Portugal Honeymoon 2013

Old Oct 15th, 2012, 11:01 AM
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Portugal Honeymoon 2013

Hello everyone!!
I am getting married this coming January, however we wont be taking our honeymoon until later in the year. I have so much to ask!! I have been doing as-thorough-as-possible research about where to go, when to go etc.

About the when: We must go after July 1st, so I was considering going during the begining of July or the end of August/begining of September. We dont want it to be excruicatingly hot, but not cool or rainy either. I would also like the country to be more or less colourful and in bloom. When is the better time to go?

About the where: We will be going for a 10 days, we may be able to extend it to 14 days but we wont know until much later in the year, so I want to just plan for 10 days for now.

This is what I have come up with so far, anything from opinions to hotel recommendation are welcome!! We are extremely excited and would love to hear from experienced travellers and folks that have already visited.

-Fly in to Lisbon
-Stay in Lisbon, take day trips to Sintra, Cascais, and Evora
-Take an early train from Lisbon to Coimbra, stay for the day and leave to Porto at night
-Stay in Porto, take a two day river cruise on the River Douro
-Visit Braga
-Leave from Porto back to NY

I am torn between stay longer in Porto or Lisbon, to give a better idea of our tastes we visited Spain two summers ago, specifically Barcelona, Madrid, Granada and Malaga and we enjoyed Barcelona and Granada much more than Madrid and Malaga - that may be telling, if not I can elaborate more later.

Lastly, I was strongly considering visiting Madeira (Funchal) for a few nights, of course I realize that if we only get the 10 days to travel then there is no way to fit it into the itinerary. But if we do go for 14 days, is Madeira really worth the trip?

Does my overall itinerary seem too overwhelming for a 10 day honeymoon?

Thanks a ton to everyone who helps!!!
olgadukh is offline  
Old Oct 16th, 2012, 04:12 AM
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I think that this is a good itinerary - IF you skip Madeira. Limiting your trip to a couple of centres means that you're not trying to do too much and fit too much in. Personally I would limit the time in Porto (I preferred Lisbon) but would really recommend the cruise on the Douro - it's a wonderful day. Actually if you're doing the cruise over one day, do the one that starts with the train journey and then cruises into Porto rather than the other way around.

As for accommodation, we have stayed a number of times in properties owned by www.guesthouselisbon.com . They're really great people to stay with (I'm not on a retainer - honestly!) - we have stayed in both Casa do Bairro and Casa do Patio. Casa Belvedere was due to open in July, a couple of weeks after we left Lisbon last summer, but I'd say the views are fabulous. All properties are in the Santa Caterina area, close to the Bairro Alto for nightlife.

Another place that we liked in Lisbon is the guesthouse The House - www.thehouse.pt - which also has a fabulous terrace with views over the river.

Portugal will be a great place for a honeymoon - lovely people, great scenery and Fantastic food. I hope you have a wonderful time.
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Old Oct 16th, 2012, 12:49 PM
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Thank you ter2000!! I think it will be awesome. I will look into your recommended accomodations, we have not booked anything yet so we are pretty open.

What did you mean take the train journey and cruise into porto? I was planing on going to Porto from Coimbra. Should we take a train from Coimbra to Duoro Valley instead and then cruise into Porto?
I didn't know there was train connection between Coimbra and Duoro Valley.

Also, should we skip Madeira because we are stuffing too much in or because it's nothing too special to visit?

Thanks so much!!
olgadukh is offline  
Old Oct 16th, 2012, 01:25 PM
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If you are not on a tight budget take a look at pousadas.pt. There is a special offering right now, booking by Oct.31 and good I believe for a year..almost all under 100E. These lovely hotels are awesome and in grat locations..We have always kijed staying at them and for a honey moon they could be ideal. Bussaco Palace is another lovely place but I think you need a car.
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Old Oct 16th, 2012, 02:15 PM
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I can't speak about Porto as I have not been there but the rest of the towns in Portugal that you have on your itinerary will be very, very hot at the end of August/beginning of September. It will cool off at night and be more comfortable but the afternoons are killers with the heat.
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Old Oct 16th, 2012, 03:34 PM
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Your plan is doable. From my experience with day trips Sintra needs more than a day if you want see all the castles & palaces (there are 5 of them), Cascais can be done in less than a day (also 403 bus goes from Sintra there so you can combine). Evora is 90 min o/w from Lisbon so you'll need a day. Coimbra is a day. Porto can be seen in couple of days (and it's much livelier towards the end of the week and totally dead on Sundays). Braga & Guimaraes can be done in one day (we did it last year). Douro valley boat trips can be 1 day or more. Day trip is usually involves return by rail. Also car rental for Douro valley is an alternative. Madeira is definitely worth it (went there 2 years in a row and go again).
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Old Oct 17th, 2012, 01:45 AM
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Sorry if I wasn't clear. While we stayed in Porto we did a day cruise on the Douro (with DouroAzul www.douroazul.pt), which consists of a cruise along the river as far as Regua, and then a train journey back, or you can take the train to Regua and then cruise back. I meant that it's more scenic to do the latter and cruise into Porto.

I think a trip to Madeira would add too much travel time to your trip - there's more than enough to see in mainland Portugal. Far better to travel at a more leisurely pace - after all, you are on your honeymoon!
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Old Oct 17th, 2012, 02:08 AM
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Portuguese mainland will be hot and dry anytime during summer.
If you want blossom, waterfalls, colours and mild temperatures, I think you shouldn't rule out Madeira Island.
There is an adjacent Island called Porto Santo (connected to Columbus' history) with long, sandy beaches. Madeira itself has "levadas" (man made walks in the montains) and several bungalow like hotels, ideal imho for honeymoon.
Apart from several daily flights to/from Lisbon, the city of Funchal connects to London.
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Old Oct 17th, 2012, 02:25 AM
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A few ideas, have fun exploring:

http://www.choupanahills.com/en/en_index.html
http://www.cabanasvillage.com/v10/intro2.htm
http://www.madeira-levada-walks.com/
http://www.porto-santo.com/
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Old Oct 19th, 2012, 08:53 AM
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We visited Lisbon for a week this August 26- Sept 1. The weather was perfection: low 80s everyday, with sun.

I can highly recommend the Hotel Avenida Palace in Lisbon. It is elegant without being overly expensive, in a great location right on the avenue, with great customer service, and the best breakfast buffet in a gorgeous chandeliered dining room.
http://www.hotelavenidapalace.pt/hotel-overview.html
Search under my screen name and you will find details I posted.
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Old Nov 8th, 2012, 05:45 AM
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Bookmarking this thread.
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Old Dec 11th, 2012, 11:52 AM
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Sorry for such a late response. Thank you everyone for your replies. I am grateful for so much help and info. It was just what I was looking for.
If I have any more q's I will post!

happy hoildays,
O.
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Old Dec 11th, 2012, 11:56 AM
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I think your plan is good but I don't think Braga is worth the effort to get there. Guimaraes is more fun.

I think your plan to see Coimbra en route to Porto in perfect if you can find a place to put your luggage while you see the library, etc.

You'll know fairly quickly whether Lisbon beguiles you. If it doesn't, book a room last minute in Porto and head up there early. There is plenty of accommodation there.
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