It begins on the front of the hotel full of pointed windows and towers and it abides when we arrive at the old and spacious elevator containing a little velvet stool. The feeling that we’re in a Wes Anderson movie, high on a mountain, waiting to for snowflakes to fall.
The Grand Serra da Estrela Hotel – pardon, Pousada da Serra da Estrela – is in a building with both cinematic and historic potential. Designed by architect Cottinelli Telmo in the 1920s it was originally a Railway Sanatorium before it was turned into a hotel. “It was built by the Railways to treat the tuberculosis of its employees, since they can benefit from the location in a calm place with clean air,” reads a brochure delivered at the reception. Portuguese Railway company, CP, transferred it into the hands of the state, until closing its closure in June
of 1969, at a time when innovations in medicine, namely “the use of antituberculosis chemotherapy”, led to the closure of sanatoriums that were further away from cities. After serving as a residence for 700 war victims after the end of the Portuguese dictatorship, it was acquired by Pestana Group (which owns 33 Portuguese inns) and in 2011 they began to renew the building.
The renewal was designed by the renowned architect Eduardo Souto de Moura, so when you book one of the 92 available bedrooms you may also admire the work of a Pritzker Prize winner. The original aesthetic was maintained, including the terraces that were used at the time to inhale fresh air and enjoy the scenery, the old tiles and the iron door of the lift, a beautiful art deco specimen.
Located at 1200 meters of altitude, in the middle of the Natural Park of Serra da Estrela, the hotel is strategically placed on the path that accesses the Tower, the highest point of mainland Portugal, where you may find the cable cars, ski and snowboard slopes, and where it is more likely to find snow in the winter. The hotel provides an abundance of entertainment: in addition to the heated indoor pool with hydro-massage (and the outside one meant for the summer months), there is a spa, sauna, a Turkish bath and a children’s space with two rooms filled with toys that can be used freely by guests. Despite its solemn appearance, the restaurant – inspired by the gastronomy of Beiras, where there is no shortage of Serra cheese especially in the dessert buffet – is also prepared for families and has a relatively extensive children’s menu.
The hotel has already won a mention in the 25 best family hotels in Portugal at TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Awards. For large families you may find connecting rooms that accommodate up to eight people. And even dogs are welcome, given the hotel is dog friendly.
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