What are the best Pousadas between Porto and Lisbon
 

Part of our Portugal trip next October will be driving frmo Porto to Lisbon. We plan on having a leisurely drive so we can visit some towns and sites along the way. We were thinking of 2 nights on the road. Any suggestions on the best places to spend the night? ALso, any towns or sites we must not miss? And, do the popular Pousadas book well in advance?

We'll be starting out in Porto, staying in the Guest House Douro.

Thanks.

This one, in Coimbra. There is a one-star Michelin restaurant on site, too. I highly recommend the hotel and the restaurant.

http://www.quintadaslagrimas.pt/index_ing.html

We stayed at the Pousada in Ourem and it was lovely. It is at the top of a hill in a castle complex.

The town I would suggest is Obidos and the Pousada there is awesome but very hard to book. However, I do like the Estalagem do Covento in Obidos and it is much less.

Flygirl, do you know how far in advance is necessary to book dinner at that restaurant? I read about it somewhere in Karen's Brown's book.

Bob, I actually booked the Pousada de Obidos already. When I see something that looks interesting, and I know I can cancel, I'll just book it and if something better comes along, I can always cancel. Seeing that it is only a handful of rooms, I figured I better grab it while it is available.

Is the Pousada de Santa Cristina (near Coimbra) any good?

I just like Obidos as a base location. Be sure to see Nazare and Batahla from there. I do not know the other Pousada.

This is not a pousada but it is one of the most unusual places you will ever see: Bucaco Palace hotel.
The grounds are absolutely beautiful.
It is not far from Coimbra.
If you choose not to stay there I would at least stop and have a look.

I agree with the other suggestions, and both Ourem and Obidos are well located for day trips.

BTW, the pousada in Porto has recently opened, and it looks beautiful! I´m going to try to make it up there at the end of this week (I´m, in Lisbon on a two week business trip)but may have to put it off till next year, boo hoo.
http://www.pousadas.pt/historicalhot...FreixoHOME.htm

Any thought on this one, Pousada Condeixa a Nova, Santa Cristina?

The Quinta de las Lagrimas in Coimbra is not a Pousada but very similar. We stayed there and made reservations for dinner when we arrived.I imagine they save tables for hotel guests. The whole experience, hotel and food, were outstanding. There is a pedestrian bridge nearby that crosses the river to the main old part of the city.
We also stayed in the pousada in Obidos( a castle) and another in Guimares, north of Porto.We loved Guimares.
The dining room in the pousada in Obidos was outstanding. Obidos itself is small, charming but full of tourists during the day. We used it as a base to explore the area, returning to the lovely pousada at night.Parking is a little tight there but we always managed to get a spot.

I have stayed in the Condeixa pousada. It´s not in a historic building, but on the site of where one used to be (some of the old architectural details, like stair railings were saved). Like most pousadas, it´s comfortable and has high quality furnishings, but it´s not one of those drop dead gorgeous historic buildings like the convent in Guimaraes or Arraiolos. I think its location is also very good for day trips and it´s right in the same town as the Roman ruins at Conimbriga, which are, IMO, very interesting.
Laurie

thanks.

so many pousadas...so little time...

flygirl and happy, when did you stay in Quinta de Las Lagrimas? There is a string of not so good reviews on tripadvisor from ealier this year, and a negative one on Venere from the fall. Usually if there is just 1 dud review among positive ones, I write it off, but when it starts looking like a pattern, I become discouraged.

We stayed there in June 2007. It would be a shame if it has lowered its standards.