Casa Vela Boutique House

An absolutely beautiful getaway hotel, very close to city center & beaches and perfectly tucked away to relax and unwind after exploring Cascais. Getting around is easy, and the walk to all local restaurants and shops is about 10 minutes. The staff is lovely, the hotel itself is beautiful, and I cannot wait to come back!

We arrived at Cascais the 25 of April after a quite difficult drive from Lisbon where they celebrated the Carnation Revolution 50th anniversary. Almost every street were blocked, but our excellent Shuttle service driver Nono transported us safely to Casa Vela Guest House. We were welcomed by Milene Cruz who took good care of us, and gave us a tour around this charming house and garden. The whole place feels like a private home with a freshly baked cake every day and the cozy three legged cat Mia. There is an honest bar where you can pour a drink if you like, and just write your room number. Lovely garden and a big swimming pool and only 10 minutes walk to the centre of Cascais. We had the smallest room and would have liked a slightly larger bed, but the view was very nice. Next time we will stay longer than two days!

While the property itself is pleasant and has a high rating, I had a poor experience and dreadful stay at Casa Vela Guest House. When I arrived there was nobody at reception for a few minutes. A lady appeared and when she saw me she asked if I was a guest. I told her I would like to check in. There was no friendly smile or welcome to the property. We went through the paperwork and I carried my three bags down a hall and down some stairs to my room. I had booked a superior room with a balcony. There was nothing superior about this room. Firstly, it was down the hall from the reception desk and very close to the housekeeping quarters. All day I could hear people chatting, laughing and slamming doors . The balcony was tiny and I could hear all the staff’s conversations while sitting on one of the chairs outside. The room itself had a nice view but the bathroom was run down and needed updating. There was a shower pan in the shower rather than tiles and it could not contain water. The floor in the bathroom would end up covered with water. At 6:30am I could hear cutlery and dishes clanking in preparation of breakfast. Basically you couldn’t get any peace and quiet from this room. I asked to be moved to a different room and was offered earplugs. What was most disturbing about my stay was that I did not feel welcome here. I would enter and exit the hotel and the reception staff would not even acknowledge my presence or say hello. I felt like an alien. While they were not rude, they were very cold and were a buzzkill. I have never experienced such unwelcoming staff in my life. Under no circumstances would I return to Casa Vela Guest House and I can’t wait to leave. Maybe a better room would have improved my experience but the vibe was very unsettling.

On our recent visit we were blown away by the beautiful gardens, amazingly hotel and stunning room. It was a little slice of heaven in an unexpected setting. Shout out to Marco who showed us around and was so knowledgeable about the gardens and enthusiastic in his work, I was so impressed. We will be returning. We also adored the cat!

I enjoyed my stay. Located in a quiet part of town and restaurants are nearby. 10 minutes walking to historic town center. Very spacious room. My only complaint would be a trash can in the room would be nice. And they have a sweet car Mia, please give her a pet if you stay there.