My husband and I will be visiting Portugal and are interested in staying in a Pousada. Have any of you ever done this? Can anyone give us their opinion about them. Thanks!

We obtained a list from the Portuguese tourist information office in London. I am sure that the US equivalent are able to do the same. You could also try www.pousadas.pt

Sarah, <BR>Did you stay in one? What did you think? We already know about the website. Thanks!

Yes, by all means stay in one, or many. They are the BEST, usually an old castle, or historic place, good food, and everyone speaks english. They are very uniform and predictable, clean, and run by the government. We have stayed in many, (in Sintra, Obidos, Sagres, and others I can't remember), and never had a bad experience. Also, they will book ahead for you so you can rest assured you have a nice place to stay for the next night. THey have same stuff in Spain, called Paradors, also very goodx.

We've stayed at several, and in danger of over-generalizing can say the following: <BR> <BR>They're inevitably well-located, and take advantage of their settings and surroundings, which is certainly easy if you're a former castle or manor house; <BR> <BR>They are inevitably spotless and tastefully furnished, in whatever the period of the property; the historic Pousadas are landmarks inside and out. <BR> <BR>They tend to be rather formal, ranging from slightly to oppresively so. We thought this was a legacy from the old political days of Portugal, where we suspect the Pousadas, as government-owned properties, were intended to send a message of exclusivity and quality to foreign visitors, and to show the dictatorial regime in its best light, similar to the luxurious accommodations built in some former east bloc countries as "showplaces" for the alleged success of the system. The formality seems to be a better fit at the most deluxe and historic Pousadas, rather out of place in some of the more recent (1930s-1950s) buildings. We found the same to be the case with the few Paradors we've visited in Spain, but that's a much bigger system and generalizing is really dangerous. But they're the sort of place where I felt a little self conscious turning up for dinner without a tie, (which I did; maybe I'm oversensitive) which is fine but not exactly mainstream in tourism today. We found ourselves whispering a lot. <BR> <BR>The food in the Pousada restaurants is probably the best in town. Also the priciest. The breakfast buffets are to die for. <BR> <BR>There are a lot of choices of historic or landmark accommodation in Portugal; the Pousadas are great, but there are other resources, like the Manor House system - http://www.manorhouses.com/, which also have agro-tourism and similar listings. Check it out.

We went to Portugal last September and stayed in a few pousadas. They were wonderful. I highly recommend the one in Obidos. There we stayed in a suite, and as the pousada is a castle, our suite was composed of one of the castle's towers! It was amazingly dramatic and wonderful. <BR> <BR>We also stayed in a pousada in Crato--a former monastery. It was very out of the way (near the Spanish border) and a long drive, but the scenery was different from anything else we had seen and the pousada was recently renovated and spectacular. <BR> <BR>All of our accommodations in Portugal were unusual, pousada or no pousada. We stayed on a vineyard near Lamego one night, in the palace in Bucaco, and in a former estate just outside of Sintra. In addition to pousadas, I'd recommend checking out Karen Brown's guide for other suggestions. It was an invaluable resource during our planning stage.

Christy: <BR> <BR>Pousadas are great! Where in Portugal are you planning on staying? <BR>Pousadas are similar to Paradors in Spain. They are everywhere that you may want to go. <BR>I can be more helpful to you if you let me know where you might be staying. I could the tell you the details about our stays there. <BR>Additionally, pull up Pousadas on this site and you will get some additional information, experiences, perspectives and opinions. <BR> <BR>Happy Travels <BR>Oaktown

Dear Oaktown Traveler, <BR> <BR>I definitly need your help! We will be flying into Lisbon and staying SOMEWHERE in Portugal for 6 nights. At first, I thought we would stay in Lisbon for two or three nights but now am reconsidering. I have made reservations at two pousadas...one in Setabul and the other in Palmela. From there I have no clue as to where to go. We will obviously have a car and would love to see some other neat towns. Do you have any recommendations? Is POrtugal the kind of place where we can just show up and find hotels with vacancies? Or do you recommend we book one for each night before the trip. Unfortunately, I am having a hard time finding tour books that talk about cities other than Lisbon, so any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! <BR>Christy

