Peppermintpatti's Portugal trip report--LONG!
Jun 30th, 2008, 02:25 PM
#21
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Thank you Artlover!
And Brit, Bailey's pottery shop is indeed the one I visited, (I got the idea from reading her report!) It is on the right side of the road when travelling from ALcobacha to Batalha. I seem to remember the route being N8. Hope that helps! pp
And Brit, Bailey's pottery shop is indeed the one I visited, (I got the idea from reading her report!) It is on the right side of the road when travelling from ALcobacha to Batalha. I seem to remember the route being N8. Hope that helps! pp
Jun 30th, 2008, 02:37 PM
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okay, continuing on!
After visiting these places, we drove to the Bussaco Palace,which is a little bit north of Coimbra, and spent the night there. Now this was another place I was a little nervous about, because it also gets some rough reviews on tripadvisor. But I decided to take a chance, hoping that it would turn out to be as magical as some people said it was.
It seems like people either love this place or hate it. And, although I will say that the upholstery, and carpeting could use replacing, the room was still very nice. Quite large, with very high ceilings. Large bathroom, and very clean. The hotel public spaces and garden are just enchanting. We had dinner on the terrace in the dining room here, and I think for ambience, this is my favorite restaurant I have ever been to. It was at one time a monastery that was converted to a hunting lodge. There are gardens and forests that were planted by monks. The terrace was Manueline, and had a beautiful view of the gardens that is so wonderful, it almost didn't seem real. At dusk a mist came over the tops of the trees, it really was something I will remember from this trip.
When we got up in the morning it was foggy out, and we walked the gardens a bit. It really was very beautiful. We all agreed that we would have liked another day here, or at least to have arrived earlier in the day to have been able to walk some of the trails. It looked on the hotel's map that there were stations of the cross, and chapels on many of the trails.
We had breakfast in the dining room, though not on the terrace, as it was a bit chilly. The dining room itself has wonderful ambience also. We all agreed the service at this hotel was top notch.
After visiting these places, we drove to the Bussaco Palace,which is a little bit north of Coimbra, and spent the night there. Now this was another place I was a little nervous about, because it also gets some rough reviews on tripadvisor. But I decided to take a chance, hoping that it would turn out to be as magical as some people said it was.
It seems like people either love this place or hate it. And, although I will say that the upholstery, and carpeting could use replacing, the room was still very nice. Quite large, with very high ceilings. Large bathroom, and very clean. The hotel public spaces and garden are just enchanting. We had dinner on the terrace in the dining room here, and I think for ambience, this is my favorite restaurant I have ever been to. It was at one time a monastery that was converted to a hunting lodge. There are gardens and forests that were planted by monks. The terrace was Manueline, and had a beautiful view of the gardens that is so wonderful, it almost didn't seem real. At dusk a mist came over the tops of the trees, it really was something I will remember from this trip.
When we got up in the morning it was foggy out, and we walked the gardens a bit. It really was very beautiful. We all agreed that we would have liked another day here, or at least to have arrived earlier in the day to have been able to walk some of the trails. It looked on the hotel's map that there were stations of the cross, and chapels on many of the trails.
We had breakfast in the dining room, though not on the terrace, as it was a bit chilly. The dining room itself has wonderful ambience also. We all agreed the service at this hotel was top notch.
Jun 30th, 2008, 02:59 PM
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Thank you Nikki! I am going to try my hardest to figure out the picture posting!
Also, I forgot to mention that the restaurant at Bussaco was the most expensive of our trip. The fixed menu price was either 35 euro or 40, depending on if you wanted both a meat and fish course.
Also, I forgot to mention that the restaurant at Bussaco was the most expensive of our trip. The fixed menu price was either 35 euro or 40, depending on if you wanted both a meat and fish course.
Jul 1st, 2008, 05:08 AM
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Great report!! my wife and I love the beautiful fuscia flowers all over the place. We are heading to Portugal in a few weeks, but will be spending the majority of our time in the Algarve....can't wait!
Jul 2nd, 2008, 09:40 AM
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peppermint:
what photo server are you using? I use Picasa (Google) and it's quite easy to post in web albums. Seems like most of the services are straightforward. BUT, whenever I have a problem I have my youngest grandson (13) solve it for me. Wanna borrow him??
stu
what photo server are you using? I use Picasa (Google) and it's quite easy to post in web albums. Seems like most of the services are straightforward. BUT, whenever I have a problem I have my youngest grandson (13) solve it for me. Wanna borrow him??
stu
Jul 2nd, 2008, 01:30 PM
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Thank you CSandoval!
