Portuguese Guesthouses - Pousadas
The Pousadas of Portugal
  Spain
and Portugal have a very special type of hotel. In Portugal they
are the Pousadas and in Spain they are known as Paradors.
These hotels are owned by the government and aim to preserve historic
buildings by running them as high class hotels. They also have some
modern hotels, built in traditional style, to help with tourism
in areas of outstanding beauty.
Luckily the profit motive is absent. They do not compete with the
commercial sector and are not to be found in the city centers.
There are a few exceptions where they have been asked to restore
a historic building. An example of this is the Pousada
dos Loios in Evora on the road from Madrid to Lisbon. Evora
is a World
Heritage City and the Pousada was originally a convent and is
opposite the old Roman Temple of Diana.
  The
Pousada Group have properties that are well placed all over Portugal.
The holiday area of the Algarve is where most of the modern concrete
tourist hotels are situated.
Lisbon has some great Pousadas within easy reach. In the
outskirts of this Capital City is the Pousada
D. Maria I in the building which formerly housed the Royal Guard
to the Court. This is part of the Palace of Queluz which is known
as the Portuguese Versailles.
It you will be traveling north to the Porto
(Oporto) area, on the way you might like to stay at the Pousada
in the Castle in the old walled city of Obidos. You need to
book early because it only has 9 rooms!
One of the Pousadas helping tourism in the regions is also on the
way north. It is the Pousada
da Ria situated on a narrow isthmus of land between the long
sandy Altlantic beaches and lagoon. Perfect for sitting on the balcony
and watching the birds!
Here are some of our favourite Pousadas in northern Portugal.
  One
of the most accessible to the motorway system is the Pousada
de Santa Marinha on a hill above the former capital of Guimaraes.
This 12th century convent received the National Architectural prize
for the restoration.
Another favourite which is near to the Peneda-Geres
National Park is the Pousada
de Santa Maria do Bouro near Amares. Again it is a restoration
of an old convent but the architect, who has won international acclaim
for this work, has tried to keep the image of the building before
its restoration. Grass grows on the roof and picture windows look
out onto the inner courtyard in its unrestored state.
If the other reason to visit Portugal is to sample Port Wine, a
visit to the Pousada
do Solar da Rede is a must. This 18th century home stately home
is surrounded by its 27 hectare vineyard. There is a breathtaking
view down to the Douro
river.
The beautiful old sailing port of Viana
do Castelo has the more modern Pousada
de Santa Luzia on the hill overlooking the town. This most northern
area of Portugal has granite mountains and, in the river valleys,
fields edged by vines for the Vinho Verde wine. These fields
are too small for large modern equipment such as tractors!
 After
your visit to Portugal is over, many will be traveling home across
Spain and through France. Three Paradors on the route home
are the Parador
Reyes Catolicos in the old pilgrim city of Santiago de Compestela,
the Parador
San Marcos at Leon and finally a castle built in 980 AD in Hondarribia.
The links in this page are to the English language website of one
of our partners, The
Manor Houses of Portugal Promotions, who have details of a range
of traditional accommodation. All their accommodation has
been personally checked before going onto the site.
They assist with the making of reservations using the English language.
All reservations are direct with the hotels etc. on their standard
terms and they are paid direct in the normal way their standard
price.
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