Nancy,

I just wanted to mention that we stayed at Hotel Dom Carlos this past trip (late March) and we were very happy with the hotel. I booked it through LastMinuteTravel and the rate was about 80 Euro. Its location is somewhat remote - took us about 20 minutes to walk down to Rossio. However, the taxis are incredibly cheap (about 5 euro from hotel to center), the rooms were spacious and well cared for, the views from the tower rooms were lovely and the hotel has internet access (free computers in the lobby and paid wireless access). The staff was very helpful and overall I enjoyed the hotel a great deal.

It's very rare for us to stay anywhere other than a basic 2 star hotel or B&B, but in this case this was the right choice - I was absolutely exhausted before the beginning of the trip, and having a comfortable room (and bath. Marvelous deep marble bathtubs!) to unwind really went a long way... Being "forced" to take a cab was not a bad idea either - otherwise I tend to walk util I drop :)

Sher, it's in the old Lisbon to Santarem road (road N3, I believe). It's close tp Cartaxo and on the left side of the road, when you are leaving to Santarem. It is a shop and a parking place for 20 cars + or -. The driver has to cross the road carefully to the other side. Eventually is better to proceed and find a place to U-turn. I'd write in a piece of paper "casa das peles do cartaxo". Even a Portuguese only speaker will be able to understand and finger point the place.
I think Olissipo Hoteis are nice but expensive (of course this depends on the size of the wallet).
Baileys, please see Ireynold1 post in a thread called "a very nice place in Alentejo". He/she points the 2 places that answer your question: Sao Pedro do Corval and Redondo. Both are enough close to Evora and on your route. Note that we are talking about pottery with naif motives, very good for home decoration. OTOH, the brand for good (and expensive) china dinner sets is VistaAlegre, the best money can buy but accordingly expensive. VA has shops in Lisbon (e.g. Colombo mall)

Sara,
take a look at the place right in the Chiado area of Lisbon that we are staying at; http://www.vrbo.com/77293
I just checked their availability calender and your dates are open. In fact, we check out on June 30th. Just an option if you are interested!

Hi Everyone,

It has just occurred to me, I should probably buy a decent map of Portugal before we go. I'm thinking it should be Michelin. Can someone tell me if there are regional ones and which I should get for Lisbon and surrounding area as well as the Alentejo.
Also, does anyone know if there is a tourism office for Portugal in NYC? I have searched everywhere and cannot find out yes or no.

thanks

Linda

Nameka, thanks so much I have just e-mailed the apartment which you recommended and I am waiting on their reply.

I found the Tourism office. Its actually only one block away from where I work in NYC!! Don't know why I couldn't find it before, but I'm going to go there tomorrow. They may have some maps as well.

ladylyn915. I have been to the tourist office for Portugal in New York City. They have a lot of information, but I don't remember getting maps there.

We currently have a Rough Guide Portugal and Rough Guide Lisbon (maps). I like them because they are coated and fold easily. I don't like the country map because the country is divided at Castelo Branco. We are starting at the Serra de Estrela and driving South and have to keep turning it over.

The Michelin map seems more difficult to read to me and is cumbersome to handle.

There is also a clever internet site:
http://www.hot-maps.de/europe/portug...on.homeen.html.

It gives the location of many streets in Lisbon.

Thanks, Kasperdoggie, for your review of Hotel Dom Carlos. Glad you told me it was a bit remote because I hadn't realized that. So now I'll be prepared for longer walks and happy with a marble bathtub!

I am thinking about using the apartment that nameka recommended but I have one small problem. We have a flight out of Lisbon at 7:40am.(we are using frequent flyer miles) I had thought of staying near the airport on our 3rd night in Lisbon so we could get there easily. The apartment is a 3 night minimum and it would be nice not to move around so much. Does anyone know how easy it is to get a taxi cab very early in the morning say 5:30am in Lisbon? We will be dropping our rental car off before we come to Lisbon.

