-beds

19-beds

2-beds

20-beds

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3-beds

30-beds

31-beds

32-beds

33-beds

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39-beds

4-beds

40-beds

5-beds

6-beds

7-beds

8-beds

9-beds

king-bed

queen-bed

limited-time

lounge

treatment

no-window

bay-view

bosphorus-view

canal-view

city-view

courtyard-view

garden-view

golf-view

harbour-view

inland-view

lake-view

land-view

mountain-view

ocean-front

ocean-view

oceanside

panoramic-view

park-view

partial-ocean-view

partial-sea-view

partial-view

pool-view

river-view

sea-front

sea-view

street-view

sunrise-view

sunset-view

water-view

with-view

annex

basement

main-building

1-bedroom

2-bedrooms

3-bedrooms

4-bedrooms

5-bedrooms

6-bedrooms

not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

breakfast-for-1

breakfast-for-2

pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

Don't they say "location, location and location". In way, they could be referring to Balsamão. The Convento de Balsamão lies on top of a view overlooking the surrounding valleys. The closest village, Chacim, is still a short drive away, though it is not far from Macedo de Cavaleiros and the highway.
When we got there, after driving the "mountain pass" style road, we found total darkness. Well almost, in fact we could see the stars, and I mean all of them, the constellations, the milky way, so clear as I don't remember seeing them before.
With some flash-lights we got the things out of the car and found our room. We were greeted with surprising friendliness, and found our cozy room. And I mean cozy as in comfortable, but also in the absence of luxuries, and not the largest room you have slept in either. The same overall friendliness we found at breakfast, which is served somehow as a "buffet" style, but almost as if you were at home. Lots of home-made compotes and jams, cut your own bread and make some toasts.
Summing up, no luxuries, friendliness, all the stars in universe, and a unique location.

Friendly atmosphere - No luxuries

away from the crowds - renovated church is beautiful

Peaceful with inexpensive no-nonsense accommodation and food

The convent is located at the top of a hill with a steep road leading to the small parking area in front of the Church and hall.  The views of the neighboring countryside are astounding.

For a basic room to sleep this wasn't bad.  The room was spare with two twin-sized beds, a small desk and night stand, a sizeable closet,  a small  attached bath (unfortuately with a pervasive smell of sewer gas) and a telephone.  The smell notwithstanding, the room was very clean and the beds weren't too uncomfortable although they seemed a little short.  There is a TV in a common room, and although we were told that there was a wireless internet connection, we never picked it up.  It was certainly quiet at night, as there isn't anything to do if you are not there for religious reasons (by the way, there was absolutely no pressure in this regard).

You can dine at the convent if you choose, but there wasn't a choice of what to eat (the website we used to book the room called it a restaurant; it was actually more like a dining hall).  We had a decent meal with soup, salad and codfish entree with wine and a choice of desserts for much less than a restaurant meal.  Breakfast was spare one morning (slightly stale bread served with the convent's own honey preserves) but a little more substantial the next morning.

There was one woman who spoke enough English at the desk to get us checked in and answer a few questions.  A few other languages were spoken, but if you don't know one of them (Portugeues, French and Polish seemed to be most commonly understood)  you might have a hard time communicating.

Casa de Retiro e Repouso Balsamão

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