elsie

Does anyone have an update on this new property?
On the website there are only pictures of the outside of the building, none of the grounds or rooms. The website is only accepting reservations from July 21, so I guess I would be one of their guinea pigs.
I am thinking of going there in the middle of August, but I would hate to get there and the pool not be open, no restaurant, etc....
I will be calling them though.

BTW, I stayed at the Sheraton Porto in May and LOVED it!!!

ehe123

Has anyone been there yet? We are thinking about visiting this winter holiday...

SportsTech

Bumping this thread, have any FT'ers stayed at this property, or in Evora? Thinking about using the 50POR award for 5 or 6 nights at this property.. Is there enough to do within daily driving distance to make this worthwhile?

spellbound2

but I wouldn't have wanted 5 or 6 nights here... Just an opinion. It's very historic with a great walled area, but we were on a trip from Madrid, Segovia, Salamanca, etc... and needed to keep pace in order to see all we wanted in Southern Spain, Portugal, Algarve, etc... Depends on what you like and what you want to see.

USAFAN

5 to 6 nights might be a little long. Evora is a nice little town with lots of history in the middle of Portugal. We actually stayed 2 nights at Pousada da Rainha Santa Isabel in Estremoz, not far away. We stayed at several Pousadas and like them. However, not one of them had good food, not even one!

Check here:
http://www.viamichelin.com/viamichel...MaHomePage.htm

BTW, the drive from Lisbon is easy, a relatively new and empty highway (A6/E90)

Oxon Flyer

Stayed in August last year.

Delightful hotel, a few km outside the Evora town walls, well worth staying for a couple of nights but there's not much else to sightsee in the area so I personally would not have wanted to stay any longer.

And alo bear in mind the temp in August will be around 35-40C.

ajnaro

There is a lot to do and see in Évora, provided you're interested in Portuguese history, architecture, etc. There is also the Fialho Restaurant, considered the best in Portugal by some people.

limo

Stayed there earlier this month for 1 night as part of a road trip around the country. They gave me a HUGE suite with 2 balconies and I was obviously impressed. Extremely courteous staff. I was offered a local liquor at check-in.

Interestingly, they also have the automated/assisted/electric toilet seats that I have not seen outside of Japan. I don't know whether that is available in all rooms though.

I really like this property. If Evora is not enough, then you can use this hotel as a base for the exploration around that part of the country.

Agreed on Fialho. It is a very nice restaurant. Highly recommended.

Bjornstrom

I stayed there with my girlfriend celebrating 10 years together two days ago. Really nice hotel with excellent staff, nice spa (with indoor, outdoor pools, jacuzzi, sauna and turkish bath) and great restaurant.

I agree: Highly recommended!

You could easily stay 3-4 days and enjoy Evora and the wine country surrounding the city but a week seems pretty long.

rani

We just stayed here for 4 days last week. What a wonderful hotel. We intended to stay 2 days and ended up staying 4 days. The staff were wonderful and our room was incredible. We were in the Heritage building - my husband saw the rooms in the new part and definitely said the Heritage building was the place to be.

If you go to Evora, an absolute must is to try Quarta Feria. It was a little taverna in town - no menu, maybe 6 tables, you eat what they give you. We went twice. The first day we drove, but the wine was so good, and they give you a wonderful Vinho Licoroso afterwards, so the second time we took the hotel shuttle. It was 45 Euros for two of us, and one of the best meals of a 3 month European trip.

jaejaez

Any recent stays?

Thinking about a trip here (all the way from the Far East Asia!) during Oct to burn my 5 nights of resort stay... so want to be absolutely sure it is worth the trip halfway across the globe!

Thx in advance! ^

ajnaro

Évora is a lovely old town, with lots of sights. Perhaps the most famous is a well-preserved Roman relic, the Templo de Diana. The surrounding countryside is picturesque. The hotel itself is really nice, although you probably won't be able to use its resort facilities in October. It will be too cold for the outdoor pool, for example.

There are two well-known restaurants in town: Fialho, for some people the best in Portugal, features a huge selection of tapas-like dishes spread out on the table as starters. Then there is the Taverna da Quarta-feira, on the Rua do Inverno (Wednesday Tavern on Winter Street). They offer a fixed price all-you-can-eat system, including even wine and drinks, that features regional cuisine. Both of these restaurants are very popular with Portuguese and foreign tourists alike, so you may have problems with reservations.

If it is all worth a trip half-way around the globe, I am not so sure. If you have time to visit other places in the region, it certainly would be worthwhile. After all, Lisbon and Coimbra are not so far away.

jaejaez

Obrigado ajnaro. Very helpful.
Yes I am indeed thinking of staying in Lisboa for a day or two before going to Evora, then returning back to Lisboa for another day or two before going back.

Will be sure to check the restaurants you spoke of (if we do end up going)!

ajnaro

I neglected to mention the most impressive site of all: the Cromeleque dos Almendres, a neolithic monument from around the 6th century BC. You may need a car to get around, although the hotel does offer free rides to and from town in its Bentley.

jaejaez

Thanks again. I'm 90% sold to this property already. I could use a bit of tranquility and taht seems to be what this resort is all about.