Serra da Estrela Resort Reviews

Snowsure: 2.4

• Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
• Is often closed due to a lack of snow
• Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
• Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
• Serra da Estrela is snowsure even in the poorest seasons

Variety of pistes: 2.4

• The ski runs are featureless and unvaried
• The ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week
• Serra da Estrela has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain

Off-piste: 2.1

• No off-piste worth mentioning
• Off piste is out-of-bounds
• Some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days
• A vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days

Scenery: 3.4

• An ugly resort in a bland setting
• Average mountain views and resort
• A spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town

Access: 3.1

• At least one overnight stop
• Requires a whole day
• Requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns
• Arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon
• There is a main airport within an hour of Serra da Estrela

Public Transport: 2.1

• There are no buses or taxis to Serra da Estrela
• There are slow or infrequent buses / trains available
• Getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections

Accommodation: 3.2

• No places to stay in/near Serra da Estrela
• A few places to stay in the resort
• A wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets

Cheap Rooms: 3.2

• No budget accommodation available
• Just one or two hostels so book ahead
• Several cheap hostels and pensions available

Luxury Hotels: 3.4

• No luxury accommodation available
• Just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead
• Several up-market hotels in Serra da Estrela

Ski in/Ski out: 2.4

• The ski area is located far from any accommodation
• A free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip
• Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available

Childcare: 2.5

• There are no child care facilities at Serra da Estrela
• The resort has limited child-care facilities
• the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche

Snowmaking: 3.0

• Serra da Estrela relies entirely on natural snow
• There are just a few snow cannons
• There are snowmaking facilities on all pistes

Snow Grooming: 3.1

• There are no snow groomers at Serra da Estrela
• Occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state
• All the runs at Serra da Estrela are groomed daily

Shelter: 2.2

• There is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut
• There are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close
• Serra da Estrela is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close

Nearby options: 2.0

• If snow conditions are poor at Serra da Estrela, it will be poor everywhere nearby
• There are good alternatives within an hours drive
• Other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions

Regional rating: 2.9

• Serra da Estrela usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region
• Has average conditions for the region
• Usually has the best snow conditions in the region

Lift Staff: 3.4

• The staff at Serra da Estrela are rude or unhelpful
• Lift staff at Serra da Estrela are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help

Crowds/Queues: 3.0

• The resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues
• It is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays
• It is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare

Ski Schools: 3.2

• No ski schools available
• One or two ski schools but local language only
• A few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors
• Plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available
• Excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors

Hire and Repairs: 3.0

• Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex
• There are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance
• Good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible

Beginners: 3.7

• Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard
• A few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week
• Vast areas of gentle terrain

Intermediates: 2.9

• No intermediate terrain at Serra da Estrela
• Intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days
• Vast areas of cruising runs

Advanced: 2.0

• Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders
• Enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste
• Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week

Snow Park: 2.5

• Not even a kicker at Serra da Estrela
• Average sized park quite well looked after
• Huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails

Cross-country: 1.9

• There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Serra da Estrela
• There are some cross country trails available
• The area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails

Luge/Toboggan: 2.1

• No designated luge or toboggan runs
• There are toboggan runs that open quite often
• Serra da Estrela has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages

Mountain Dining: 2.9

• Nowhere to buy food by the pistes
• Some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive
• There is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets

Eating: 2.6

• Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop
• There are a few places to eat in the resort but nothing special
• A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants

Apres-Ski: 2.4

• Nothing to do, not even a bar
• There are a few bars in the resort but nothing special
• Clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere

Other Sports: 2.1

• No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts
• Resort has just a small public swimming pool
• Resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool

Entertainment: 2.7

• Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here
• The non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week
• The resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports

Winter Walks: 2.7

• Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails
• A couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails
• Extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities

Ski Pass Value: 2.2

• A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available
• The ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts
• Ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area

Value (National): 2.6

• Overall, Serra da Estrela is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money
• Overall represents average value for money
• Overall offers the best value resort in the country

Value (Global): 2.4

• Overall, Serra da Estrela is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world
• Overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries
• Internationally the resort offers excellent value for money