I am planning a 2 week trip to Portugal and Spain with my husband and another couple for September 2010. We will fly into Lisbon and stay for two nights and then we have a 5 night Pousada passport. We can choose which pousadas we would like to stay in and this is where I would like opinions.
Since our second week will be spent on the Costa del Sol in Spain, I think we should end on the 5th night somewhere in the Algarve area, and since we only have 5 nights we can realistically only concentrate on the central area of Portugal.
This is what I am tentatively considering:
Night #1 - Leave Lisbon and travel north visiting Obidos and staying at Ourem at the Hotel Conde de Ourem. We can then visit Fatima and Tomar.
Night #2 - head east and stay either in Marvao at the Hotel Santa Maria or in Crato at the Hotel Flor da Rosa
Night #3 - Have a few choices here - either Evora at the Pousada dos Loios, at Estremoz at the Hotel Rainha Santa Isabel, at Arraiolas at the Hotel Nossa Senhora da Assumcao or at Villa Vicosa at the Hotel Dom Joao.
Night #4 - In Sagres at the Pousada Do Infante
Night #5 - in Tavira at the Pousada do Convento da Graca or in Estoi (Faro) at the Pousada Palacio de Estoi.
Does this look like a reasonable itinerary - or should we skip the first night in Ourem and head directly into the central area? Also has anyone stayed at any of these pousadas and which ones would you recommend we not miss? Or are there others that would be better to see?
Your opinions would be greatly appreciated.

I would stay two nites in Obidos at Estalagem do Covento and visit Nazare, Batahla etc from there. Then to Estromoz at the Pousada---seeing Marvao enroute. Not sure after that but would try hard to include The Pousada at Sagres and the one at Palmela on your way back to Lisbon. I have only stayed at 6 Pousadas but loved them all.

We would love to stay in Obidos, but that Pousada is not included as a choice with the Pousada passport.

We stayed at the pousada in Ourem and loved it...it is at the top of a hill overlooking the beautiful scenary and was lovely. Would definitely go back.

We also stayed a night in Evora and loved that too. The pousada is right in the centre of everything and is fantastic. From there we also visited Fatima and Tomar...loved them both!

We loved Portugal! Enjoy!

The Pousada de los Loios in Evora is lovely. We were sorry that we weren't staying longer. The restaurant was excellent too. The pousada in Obidos is also very nice but the town is so tiny and tourist filled that we used it as a base to explore nearby areas.

JT:

I would choose the pousada at Arraiolos..we loved it. Also stayed in Belmonte pousada and Marvao pousada, and the Estalagem mentioned by Bob the Navigator above...he and I seem to agree on lodgings in many countries.

Here are some pics of the pousadas and the Estalgem do Convento. Just scroll down to the Arraiolos pousada #136-155, Marvao at #164-177, Belmonte at #178-198... and the Estalagem do Convento Obidos at # 224 onward. Please rethink omitting Sintra.

stu tower
http://picasaweb.google.com/stuarttower/Portugal2008#

HI, JTraveling,
I've stayed in many of the places you mention. I think many of my opinions are the same as others', but here are a few extra thoughts:

Night #1 -- I agree that Obidos would be a good spot to stay, but if you are committed to pousadas, then I'd go with Ourem. But I think your ideas about visiting Obidos, Tomar, and Fatima in two days (on way to Ourem and then on way to Night #2) might be a bit rushed.

Night #2 -- The pousada in Crato is in a castle and is a nicer building than the one in Marvao, but Marvao is a far nicer choice for a night's stay. There is nothing in the town where the Flor da Rosa pousada is, well, maybe there is one cafe.

Night #3 -- I've stayed in all of these pousadas and agree with Stu that the Arraiolos pousada is exceptional. The decor is modern/minimalist, which may be kind of jarring in an old convent, but I think it works pretty well. Food is very good there, the grounds are lovely, the small tiled church on the grounds is beautiful, and the town of Arraiolos itself is nice for a short visit (and if you're interested in the traditional carpets they sell, you can see people working on them, buy one at a much lower price than elsewhere, etc).

My second favorite for Night 3 is the one in Vila Vicosa, it's right next to the palace, and the town is pleasant. But the other two are very nice as well.

Night #4 -- The pousada in Sagres is very modern but very comfortable, and is in a spectacular location. We had a little terrace in front of our room that went very close to the high cliffs. Great views, and it's in walking distance to some good restaurants.

Night #5 -- I have been to Estoi but the pousada wasn't open yet, but it looked pretty amazing. The one in Tavira is recently opened, is in an old convent, but I found the decoration underwhelming. Another one of those modern minimalist approaches to centuries-old buildings. I think it depends on whether you'd prefer to stay in a coastal town (a very nice one with good restaurants)or visit the roman ruins in Estoi. Both are good options.

Laurie

We had a wonderful vacation to Portugal a few years ago & i bought 2 Pousada passports. It was quite a bargain as it included car rental also. Because I bought 2 I was able to stay 4 nights in Cascais at the beginning of our trip(They have a 2 night limit per passport) After a week in Madeira we got a car & our first Pousada was Arraiolos-I didn't want us to drive too long after a flight. I think it had one of the largest rooms we had in a pousada. We then drove up to Marvao-this place was so peaceful. It was fun walking around the walled city. Next we stayed at Villa Vicosa-lovely visited the Palace next door after we checked out before our drive to Evora. Loved the town-chapel of bones.
It is hard to pick the right Pousada-too many choices.
I would reccomend any of those-enjoy your trip-we also went in Sept-nice weather. Chris