Quinta do Rol - Portugal

Ashley who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Memorable | Beautiful horses and great trainers and grooms
I was lucky enough to ride experienced advanced horses and also some not used in the school much yet due to the stage of their education so great variety.
We were not asked about if we wanted to do anything other than lessons. When we did ask for a hack it was soon accommodated and one of us wanted an inhand lesson which they quickly organised too
We couldn’t use the gym as used as storage and we were told couldn’t use the pool either.

Do you have any comments about the accommodation and food?

Accommodation
Spacious and clean but quite outdated and dark. On arrival there was a bad musty smell which never really went . Towels never changed and 5 days was too long to make one bath and hand towel last. They would change but only at a cost .

Food
I’m not a complainer but this was genuinely worse food ever had on a holiday. Cold, not enough , literally no flavour. Cold cabbage soup 3 days , awful salad, soggy overcooked veg , scrambled egg that was cold and rubbery and only a spoonful. Even the toaster didn’t work properly . Barely any protein. We had to get pizza one night and then ate out for 2 nights. The food was so bad we ended up laughing about it and didn’t let it spoil holiday. Also times don’t work . Breakfast at 8.30 but first lesson 9 and you have a 10 min walk. Room was cold too so we sat in coats sometimes. We complained about the food but the owner was dreadful . Said he’d pay for pizza then changed mind as we had 3 but we got it in the end. He said nobody else complains about food but this was a lie as we later found out everyone complains. The lady in the office was brilliant and sorted everything else for us but unfortunately her boss is dreadful . He was also very intimidating to one lady on her own in her room. [In The Saddle replies: Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. We are following up on your comments about the food, and are pleased you enjoyed the riding and equestrian centre.]

How could we improve the quality of pre-holiday information that we send?

In the saddle - brilliant
Always quick communication, felt very personal service and the little pack we got with everything printed is a great touch
Only thing is I’d check what you put in the brochure is accurate to what they offering .
Said good food but was awful
Says facilities such as pool and exercise room but we couldn’t use them

How could we improve the way we handled your booking and payment?

It was all fine
I would visit again but would stay in a hotel instead if accommodation and food wasn’t improved

Do you have any other feedback for us?

I’d recommend to others as the equestrian side was just brilliant. But I’d tell them to find alternative accommodation