Sorry for re-posting, but I realized after I posted that I hadn't put Portugal in the title!
We are planning a short trip (7 days) to Portugal in November. I am searching for a comfortable hotel from which we can see Alcobaca, Batalha, Fatima, and Tomar. We plan to stay 2 nights in the area. The pousadas in that area don't seem particularly atmospheric, but maybe the website pictures don't do them justice. We would like to spend under $150US/night unless the hotel is something really special. I usually prefer something in a town, but we will have a car, so that isn't essential. I found the Quinta da Alcaidaria-Mor in the Ourem area that looks pretty nice. Does anyone have any comments on that one or anything else in the area?

ttt

We used Obidos as a base for seeing those sites. We saw Alcobaca and Batalha one day and Tomar and Fatima the next. We stayed at the Pousada in Obidos b/c we wanted to stay in a castle. It is the only pousada we stayed in that I would not recommend. We found it very overpriced for the experience.

Estalagem do Covento in Obidos is where we stayed in this region. The Pousada is expensive and hard to book.

Thanks, guys!
What do you think of staying at Palace Hotel du Bucaco to visit this region? We were thinking of leaving Obidos (we have reservations at the Estalagem do Convento), visiting Alcobaca and Batalha, then going to Bucaco for the night. The next day, we thought we might see Coimbra and Conimbriga and stay in Bucaco again. On day 3, we could see Fatima and Tomar and either stay in Ourem (at the Quinta da Alcaidaria–Mór - listed in the Karen Brown guide) or somewhere else along the way to Lisbon.
Is this too much driving out of our way?
Thanks for your help!

We traveled for 10 days in January of 2004. We arrived in Lisbon, then with a rental car drove to Porto, stayed for 2 days, drove south to Coimbra, stopping in Guimaraes and Vila Real, arrived in Coimbra at night. We had reservation at Quinta das Lagrimas, we arrived really late, but had no problem in checking in. The rooms were fabulous, the staff wonderful and the breakfast was served in a beautiful, warm room. There was library with internet access, instead of two nights, we ended up staying for three nights. We visited Palace of Bucaco, and were glad we did not stay there, as it is so far from everywhere, where as Quinta das Lagrimas, was walking distance from Coimbra center, but far removed from the city. One of the highlights of the trip was the visit to Conimbriga, an old Roman town, about 20 minutes from Coimbra, and absolutely one of the best Roman sites I have visited, and in January, it was really tranquil, and warm. Then, we drove to Batalha, then to Alcobaca, where Pedro and Ines from the romantic tragedy of the Quinta are buried and is also a UNESCO World Heritage. We stopped at Nazare, a beach town, where the lisboetas go for the weekend, and had the most amazing seafood casserole "Cataplana" at the restaurant "O Borgas", then drove to Lisbon. Stayed for 3 days in Lisbon, did not have time to go to Estoril, but that would be for another time, as there are too much to see in Portugal, but the good road conditions and small size of the country make it easier to see as much as one can.

We almost did not pay museum fee, as my husband and I had student ID's (we have two sons in college, but still take course at community colleges)and also I am elementary school teacher. The churches do not charge entrance fee until 2:00 pm on Sundays.

Although Quinta das Lagrimas was over $200.00 a night, we stayed for about $70-$90 per night in Porto and in Lisbon (Res. Florescente), then splurged, which was worth it. November will be off season, so the prices will drop, and will be less crowded, although in January was not at all cold. While in Lisbon, do not miss the museum Gulbenkian and its very nice cafe. If you need any more details, I keep a diary, so I can refer back to it, let me know.

Kikikim -
Thanks so much for your reply! I've been traveling for the last week or so and haven't been able to check the board.
Did you enjoy Nazare, even though January wasn't really beach season? We were trying to decide if we should stop there in Nov.

I'm portuguese, I live in Lisbon, maybe I can help you with some of your questions. Óbidos is really very nice, and very small, but it's a good place to use as a base to explore the towns around, and it's only 1 hour driving from Lisbon (by highway).
Wish you love Portugal!

Thanks, Dpinheiro, for your kind offer. We are planning to stay a couple of days in Lisbon at the Hotel Tivoli Jardim. It looks like a good location with resturants nearby and access to the subways for visits to Belem and Sintra. Do you think this is a good spot?
Thanks so much!

We also used Obidos as our base in this area. We enjoyed the Estalagem do Coventos as Bob suggested. Check out my web page on our trip to portugal. maybe it can help you...

http://www.travel.stv77.com/portugal/pt.htm

Thanks, sssteve. I did read your fine report when I was in the early planning stages and found it very helpful!
We leave at the end of next week and are really getting excited about it!