Pousadas
 

We are renting a car and driving from Lisbon to the north. Anyone have any favorite Pousadas they stayed in? Any wineries that are a MUST? Favorite inns/hotels by the vineyards?

Thanks!

ch4books:

On our great 30-day trip to Portugal, we stayed at three Pousadas and a charming Convento. The three pousadas will not help you any traveling north. We were at Pousadas Arraiolo near Evora, Marvao, and the one in Belmonte in the Sierras. My late wife ranked Belmonte and Arraiolo tied for #1 and Marvao at 2.

However, heading directly north from Lisbon, I can highly recommend The Estalagem do Convento in Obidos (Obidoosh). My Portugal pix will show all four. We had a senior special which made for attractive rates at each Pousada...and the Estalagem rates were very fair, located right at the Obidos wall.


Stu (pix below)

We stayed at the Pousada in Obidos and another in Evora. The whole experience at Evora was excellent. The restautant in Obidos was very good, nice Pousada but the town was quite touristy

Happy:

On another thread, I recently "voted" the word "touristy" as the most overused, meaningless word on Fodors. If it's worth seeing, then it attracts tourists. You're one, I'm one, we all are! ...or didn't you notice.

cH4:

https://picasaweb.google.com/stuarttower/Portugal

The above will show all of the mentioned Pousadas and the Estalagem. Stop by Nazare' on your way north and take the funicular to Sitio overlooking Nazare' and the Atlantic.

Hope you have time to see Sintra as shown in the pics.

Enjoy your travels.

We stayed at the same pousada in Evora, it was quite nice.

Tower - I, too, said the same thing about "touristy" on some thread or other. Oh my, was I villified ! "Off the beaten path" is another phrase that is used frequently and which is awfully difficult to find. I think I may suggest that people locate a time machine that will take them back, say, 55 yrs to find non-touristy, off the beaten path locales. So boring.

Me too !
It is beyond me why you would avoid a location that others find quite attractive. I have searched for years for the off-the-path gems only to find that 20 years later the tour busses found them also. Prime examples include Portovenere, Orta San Guilio, Marvao, Cesky Krunlov, St. Gilgen, and Noto.

It is easy to find a place with no charm !

CH... I'll be taking my family on a two week vacation to Portugal during the 1st 2 weeks of July. 5 nights in an apartment in Lisbon, then picking up a rental van and driving thru Alentejo to spend 2 nites in Evora, 2 nights at the Pousada in Villavicosa, 1 night in Coimbra, and the final 2 nights in an 3 bdrm apartment inside the city walls of Obidos.

I also agree with Tower on staying in the Pousada at Obidos. It was one of my most favorite Pousada's. Evora, Queluz, & Guimaries are also high up on my list. However, Obidos can be rather expensive in July and hard to book a room. I also agree with tower that a more reasonably priced alternative would be the Estrelagem Convento. It's just outside the city walls and is a very short walk to where you enter thru the main gate of the city.. We stayed there a few years ago and thought it was a great find, particularly if you like older places with great old tradional furnishings at 1/2 the price of the pousada.

I don't know when you will be in Portugal, but if it's during the last part of June, or the first 2 weeks of July, go to Obidos on those weekends. They will be having their summer Midieval Market festival in the city, complete with costumed actors, food, crafts and games for the whole family. I took my teen aged grand kids to one in Bayeux France 2 years ago and they are still talking about all the fun they had. Just a suggestion.

PS my least favorite pousada is the one up north of Obidos just south of Coimbra. It's a little to much like a modern motel and it's a bit of a drive into Coimbra. Have a great trip.

Tower...OK crowded! Over run with people. Almost impossible to park to get our luggage into Pousada.. The Pousada was nice but wouldn't return to Obidos as we've seen it.

reposting as there is much information I would like to keep!
Thanks to the comments from everyone in the touristy and off the beaten path zones...lol. Really? Why bother with the negative posts?