There are hotels that are, in themselves, a piece of Portugal’s history. The Casa da Calcada is one of them: a 16th-century building, in the heart of Amarante, over the Tamega river, today a luxury boutique hotel, a member of Relais & Chateaux. To marry here is to marry in a house with centuries of life.
Inside, it holds golden baroque interiors and a romantic atmosphere; outside, gardens, pools, a spa, and the town of Amarante drawing itself around, with the Sao Goncalo church and bridge five minutes’ walk away. The table is a serious argument: the restaurant has a Michelin Star, and the house produces its own Vinho Verde.
For couples who want a wedding of charm, between Porto and the Douro — both less than an hour away — in a riverside town full of history, this is a perfect spot. If you ask us, it is elegance with roots.
The Casa da Calcada has around 30 to 35 rooms and suites, many with views of the Tamega river, in a baroque ensemble with a spa, sauna, an indoor pool, and a seasonal outdoor pool. As a Relais & Chateaux hotel, the group sleeps in the house itself, and a buyout can be requested for exclusivity. Mary Me coordinates the allocation according to the group’s profile — couple, family, VIPs — with overflow at neighbouring Amarante hotels when the list is larger, and the airport transfers handled.
The building of the Casa da Calcada dates back to the 16th century, when it was raised as one of the palaces of the Earl of Redondo. During the French invasions, the allies — English and Portuguese — settled there, and the property was at one point partly destroyed by fire. In the early 20th century, it became a meeting point for politicians and intellectuals, linked to the figure of Antonio do Lago Cerqueira, born there in 1880.
Rebuilt and reopened as a hotel in 2001, it keeps the original baroque style and the neoclassical elements, in an ensemble classified by the Portuguese Government as of relevant architectural, historical, and cultural interest. Since 2004 it is a member of Relais & Chateaux, and its restaurant has become one of the country’s gastronomic cathedrals, with a Michelin Star.
If you ask us, what sets the Casa da Calcada apart is the density: the history of the Earl of Redondo, the baroque heritage, the starred gastronomy, and the own Vinho Verde, all in a single house, in the centre of Amarante.
We are in the heart of Amarante, a riverside town in the Porto district, over the Tamega river, with the iconic Sao Goncalo church and bridge five minutes’ walk away. It is a land of medieval architecture, conventual pastries, and green landscape — one of the most romantic towns in the north.
The great advantage is the position: between Porto and the Douro Valley, both less than an hour away. Francisco Sa Carneiro Airport is about forty-five minutes via the A4 — which makes the Casa da Calcada convenient for an international group that wants the charm of a historic town without straying from the arrival points.
Around it is Amarante, the Douro, Porto, and an 18-hole golf course for a day-after. The Casa da Calcada is a romantic, well-positioned base for a destination wedding in the north.
The Casa da Calcada’s great advantage is the historic charm allied to a starred gastronomy. Civil and symbolic ceremonies take place in the gardens over the Tamega or in the house’s baroque salons; and Catholic ceremonies have the Sao Goncalo church five minutes away. The cocktail flows in the gardens and by the pool, with the town around.
Dinner is served in the house’s salons, with the hotel’s kitchen — a Michelin Star — preparing the menus, paired with the house’s own Vinhos Verdes and the region’s wines. It is a venue of boutique scale, ideal for weddings of charm more than of great crowds, where every detail is cared for.
As a Relais & Chateaux hotel, the group sleeps in the house itself, with a spa and pools, and the wedding stretches into a weekend between Porto and the Douro. We know the north deeply. The couple’s session winds across the baroque interiors and the gardens over the Tamega. Pop the question. We handle the rest.
The value we add is to represent you, independently, and to orchestrate everything that links the house to Amarante, Porto, and the Douro around it. We handle the transfers from the airport (forty-five minutes away), the management of the room blocks in the house’s rooms, with overflow at neighbouring Amarante hotels when the list is larger, and the arrival sequencing. The north is our home, so the programme for guests — a tasting at the region’s best quintas, the Douro, the golf, Porto — comes to us naturally. And there is the practical side: the Sao Goncalo church serves the Catholic ceremony five minutes away, and we handle the council permit for fireworks, the sound curfew, the civil-ceremony paperwork in Portuguese, and the Amarante and Douro programme for guests who stay on. From the first call to the last dance.
The Casa da Calcada is a boutique Relais & Chateaux hotel, of intimate scale, with salons and gardens for weddings of charm. It is ideal for considered celebrations more than for great crowds. Exact capacity to confirm with the venue.
In the heart of Amarante, over the Tamega river, five minutes’ walk from the Sao Goncalo church and bridge, between Porto and the Douro Valley. Francisco Sa Carneiro Airport is about forty-five minutes away via the A4.
The Casa da Calcada is a working hotel, so exclusivity is arranged case by case: the norm is to book the event salons with a room block, and a buyout can be requested. Mary Me handles locking down the exclusivity and the room allocation.
It is one of the Casa da Calcada’s great arguments. The restaurant has a Michelin Star and is considered one of the country’s gastronomic cathedrals. The house also produces its own Vinho Verde, and the region offers the finest Douro wines.
Spring, summer, and early autumn are the most sought-after seasons, with the gardens over the Tamega at their peak. As a hotel with interior salons, a spa, and pools, it works comfortably all year. For premium dates, we recommend 12-18 months ahead.
Yes, around 30 to 35 rooms and suites, many with river views, with a spa and pools. As a complete hotel, the group sleeps in the house itself. Mary Me coordinates the allocation and overflow at neighbouring Amarante hotels.
It is a Relais & Chateaux hotel in a 16th-century building — the former palace of the Earl of Redondo — in the heart of Amarante, over the Tamega, with golden baroque interiors, a Michelin-Star restaurant, and its own Vinho Verde. History, gastronomy, and riverside charm in a single house.
Civil and symbolic ceremonies in the gardens over the Tamega or in the house’s salons, and Catholic ceremonies at the Sao Goncalo church, five minutes away. Mary Me coordinates all the variants, with transfers handled.
