Matt_from_England

<i>&quot;Hello Matt!!! Where are you???&quot;</i>

I'm down a hole. It's very deep. I can see a tiny circle of light a long way off. It's dark. I'm cold. There are slimy things between my toes. I've broken all my fingernails trying to claw my way out. Help.....

Okay finally uploaded the last LDC photos and report to the dining thread:

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34817677

It's entitled: BELEM, RAIN AND THE L.D.C.

Okay, I'm off to take my meds now.
Nurse?

lmernal

I'm trying to plan the Alentejo part of our trip and I have lost track of Lobo Mau's thread on Evora and can't seem to find it. Lobo, can you direct me to it?

Thanks,
Leslie

lobo_mau

My preferences list in Alentejo:

- &Eacute;vora (Unesco heritage - to see the whole town itself, Diana roman temple, Cathedral, Bones Chapel, etc)
- Monsaraz (walled town, this town is at the same time untouched since centuries alive nevertheless) - to see: Jesus bearing the cross - author unknown - statue made of wood and the wall painting of the good and bad judge in the Inquisition Court)
- S. Pedro do Corval - this is a village completed devoted handicraft, mostly hand decorated plates. S. Pedro do Corval has more than 20 family run industries).
- Vila Vi&ccedil;osa - The palace of Dukes of Braganza. There are guided tours. I'm afraid the tours are in Portuguese Only. There are descriptive books in English. From this House, Catherine of Braganza left for England to marry Charles II and become Queen of England. Side by side there is a former convent, converted into Pousada.
- Redondo - Nothing special, but a lovely place
- Estremoz - To see: street market, the Castle (Pousada) and Adega do Isaias - Adega do Isaias is very unexpensive and low profile restaurant where the owner barbecue for you whatever you like.
- Marv&atilde;o - magic and beauty without limits
- Alandroal - Restaurant &quot;a Maria&quot; - the highest point of any travel - check in advance for availability
- Arraiolos - Hand made tapistry - The biggest and those of complex patterns require 2 months of hardwork. They are quite expensive. but beautiful to see.
Arraiolos has a beautiful Pousada. The church associated with the Pousada is completely covered with azulejos (hand painted tiles) with stories of their favourite saints and historical events, like a giant cartoon.

lmernal

Thank you, Lobo, for the above list. I am obsessing about where to stay in the Alentejo. The pousada.pt site offers a 4 night passport for 320 E ( with 50 e supplement for Sat night in many places). This seems a good value. I think we would stay at Queluz for the last night, but in the Alentejo, many of the pousadas look lovely, and I can't decide.
My possibilities are: Alvito, Arraiolos, Estremoz, Crato, and Marvao. Evora is beautiful, but the rooms sound truly tiny.
The first 3 seem to be in one area; the last two in another. We would likely stay in one of the first 3 for 2 nights, then one of the last 2 for 1 night.
Can anyone help end my obsessing?
(BTW, I have started selecting some good California wine to bring for wine and cheese in October!)

Leslie

Judi

Hi Leslie ( and all)

When I saw your reference to the wine and cheese party in October I went back and read this thread. We will be in Lisbon on October 3, leaving on the 11th. Would it be possible to have the party before the 11th? I would love to invite myself and my husband....

I will confess that we are the ones who will be staying in the now famous VRBO apartment during the time you had hoped to book it. You are welcome to stop by to see it if you wish.

lmernal

October 9th or 10th would probably work for us, if Lobo, Matt and their spouses are available. Perhaps we could do a dinner or Fado, or both after?

Leslie

lreynold1

Hi, Leslie,
Since you have asked for opinions, I'll give mine. I have stayed in all of the pousadas you mentioned except the one in Marvao, but I have stayed in the town of Marvao and loved it. As between Alvito, Arraiolos and Estremoz, I vote for Arraiolos, it's an absolutely beautiful setting, the town is quite nice, and it's an easy drive to Evora and Estremoz. As others have mentioned, the sparse post-modern decor in the pousada is kind of jarring for those of us with more traditional sensibilities, but it really works beautifully. The grounds are lovely and the town of Arraiolos with its many rug-making shops is quite nice. Of the last two places, I think the pousada in Crato is definitely more stunning -- it's in a very nice castle, but the town is a hamlet and not near much of anything. Marvao is one of my favorite towns in Portugal, and taking a day trip to Marvao cheats you of the spectacular sunset from the castle walls and the beauty of the castle lit at night. So I would definitely stay in Marvao. I've been inside the pousada in Marvao, not the rooms, and it's quite comfortable. Not a beautiful historical building, but it is a very nice place. We've never been disappointed by the pousadas, except perhaps for the pousada inside the town of Guimaraes (not to be confused with the pousada in the monastery outside Guimaraes, which is absolutely spectacular, but I digress.....). Boa viagem!

marshacarlin

Leslie, or anyone, can you describe how you actually buy and book with the Pousada passport. I've been on the site and seen the available pousadas but dont know what to do to check availability and book with the passport. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

lmernal

lreynold- Thank you for your help. I remember from your previous reply that you had liked Arraiolos, and it does sound beautiful. I think you answered my question about Marvao. The pousada at Crato did indeed look stunning, but it sounds as if staying in Marvao might be the more &quot;stunning&quot; experience, and I think I will take your advice.

