Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / Portugal / Vila do Conde / The Lince Santa Clara
The Lince Santa Clara
Vila do Conde, Portugal · The Lince · High Luxury
The Lince Santa Clara occupies a monastery founded in 1318 by Dom Afonso Sanches, illegitimate son of King Dinis of Portugal, and his wife Teresa Martins de Meneses, overlooking the mouth of the Ave River in Vila do Conde. After a century as a state institution for minors until 2007, Portugal's REVIVE program handed The Lince Hotels a 50-year concession; architect Carvalho Araújo's roughly 19 million euro restoration opened in March 2024 with 87 rooms and a MICHELIN Two Keys rating.
- 87 rooms
- Opened 2024
- Neighborhood: Centro Histórico
- Rooms from 431 sq ft (40 m²)
- Architect: Carvalho Araújo
About The Lince Santa Clara
- Guest suites are named for Portuguese nobility and writers, including Eça de Queirós and Camilo Castelo Branco.
- Restaurant Oculto is led by chef Vítor Matos inside the restored monastery.
- A wine cellar and interpretive center occupy a subterranean floor uncovered during the restoration.
- The present Neoclassical building is an 18th-century reconstruction of the 1318 foundation.
- Entry-level rooms start at 431 sq ft (40 m²).
History
The Lince Santa Clara occupies the former Monastery of Santa Clara in the historic center of Vila do Conde, Portugal, overlooking the mouth of the Ave River. The monastery was founded in 1318 by Dom Afonso Sanches, illegitimate son of King Dinis, and his wife Teresa Martins de Meneses; the present building, in a sober Neoclassical style, results from an 18th-century reconstruction. After the extinction of religious orders it served for over a century as a state institution for minors, until 2007.
Under Portugal's REVIVE heritage-recovery program, The Lince Hotels group won a 50-year concession in 2018 and undertook a roughly €19 million restoration to designs by architect Carvalho Araújo. The five-star hotel opened in a soft opening on 22 March 2024 and was officially inaugurated that June. It offers 87 rooms and suites named for nobility and writers, and its restaurant Oculto is led by acclaimed chef Vítor Matos.
Restaurants and bars
- Restaurante Mosteiro — Restaurant
- Restaurante Oculto — Restaurant · One MICHELIN Star
Experiences
- Wine Cellar — An exclusive wine cellar that the hotel offers for events, equipped with ambient sound and audiovisual projection.
- Interpretive Centre — An interpretive centre the hotel offers as one of its event spaces.
Amenities
- Spa
- Indoor pool
- Sauna
- Hot tub
- Fitness center
Awards
- MICHELIN Two Keys (2026)
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