And Stu, believe it or not after much trial and tribulation I posted some of my pictures in an album on shutterfly.com! But I don't know how to post the link without messing up the columns on the forum. Does anyone know how to use the tinyurl to make it smaller? Thanks! pp
And Stu, believe it or not after much trial and tribulation I posted some of my pictures in an album on shutterfly.com! But I don't know how to post the link without messing up the columns on the forum. Does anyone know how to use the tinyurl to make it smaller? Thanks! pp
Jul 2nd, 2008, 01:32 PM
#28
The owner of the pottery shop kept saying tht he loved America, and especially New York City which he had visited. He pointed out the photo of the Twin Towers on his wall. I also treasure the pieces of pottery I bought there.
Jul 2nd, 2008, 02:22 PM
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I've raced through your report (will read the whole thing later) after finding that you went to the Bucaco forest. So glad you decided to take the chance and stay at the Palace hotel there. I've stayed in hundred of hotels and it's my very favorite. the staircase with the azuelos tiles of Columbus is fantastic and I, too, think that the restaurant on the stone "deck" with the manueline arches is about the prettiest place for a meal ever invented. It's magical and your description of your time there brought it all back to me. Thanks.
Jul 2nd, 2008, 02:35 PM
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Thank you Julie! I was surprised to learn that many Portuguese people have never heard of it. And to anyone planning to go there, make your restaurant reservation as soon as you check in, and ask for a table on the terrace. pp
Jul 2nd, 2008, 02:59 PM
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Here's the last installment!
Our next stop was the city of Porto, which surprised us. We had heard that Porto takes some getting used to, but we liked it right away.
We stayed in an aprtment right on the Ribeira. The location could not be beat. It is just steps to the pedestrian bridge, and has very large windows overlooking the river. I almost cancelled the Porto stop on our vacation, because I couldn't find a room that could accommodate us all, close to the Ribeira. The Pestana Porto did not have a room large enough, and was a little pricey, so the 95 euro per nite we spent at this place was a steal in our opinion. The website is chooseportugal.com #7413.
We spent the day lunching over on the Vila de Gaia side, and touring the Sandeman Port wine cave. I wanted to go up to a higher place, but this was a Sunday, and Sandeman was the only one that I knew was open. We really enjoyed the tour. It was 3 euro with 2 tastings, and free for the girls. We had dinner on the Ribeira, which was good, and reasonable. There are 3 or 4 restautants in a row, and I can't remember at which two we had dinner.
The next day we went on a River Douro Tour, with the Barcadouro line. It was 53.50 per person, and included Port on arrival, and lunch with beverages including unlimited wine. It began with a 2 1/2 hour train ride, and then a 6 hour river cruise.
We all agreed that this was the one thing that we would have changed about our trip. The train ride in not very scenic, and the river cruise is just too long. By the time we boarded the boat, all of the top level seats were taken, and by the time we could get a seat up top after lunch, the boat had already been through most of the vineyards. If we had it to do over again, we all said that we would have added a day to our trip, and drove through the Douro valley, staying overnite at a Quinta, and then using the other day in Porto to tour more of the city.
That evening was the Feast of St. Joao, which was one incredibly good time! People crowd onto the Ribeira, where there are stands set up for drinks etc. Sardines are again the traditional dish, this time with potatoes, and green pepper. All the restaurants have a special menu for the night that includes this.
There are stands all over selling plastic hammers that squeak. And the thing to do is hit everyone over the head you pass on the street. The whole Ribeira is full of the sound of these hammers squeaking. There was a huge stage set up for entertainment, and many speakers on the Porto side, and the Villa da Gaia side playing music until 5:30 am. My family LOVED this, but it got so crowded, I was worried for the girls, so we went up to our room about 11pm, and watched from the windows. At midnite there were fireworks set off from barges in the river, also on the bridge, that were better then any fireworks I have ever seen in my life. And we got to enjoy them right from our apartment. We couldn't have had a better view anywhere else.
For our last day, we headed toward Lisbon, as our flight home departed from there. We stayed at the Solplay aparthotel.It's located in a suburb of Lisbon, called Linda-a Velha. The apartment was very nicely decorated, with beautiful views over the sea at the mouth of the river, and over Belem. There was a beautful pool area, and we had a huge wrap-around terrace. The dnner was wonderful, and the breakfast buffet won our award for best of the trip. We had 2 bedrooms and 2 baths, a kitchenette, and a sitting area. 230.00 euro, including breakfast.
We really liked Portugal. When we were planning this trip, over and over again people asked us why we chose Portugal, and we said because it was on our "bucket list", and that due to the exchange rate, we were looking for somewhere less expensive. I think many people don't think of Potugal as being on the top of the list of places they want to see, and I think that's part of why we liked it so much--it wasn't overrun with visitors. In 2 weeks we didn't see everything we wanted, but feel we got a good taste of the country. I'd certainly recommend it as a vacation spot.
If you are still reading--thank you! Peppermintpatti
Our next stop was the city of Porto, which surprised us. We had heard that Porto takes some getting used to, but we liked it right away.