marsha - try this link; I found it once by accident, then had a lot of trouble finding it the second time! I haven't actually tried to book on it yet.

https://www.portugal.com/reservations/pousadaspass.asp

Leslie

lobo_mau

Cheese and wine in Chiado??? Anytime is good for us
Marsha: Search &quot;Trip report: The Alentejo and Lisbon&quot; postes by henryandcasper. You will learn as cow's mooing is Arraiolos can be a cultural experience

isabel

Well I made it back home, and none too happy about it either, I'd much rather still be in Portugal. We had 12 wonderful days, then I went to Copenhagen and Stockholm for another week, so I just got home yesterday. I will post a trip report and my photos but it will be a while. So for now I just want to say thanks again to Matt and Joao for all your help with planning (and to everyone else whose trip reports, etc made planning my trip so much better). I really wish there could be people like Matt and Joao in every city, it would make the wonderful experience of visiting new places even better.

Also wanted to say that my husband and I both felt the LDC was the highlight of our trip, we had a great time. (But Matt, I just looked at the photos and now I'm afraid I'm gonna have to post some of the ones I took of you!)

marshacarlin

Just wanted to report that thanks to Leslie's report of the Pousada Passport I was able to book 4 rooms in a posauda in the Douro Valley (where we were going to be mid-week) for 320 euros total. Leslie, I did find the reservation site you mentioned but since I was not sure I could use the vouchers all in one place for the same night (we are traveling with a large party of people who all wanted to go) I had my son's fiancee call (she speaks Portuguese but they may speak English). Had to give them a credit card and I don't think I can cancel although you can change which posaudo you want to stay at up to 72 hours in advance. Thanks for passing along this tip. It's made a place that was too expensive at 200+ euro/nignt very affordable. What a great deal with breakfasts and 20% off of meals. Can;t wait!

Nikki

Isabel, I'm glad the rest of your trip was good and I am looking forward to hearing about it. The evening with the Lisbon Dining Club was certainly a highlight of my trip as well.

I've already posted a picture of the camera-shy Matt, as well as the other diners, with my trip report:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34841123

lmernal

lreyold - Just heard back from the pousada reservationist that Arraiolos is full for the days we need! What do you think between Alvito and Estremoz?
Leslie

lreynold1

lmernal --

I guess it depends on what you want to visit while you're there. Alvito is kind of like Crato -- a castle in the middle of a tiny town (though Alvito is bigger than the hamlet where Crato is). It is very beautiful, a nice ambiance, but not much happening in the town. It's close enough to a number of places for day trips, including Beja, Serpa, Moura, Evora and Monsaraz.

Estremoz is also inside a castle but it doesn't have the same castle &quot;feel&quot; as Alvito or Crato, because it's within the walls and near a lot of other buildings. It's a very nice place (I've only eaten in the pousada in Estremoz, haven't stayed there), and it's also near enough to Evora for a day trip, as well as Borba, Evoramonte, and Vila Vicosa (by the way, there's a pousada at Vila Vicosa right across from the Ducal Palace, which I liked a lot, except for the fact that it had the worst coffee I've had in Portugal).

I guess that even though I think Alvito is a more charming pousada, I'd stay in the one in Estremoz because the town has more going on and it's in the part of the Alentejo I love the most (I would suggest a day trip south driving through Vila Vicosa, Alandroal, Terena and Monsaraz). The scenery is a lot like Spain's Extremadura, lots of cork and olive trees, wide open spaces with the kinds of vistas that make you glad and very humbled to be alive.

Lucky you, a trip to the Alentejo! Either way, you can't go wrong.

Matt_from_England

I've posted up a new photographich trip report entitled - Narrow gauge railways in the north of Portugal.

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34846534

It may be of interest to those who are considering the Douro Valley when you come over. As a writer I am barely lost for words but this trip was truly amazing - such wonderful views and scenery it is breathtaking: my photographs a rambling does it absolutely no justice whatsoever. And at only 3.50 euros for the 30 odd mile round trip excellent value for money. And the pigs ears and tripe was good too!

Happy trails,

Matt

Matt_from_England

barely = rarely...

BYoung4u2

Lobo:..Ruth and I have just gotten back from a great trip to British Canada where we ate far too much wild river salmon in preparation for all the good food we'll find in Portugal...anyway want to thank you for your comments concerning cell phones/Busaco. Portugal is our first stop so will contact you once we arrive concerning the phones. I checked out the web site you mentioned on Bucaco and it was certainly informative..we will at least plan to stop off there on our way north. Also enjoyed your comments concerning Mealhada and roast pig...I have agreed to take Ruth past Fatima if she agreed to stop off in Mealhada for roast pig.
Sher: Thank you too so much for you comments on Bucaco as well..it seems to definitely be a place not to miss. Matt: really enjoyed your train trip report. I think we will try to at least drive up into the Douro Valley area.
Thanks again to all...see you soon, Bob

Sher

Bob. I just want to say that as far as time allotted for Fatima. If you are not there during the really big days of worship, you can do Fatima in a couple of hours.
It isn't difficult to find and unless you decide to stay for a Mass it is a short visit. There really isn't that much to it.
But do not miss the pig.

Matt_from_England

Part II of the Corgo line trip report is up at:

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34846534

and that's it - I'm going to bed - 3 am Lisbon time

Matt