Penha Longa Resort – one of the most famous wedding venues in Portugal.
If you are starting to search for your perfect wedding location in Portugal, especially in the Lisbon area, I’m sure you came across the Penha Longa Resort.
Located in the natural park of Sintra, this huge luxury resort belongs to the Ritz Carlton group of hotels.
There is a main building, with a front-desk, hotel rooms, swimming pool and many other facilities.
There are many golf fields, a building with a restaurant (actually there are several restaurants in the resort area).
And one of the most important details for you, my friend, is the area of the Monastery, where usually all weddings take place.
The Monastery includes:
- A catholic church. The church is very big and beautiful, and could host around 200 people or even more. The priest normally comes from Sintra’s church. Anyway, event managers at the hotel will provide all the necessary information about this;
- If you would rather opt for a symbolic or civil ceremony, you might be interested in the gardens that surround the Monastery building. They are also perfect for a cocktail hour. There are two gardens in one area only (lower and upper gardens).
- For a dinner up to 120 guests you have the Arch Room. It’s a nice area, however there are many columns spread throughout the room, which might difficult visibility. The celling is low, but with the right lighting and decoration your wedding planner/stylist can create an amazing setup.
- There are many halls at the Monastery with the classic blue Portuguese tiles (azulejos), and they look beautiful! There is also a very nice small area with an open top: very useful for the cake cutting or party, but during the night could be quite cold. Also, in the halls, Penha Longa often throws a dessert and cheese buffet during the night.
- Nobre Room – one of the most beautiful rooms at the monastery, in my opinion. For dinner it can fit around 60 people. If you have more guests, this room is great for the party.
- Coroa Room – a very big room, that fits 300 guests for the dinner (or even more) and it may be divided into two separate rooms. Has beautiful stairs! Looks more modern than the other rooms, however it offers a very extensive choice for being creative with the decoration.
- Núncio Garden – a place that dates back to the XVI century, when it was used as a space for contemplation. It is not situated at the monastery, it can be around a 5 minute-walk. It has always an extra rental price for events and weddings, also has special conditions, since this is an UNESCO heritage site.
Now that you know about the resort, let’s talk about services and conditions.
The Penha Longa Resort has its own catering service, that is very nice. The staff is friendly, responsible and polite.
If you are not going to hire a wedding planner, you can always speak to one of the event managers from Penha Longa – they are very kind and will try to help you as much as they can. But please, don’t expect a personalized wedding planning service, as it is not their job.
The resort does many weddings (it can be several in a week), but not so many event managers who have the availability to spend with you that much time and make you feel unique.
If you don't have enough free time to take care about a wedding planning process, control vendors, create a style, timelines, etc, I'm sure you won't survive without an experienced wedding planner.
Regarding the menus, they are very international, well served, but still with a “Portuguese touch”.
This is very nice, not many catering companies in Portugal can offer the same quality that can be compared with the US, UK, France and so on.
Menu prices start from 116 Euros + VAT (2020’s info) per person, which include a cocktail hour, two course dinner, a very tasty wedding cake, two hours of open bar and a cheese and dessert buffet.
All drinks are included, even alcoholic beverages.
The most expensive and rich menu costs 180 Euros + VAT per person and has more dinner courses, obviously.
The menu prices also include dinner tables (round or rectangular), options for tablecloths and chairs. If you are not happy with the furniture options that resort has, you always can rent something at the rental company, like A&C Luxury Rentals.
A very good detail about Portugal: nobody will count how many bottles of wine your guests have. It has no limits.
Besides the menu choice, you will need to pay a rental fee (which starts from 750 Euros + VAT and depends on the number of guests), an extra service fee if you’ll need the staff services more than 7 hours (500 Euros per hour), and more hours of open bar if you want a longer party.
Personally, I enjoy Penha Longa Resort as a wedding venue. The place is beautiful, large and offers many possibilities so you can create your own dream wedding.
Best regards, Anastasiia Halla
Director & wedding planner