We stayed in an aprtment right on the Ribeira. The location could not be beat. It is just steps to the pedestrian bridge, and has very large windows overlooking the river. I almost cancelled the Porto stop on our vacation, because I couldn't find a room that could accommodate us all, close to the Ribeira. The Pestana Porto did not have a room large enough, and was a little pricey, so the 95 euro per nite we spent at this place was a steal in our opinion. The website is chooseportugal.com #7413.
We spent the day lunching over on the Vila de Gaia side, and touring the Sandeman Port wine cave. I wanted to go up to a higher place, but this was a Sunday, and Sandeman was the only one that I knew was open. We really enjoyed the tour. It was 3 euro with 2 tastings, and free for the girls. We had dinner on the Ribeira, which was good, and reasonable. There are 3 or 4 restautants in a row, and I can't remember at which two we had dinner.
The next day we went on a River Douro Tour, with the Barcadouro line. It was 53.50 per person, and included Port on arrival, and lunch with beverages including unlimited wine. It began with a 2 1/2 hour train ride, and then a 6 hour river cruise.
We all agreed that this was the one thing that we would have changed about our trip. The train ride in not very scenic, and the river cruise is just too long. By the time we boarded the boat, all of the top level seats were taken, and by the time we could get a seat up top after lunch, the boat had already been through most of the vineyards. If we had it to do over again, we all said that we would have added a day to our trip, and drove through the Douro valley, staying overnite at a Quinta, and then using the other day in Porto to tour more of the city.
That evening was the Feast of St. Joao, which was one incredibly good time! People crowd onto the Ribeira, where there are stands set up for drinks etc. Sardines are again the traditional dish, this time with potatoes, and green pepper. All the restaurants have a special menu for the night that includes this.
There are stands all over selling plastic hammers that squeak. And the thing to do is hit everyone over the head you pass on the street. The whole Ribeira is full of the sound of these hammers squeaking. There was a huge stage set up for entertainment, and many speakers on the Porto side, and the Villa da Gaia side playing music until 5:30 am. My family LOVED this, but it got so crowded, I was worried for the girls, so we went up to our room about 11pm, and watched from the windows. At midnite there were fireworks set off from barges in the river, also on the bridge, that were better then any fireworks I have ever seen in my life. And we got to enjoy them right from our apartment. We couldn't have had a better view anywhere else.
For our last day, we headed toward Lisbon, as our flight home departed from there. We stayed at the Solplay aparthotel.It's located in a suburb of Lisbon, called Linda-a Velha. The apartment was very nicely decorated, with beautiful views over the sea at the mouth of the river, and over Belem. There was a beautful pool area, and we had a huge wrap-around terrace. The dnner was wonderful, and the breakfast buffet won our award for best of the trip. We had 2 bedrooms and 2 baths, a kitchenette, and a sitting area. 230.00 euro, including breakfast.
We really liked Portugal. When we were planning this trip, over and over again people asked us why we chose Portugal, and we said because it was on our "bucket list", and that due to the exchange rate, we were looking for somewhere less expensive. I think many people don't think of Potugal as being on the top of the list of places they want to see, and I think that's part of why we liked it so much--it wasn't overrun with visitors. In 2 weeks we didn't see everything we wanted, but feel we got a good taste of the country. I'd certainly recommend it as a vacation spot.
If you are still reading--thank you! Peppermintpatti
Oct 23rd, 2008, 11:25 AM
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Patti and Bailey, thanks for the information about the Coehlo pottery. We had a wonderful time talking to the owner, who said that just 4 years ago he had taken English classes. I could have spent the day looking at all the pottery. It was hard to decide what I liked best. I would like to go back to Portugal some day. There are so many interesting things to see and places to visit. We stayed at the Hotel Britania in Lisbon, which is a little gem.
Oct 27th, 2008, 08:42 AM
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Brit, You're welcome! I was just having my coffee in one of the beautiful mugs I bought there, and was wishing I had brought a larger spare suitcase on that trip! Glad you had a great time on your trip! pp
Mar 19th, 2009, 08:46 AM
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Hi, Peppermintpatti, excelent report! I'm actually from Portugal, loved your report but I must confess you have to come back because you missed some great places. Like "Quinta de Monserrate" in Sintra wich is (at least for me and most people I know) the most beautifull place ever, there's waterfalls, secret passages underground and great nineteen century architecture, it's unique in the world. There's also Viana do Castelo, some people consider it the best city in Portugal and I also advise for those who plan to rent a car, to go see the "forgotten villages of xisto (slate)". Once you visit them try the local restaurants, the cheese, ham, confitures, bread and wine are to die for. Near Lisbon there's also a place called Arrábida, and it's heaven on earth, specially a small village just over the blue sea, the water is the cleanest (there's dolphins, and you can actually see them), the village name is "Portinho da Arrábida".
