Holidays to Portugal

SOME OF PORTUGAL’S most enticing places to stay are the grand but crumbling country houses which have opened their doors to paying guests as part of the Turismo de Habitaçao scheme. Choose between an apartment in a palace, a guest room in a quinta (manor house), or a casa rustica – a farm cottage converted into a selfcatering apartment. There’s also the government-run pousada network whose members offer a reliably high standard of accommodation, often in highly atmospheric or old historic buildings such as converted castles and monasteries. Many pousadas have the added advantage of being located in parts of the country otherwise lacking in interesting places to stay.

Northern and Central Portugal

The granite-based Minho region is green from the masses of rain it receives. This is an agricultural area, and it’s not at all unusual to see oxen pulling a cart, or women washing clothes in a water tank by the side of a country lane. There is plenty of accommodation in manor houses and farmhouses. The wild Atlantic coast at Viana do Castelo, and the fascinating historic towns of Barcelos and Guimarães, have a mix of pousadas and small, family-run guesthouses. In the Douro valley, a steep gorge is flanked by terraced hillsides planted with vines which produce the region’s port wine. Porto is the main city of the region. Places to stay include an Art Nouveau city-centre palace and a discreet, luxury 1940s hotel. Inland, the old province of Trás-os-Montes is remote and mountainous, with the little-visited Beira Alta and Beira Baixa to the south. In the Beira Litoral, to the west, beautiful beaches of fine sand are pounded by Atlantic breakers; there are hotels in the resort of Póvoa de Varzim and near Aveiro.

The Ribatejo and the more interesting Estremadura which it flanks, encompass the coast all the way to Lisbon. There are attractive beach resort hotels, hill top castle pousadas (at Obidos and Setúbal), Coimbra with its ancient university, and the impressive palaces – and palace hotels – of Sintra and Estoril.

Southern Portugal

One of the most beautiful and littleknown regions of Portugal is the Alentejo, an undulating landscape of grid-formation olive groves and cork oak forests. Here the pousada network comes into its own, with those at Evora and Vila Viçosa among the best. The Alentejo’s Atlantic coast is a favourite among travelling surfers. There is a pousada with stunning panoramic views at Santa Clara-a-Velha. The Algarve is now so built up that some travellers avoid it on principle. The exception is the area around Tavira, and the extreme west towards Sagres, where there are some excellent small guesthouses and villas. Also included in this section are the islands of Madeira and the Azores. The latter may be difficult to reach (flights leave from Lisbon), but they are ideal places for getting away from it all, and for whalewatching. Accommodation is simple and atmospheric.

FOOD AND DRINK

THERE ARE MORE than 365 recipes for bacalhau (salted codfish), the Portuguese national dish, so if you wish, you can eat it a different way every day of the year. People either love it or hate it, but it can be very good, especially cooked with chickpeas, olive oil and parsley. Other specialities are based on fish, often baked with potatoes and tomatoes in an earthenware dish. There are also simple meat dishes such as grilled rabbit, and more sophisticated ones such as steak in Madeira sauce. Often, people find that the simple country dishes are the most delicious. Portuguese wines can be excellent, and their styles illustrate the country’s wild variations in climate: acidic vinho verde and luscious ports, for instance, come from neighbouring regions. The deep reds of the Douro and Dão whites are also worth seeking out, along with the fruity southern reds. Lunch runs from 1–3pm; dinner from 8pm to midnight, though all the pousada restaurants close promptly at 10pm. As part of the cover charge, you’ll be brought a dish of savouries such as black pudding, grilled cheese and marinated olives.

BEDROOMS AND BATHROOMS

IF YOU want twin beds, ask for them specifically when booking. Unlike some other countries, double does mean a double – there’s no sliding down the gap between two single mattresses pushed together. Most bathrooms are en suite and have a shower and bath combined. In some simple guesthouses, bathrooms are shared.

SOME OF the pousadas in historic buildings have just a few rooms which fill quickly; Lisbon’s hotels and popular places on the coast are also often full at peak times.

Breakfast is usually buffetstyle, a spread of juices, breads and preserves, fruit, cheese, cold meats, cake and sometimes wine. Eggs, bacon and sausage are often provided in the pousadas. Portuguese housekeeping standards mean that even the simplest place is usually spotlessly clean, and service extremely polite.

Note that signposting can be non-existent in rural areas, and in town centres there are complex one-way systems. Faxing ahead for a locator map is often worthwhile. But ask anyone the way, and they will invariably take great trouble to help you.

Language in Portugal

English is often not spoken – or understood.

Currency in Portugal

From 1 January 2002, the European euro (written ‘EUR’), made up of 100 cents.

Shops in Portugal

Generally open 10am–7pm Mon–Fri, but many close for lunch or if business is slack, and, in Lisbon, for all of August. Some open 10am–1pm on Saturdays. Sunday opening is an alien concept. Banks are open 8:30am–3pm Mon–Fri.

Tipping in Portugal

A 10 per cent tip is the norm in restaurants; tipping taxi drivers is not obligatory, unless they have been particularly helpful.

Telephones in Portugal

Public call boxes are few. They take coins or phonecards. You can make use of the phone in almost any bar. It will be metered, and charged by the unit. For calls within Portugal, dial the entire nine-digit number including the first digit of the area code. To call Portugal from the UK (or the US), dial 00 351 (011 351).

Public holidays

1 January; Good Friday; 25 April (Anniversary of the Revolution); 1 May; 6 June (Corpus Christi); 10 June (Camões Day); 15 August; 5 October (Republic Day); 1 November; 1 December (Independence Day); 8 December (Feast of Immaculate Conception), 25 December.

USEFUL WORDS

Breakfast Pequeño-almoço

Lunch Almoço

Dinner Jantar

Free room? Tem algum quarto livre?

How much? Quanto?

Single room Quarto individual

Double room Quarto de casal