Pousadas in Portugal
 

Will be driving in Portugal and would like to stay at Pousadas. Any recommendations?

Several years back, I stayed at Las Quintas de Sequoia, a five bedroom posada in Sintra, which is about 45 minutes outside of Lisbon. Beautiful town and a great place to stay (ask for the Cathedral room). Although its great anytime, its particularly convenient is you're flying out (only ~30 minutes from the airport, with little traffic).

We stayed at a couple "off the beaten track" I guess you'd say:<BR><BR>Bragan&ccedil;a, beautiful 50s architecture (albeit a tad fascist in keeping with the period) with a great view of the castle and oh-so-formal waiters serving great food, silently;<BR><BR>Vale do Gaio, near Torr&atilde;o - a lovely (also 40s or 50s) small inn overlooking a lake, surrounded by goats and olive trees and storks. Younger and less formal, very comfy. A great intro to our favorite part of the country, the Alentejo. <BR>

Marilyn, I have done Portugal twice and have stayed at several. My favorites, in rank order, include:<BR>Viano do Castello---the location<BR>Estromoz--a real castle<BR>Sagres--" the end of the world"<BR>Palmela--great last nite place<BR>Marvao--a magical village<BR><BR>I found both Obidos and Evora to be overpriced, and found better options.<BR><BR>When are you going? Both of my trips were late March early April. You will love Portugal---have fun !<BR>

The Posada in Beja.. it has a good central location for exploring the Alentejo. It is an incredibly serene place (building). The staff treats you like royalty, without being stuffy. Skip the restaurant! however.. Beja has many great places to eat within a 20 minute walk, which better displays the wonders of Alentejano cuisine.<BR><BR>The Posada in Braganca, while expensive, is great for exploring NE PT.The views are first rate, and it is within easy walking distance of the medieval city center.<BR><BR>Skip the surly folks running the Posada in Setubal. For a moment, I thought they were doing us a mighty favor letting us stop and have a drink on their patio. HEAVY BAD attitude, and quite distant from the town of Setubal.. though the view across the harbor is heart stopping.<BR><BR>The Posada in Sagres is wonderful, although I would definately skip the dining room. Reminded me too much of Catholic Boy's School dining.<BR><BR>The Posada in Santa Clara de Velha is really remote and nice.An excellant restaurant... fortunately, as the nearest place to eat must be 40 miles away by winding road. It is set on a beautiful lake/resevoir. The staff there is extremely helpful and considerate. A little further north is the Posada at Santiago do Cacem.This is a funky old farmstead... Great secluded location...a dozen miles from the Roman ruins at Mirobriga.<BR><BR>The down side of Posadas, like any 4 star hotel in PT is that you will be enjoying your stay surronded by Germans, Brits and Americans.. of a decidely "older age group". The facilities are first rate and they offer good value in the 80-100 Euro range... but there definately is something "pukka sahib" about them. <BR><BR>Additionally... although the Posadas pride themselves on "portuguese cuisine", our dining experience at them were pretty mixed. If the food was good, the service sucked. Good service went with mediocre food. And the price!!! eh... a dinner for 2 with wine... ran 2-3X what a first rate PT restaurant in town charged. Diner at the Posada was sort of "Continental-Tourist Ghetto."<BR><BR>Still .. I would recommend the PT Posada system quite highly for those NOT traveling on a tight budget. Their resrvation system is first rate, the courtesy of the staff, while formal.. is helpful.<BR><BR>We spent 10 weeks in PT this Feb-May. ^ nights were at Posadas. See our web page at <BR>http://communities.msn.com/RichWendysAwayFromHomePage for details.<BR><BR><BR><BR>