Sarasara. It is very easy to get a taxi in Lisbon at that time.
Our flight was also at 7:30. Now we were in a hotel on Rossio but we had the hotel call one for us. But when we went outside at 4:30 as the cab drove up, we saw many taxis just waiting.

I am also sure that the apartment owner can call the taxi company and order one for you. The owner of an apartment we were thinking of taking (it did not work out) was willing to do that for us.

Now, it was a little more expensive to have the cab come to the hotel, rather than getting to the stand, but only about 15E. We thought it was well worth it.

P.S. There is absolutely no traffic at that time and the trip took about 15 minutes or so.
We even managed to be able to post out VAT forms from the airport desk before the flight.

Thanks Sher. I will definitely book that apartment now

For all Sintra's visitors. Have you heard about Comboio da Praia das Maçãs (Apples Beach tramway)? Give it a try at least visiting this site:
http://www.cm-sintra.pt
click the UK flag, and then "tourism & culture" and then "Sintra's tram".
It's fun for youngs and very romantic for less young. It runs since 1904 and keeps all the old charm. Locals thought it was lost forever in 1975, but it's again on tracks for the happiness of many.
The complete loop is 1h40m. If you visit Sintra in less than 1 day, forget the Apples Beach. Otherwise give it a try. It runs Fryday to Sunday.
The Portuguese language version of the site has more old photos to see.

Sara,
I am so glad you decided to book the apartment and I hope it is as nice as it seems (for both of us). I am so excited for both of us. It's too bad that we won't be able to meet since I will check out that morning of the 30th.

Thanks for starting this new thread!

Bookmarking.

Namaka and Sara. I have decided to put off my Lisbon reservations until you guys return and report on the apartment.

It looks so nice. Although it is really more apartment than the two of us need, the location and amenities make it a cut above.

Also, the prompt replies from the owner.

Sherry

Nameka: thanks so much for the info on the apartment. I have booked it and it looks great. We will be in Sintra on the 29th but may not get there until the evening so I guess we will not be able to dine at the LDC together. Does anyone have good ideas for a place to stay in sintra either two rooms cheap or a place that will hold 5 people. I'm still considering options. thanks

Sara, no thanks required. I was a little unsure about the apt when I first found it because I wasn't real familar with downtown. I lived in Lisbon as a child but it was in Parede, which is on the way to Cascais.I initially wanted to go with a place on that side of town but with Lobo, Matt, Sherry and everyone else's responses, they made up my mind for me, so thanks to them!

A new casino opened last Wednesday in Parque das Nações (former Pavillion of Future in Expo98). The opening session was attended by many VIPs, including Macao's magnate Stanley Ho.

Regarding transportation from Cascais to Sintra, for those not wishing to rent a car, cab service is available and worth the price considering time and effort saved. We relied on the meter, which is one rate for the Cascais urban area, and another rate for suburban area with an empty return (we were going one-way.) (The rates are always posted on the inside window of the passenger side: if they are not, take another cab.)

We had the driver wait while we hopped out for photos at Cabo da Roca and Praia Adraga (Adraga beach - gorgeous!) He dropped us off at Sintra station: total cost, € 32 plus tip for an excursion that lasted about 1.25 hours (and included driver's return to Cascais.)

From Sintra we went into Lisbon on the train (super cheap, only € 1.5 each way, can buy tix from easy-use machines in station, takes about 45 minutes or so on frequent trains to Sete Rios where you grab the metro to downtown Lisbon, € .65 or so from ticket machines.) This makes for a fast excursion along the Cascais-Sintra coast but it is do-able for those tight on time and/or not wishing to rent a car to see this part of the coastline.

Train is the same cost Lisbon to Cascais but beware that you might need to change trains midway, depending on the train taken. This is not difficult and should not cause too much stress.

I'm looking for suggestions for a hotel near (or in) Obidos. I found the Albergaria Josefa de Obidos for €70 a night that looks great but it's been a week since I sent an email and no response, I also found it on a booking site and tried that but no answer yet. So I guess I need to keep looking. Any ideas?