Fifteen years had passed since my last trip to Portugal, but one thing I remembered clearly was the stunning Fortaleza do Guincho north of Cascais, a resort town in which I had once considered buying a house. The hotel hadn't been so grand then, and we hadn't stayed there. A little stark and barren, it had been a state owned property with a pretty good restaurant. In between, however, it had been purchased by a Chinese businessman who wanted to make it his private house. The state said, "no, you can buy it but it has to stay a hotel," so he turned into a Relais & Chateaux with a Michelin starred restaurant. The rooms had of course been upgraded, and so on. We had to reserve there.

We were not disappointed. It's pricey in the early summertime, but our terrace room was exceedingly gracious with stunning views of the beach at Cascais, and the whirlpool-equipped bathroom was a nice touch (it was small enough, however, that they had thought better of the bidet and removed it.) The public rooms were extremely pleasant in a casually elegant way, and the restaurant was actually better than I could have hoped -- certainly our best meal in Portugal this trip, and absolutely a bargain for that level of food relative to Paris or London or Veyrier du Lac near Annecy. The staff were very helpful, guiding us the following day toward a restaurant near Cabo do Roca which we recalled with fondness.

I would return here in an instant.

My wife and I travelled to this Hotel after a change of plan exploring the areas between Costa La Luz and Portugal's Silver Coast, - it was a pretty hectic 9 days driving. We had a little difficulty finding the hotel at first, but eventually simply followed the signs for 'Guincho' and there it was. The entrance is like something out of an historic novel - a 'true fort' on the edge of a rocky outcrop complete with Atlantic rollers and massive breakers all around it. The welcome from the staff was excellent and the room although small was well furnished and quite opulent. The ceiling was something to be believed with sandstone vaulted sections. There was also a balcony directly overlooking the surf and the sunset - very romantic! The bathroom was small but adequate and well fitted and complete with a whirlpool bath. Plenty of wardbrobe space and a wall safe (no charge).

We ate in the hotel restaurant for two of the three nights we stayed and the food was quite clearly worthy of the 3 michelin stars. The staff were very attentive and friendly and more than pleased to discuss details of the menu choices and wine, with all of them being very knowledgeable. They made us feel as though we were very important people, but maybe that was because we were there a little out of season. We like to think that was not the reason.

Everything about the place exuded the feeling of good quality and high standards, but without the stuffiness of some hotels.

I at first I thought the prices would average well over £200 per night for the two of us including the three course meals, wine, coffee and drinks but was pleasantly surpised when we checked out.

General area - There are a number of other restaurants in the area and we sampled only one (closer to Cascais) which specialised in steak. - also an excellent choice. I would guess that in season the area would be very busy as would Cascais itself. Its also a guess but there appears to be some interesting local places to visit and Cascais is an excellent jumping off point to explore the Silver Coast with good motorway access North and South, although Lisbon would be best avoided.

As we neared the end of our holiday in Portugal we drove through Cascais and stumbled upon the Fortaleza Do Guincho. We own a small property called The Buccaneer and our son immediately spotted the pirate fort on the water and asked if we could stay. What a great choice on his part!

We thoroughly enjoyed our room. It was nicely done up and we did not experience any of the problems that others mention in their reviews. The staff were great and put in a cot for our son.

The restaurant was a bit too formal for our two families so we drove away from the water and went into a local village restaurant and had a fabulous meal.

In the morning we had a great breakfast in the dining room.

Our boys thoroughly enjoyed the cannons on the outside of the fort. And talked for days about how they had stayed in a real fortress! Great experience.

We're almost lost for words about the hotel and the surroundings. The service was first class - so much attention to detail. And the restaurant lived up to expectations...and more. And oh the crashing Atlantic rollers!! We woke up to them every morning. Wide, open sandy beach. Clean and unspoilt. Can't wait to go back. Its a few ks outside Cascais, but that's no problem. Easy parking there and plenty of good restaurants. A 5* hotel that really lived up to its reputation!!