Christy: <BR> <BR>My husband and I came into Portugal from Caceres, Spain. Caceres is lovely. I mention this because Caceres is close enough to Portugal for you to consider a peek. We stayed at the incredible and very large Parado De Caceres which is in the center of town. It was a 15th or 16th century palace. <BR>Dinner at El Figon takes my breath away to think about ... <BR> <BR>We spent a lot of time at The Caceres Museum where El Greco's painting of Jesus can be viewed. <BR> <BR>The drive to Portugal was BEAUTIFUL. We went into Marvao, Portugal and stayed at the Pousada de Santa Maria. <BR> <BR>This Pousada was created in 1967 in a small medieval village situated in the heart of the Alentejo. The panaroma view is amazing. <BR>Marvao has lots of interesting history, a good municipal museum, castles, churches, synagogues and much more. <BR> <BR>From Marvao, Portugal we went into Campo Maior for the bi-yearly Festas Do Provo. This is a beautiful festival of thousands of paper flowers. In a day you might see all of the displays which span from street to street. <BR> <BR>From there we drove to Lisboa (Lisbon) and did a million things. Our highlights were World Expo, a good Fado Show and eating and drinking everywhere. <BR> <BR>We stayed at The Hotel Excelsior. I told another person the incorrect hotel. This was a great place, in the "center" of Lisbon. I have another husband and wife story about this place to tell you if you want a laugh later. <BR> <BR>We then moved on to Sintra which is a DO NOT MISS. Sintra is beautiful. <BR> <BR>I'll hurry on..we drove next to Fatima, Portugal which is also a do not miss. <BR> <BR>Next was Evora, Spain where we stayed at Pousada dos Lois. This place was magnificient!! It is a Palace, once a convent. Dinner next door was a feast that I can tell you about later too. <BR>Our Pousada sat at the foot of The Temple of Diana. <BR>Evora has a lively centere and a interesting museum,City Walls and it is a great stop and stay while you are in Portugal. <BR> <BR>From there we went into Bora, Portugal to hit the wineries. We made it to many wineries while in Portugal. <BR> <BR>The Porto, Portugal is another trip another time. <BR> <BR>I hope this helps. What time of year are you going? And, what are you going to wear!!! <BR> <BR>My Very Best <BR>Happy Travels <BR>Oaktown Traveler <BR> <BR> <BR>

We are going in August. I have no clue what I will wear. any suggestions? I read somewhere that exposed arms are not appropriate for women. Are dresses Ok? What about Madeira Island? Can you take your car onto this island? So far the "must sees" that I have are Sintra, Fatima, Obados. Any more that you can think of? What about Arroilos...supposed to be world famous for its rugs. Where might I find a nice tile factory? And lastly, what map did you find most useful when driving around Portugal? Thanks!

Christy: <BR> <BR>I agree with the previous poster about Sintra. It's a must see for sure. If you are a Triple A member you can get a great map of portugal & spain free. I also recommend you read Fodor's recommendations on what to do & see, I also relied heavily on Rick Steve's book. <BR> <BR>No matter what time of year you visit, be sure to bring a sweater or light jacket; it was chilly at night and we visited only two weeks ago. <BR> <BR>I'm sure you will have a GREAT time! <BR>Marlena

You have to be careful, you might get robbed while sleeping, or slashed, or cut, or your belongings might get stolen out of your car or room...

Robert, do you speak from experience? I found Portugal to be incredibly safe. I was way more concerned for my security in Paris. <BR> <BR>Marlena

I would strongly reccommend you to check out Pousada do Castelo in Obidos, a small beautiful town from where you can easily get some of the most interesting places in the whole Portugal ( Tomar, Nazare, Batalha, Alcobaca, Fatima and the caves around, Mafra, Leiria, etc ). I know both Pousadas ( Castelo de Sao Filipe in Setubal and Castelo de Palmela in Palmela ) and are great. I would remark the sensational views you get from either and that are installed inside castles. A scenic road depart from Setubal and goes through Serra da Arrabida offering beautiful views over Troia and the sea. Hotel Vila Gale in Estoril is also a nice place to stay, just by the sea.