H2otel Congress & Medical Spa

H2otel, a spa hotel in the tiny mountain town of Unhais da Serra is probably my favorite place in Portugal (and I\'m Portuguese). H2otel is a fashionable new hotel built in the place we\'re before stood a old, battered 19 century spa. Although the hotel is quite big, it has that warmth that makes you feel at someone\'s home, a trendy home, that is. And that\'s in the good sense of the expression: you don\'t feel the cold of an "hotel environment", but you also feel the privacy when you need it. All the staff is very nice and warm, let you be when you want your privacy, and the spa is just great. And, once outside, you have the mountains all around to walk and enjoy (you can book outdoor activities at the hotel).

I’m definitely a fan. I’ll return to this hotel, I’m sure. :D
The Aquadome SPA is fantastic; the whole hotel has extremely good taste in its architecture (Alpine-style) and interior decoration. The surrounding mountain area is very beautiful and calm (at daybreak and sunset you can hear goat herds grazing at a distance). My room (standard double) was nice and quite spacious, the (heavy duty :wink: ) bed was the best. The restaurant was also very pleasant, with a good buffet at acceptable prices. All the staff (quite young) was very nice, funny, efficient and helpful, while at the same time not being excessively present (they gave us our own space and privacy). I didn’t try everything, but it seemed to me the planned activities (aerobic, dance lessons, walking and trekking, all-road biking, ...) were adequate.
The location might be a problem only to those that cannot live without city life (shops, restaurants...). H2otel is located just off a very small town and the closest sizable town (Covilhã, 35.000) is some 18km away. I didn’t feel the need of any such things: it\'s perfectly possible to make "hotel life" and not being bored: the hotel has everything you might need, or close to that. And the surrounding mountains provide the rest. :D