Palacete de Valdemouro – Aveiro Five-Star Hotel with a Literary Past

At the northern end of the Silver Coast, the small seaside city of Aveiro is a charming place to visit, but until recently, it lacked a five-star hotel in the historic center. That changed in 2024 with the opening of MS Collection Aveiro – Palacete de Valdemouro.

Don’t let the clunky name dissuade you. While it’s the five-star flagship of the Porto-based MS Group, it’s also an intimate palacete that’s steeped in history and decorated in a tastefully lavish way that pays homage to its literary past.

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The property, a member of Small Luxury Hotels, occupies an 18^th-century palacete that was once the home of the family of novelist and diplomat Eça de Queroz, one of those literary figures that generations of Portuguese have studied in school. The small library is filled with historic editions of his books and original pieces of his diplomatic correspondence, and the courtyard outside is decorated with a likeness of his distinctive face made by noted contemporary artist Alexandre Farto, aka Vhils.

Ten of the 39 rooms are named for and inspired by characters from his most-loved novels, including Carlos da Maia, Maria Eduarda, Padre Amaro, Artur Corvelo, Gonçalo Ramires, and Jacinto Tormes. It’s worth noting that these premium rooms have other, contemporary niceties like king-size beds and large TVs hidden in gilded-framed mirrors.

(Premium room at top: Maria Eduarda; premium room above: Carlos da Maia)

The restaurant, Prosa, was developed with Porto-based Michelin-starred chef Rui Paula, and the Moments spa features a beautiful indoor pool that’s bathed in natural light that’s filtered through the reflecting pool in the courtyard above.