The latest issue of US Airways magazine lists what it considers to be 12 European “gems,” and one of them is Sintra. The romantic town on hills by the Lisbon coast comes illustrated with a photo of its Pena Palace, and is highlighted for its “breathtaking scenery” and “romantic dwellings built for royalty.”

Coincidentally, Sintra also makes the cover of Spain’s March 2010 edition of Conde Nast Traveler magazine. A Spanish model is shown on one of the town’s plant-filled steps with the main cover title reading “Portugal in Spring.” Inside, “Portugal” is essentially Sintra, with 12 beautifully illustrated pages showing the town’s fantasy palaces and gardens in an article titled “A Fairy Tale.” The cover model is seen walking through the gardens of the Quinta da Regalaira and Seteais palaces, and there are also shots of Pena and Monserrate palaces (you can find more about them in our Sintra guide.)
In Sintra the magazine also recommends a stay at the Iberian Peninsula’s oldest hotel, Lawrence’s Hotel, or at Tivoli Palacio de Seteais, and suggests the local pastries at “Piriquita” and going for coffee at “Café Saudade.”
The magazine is currently on sale in Spain, Portugal, and throughout southern Europe.

The weather forecast for the next few days may not show it, but springtime is just a few days away and with it comes Easter and the spring break holidays. Those looking to travel at this time of the year will either look for the warm waters of the Caribbean and Latin America, or choose a destination in Europe. The best choice in Europe is obviously Lisbon. It’s just a couple of hours away from the other major European cities, and it’s the closest European capital to the United States. It’s also the warmest, and the only one so close to the sea. While it may not exactly be beach weather yet, few other destinations offer such a variety of activities. In Lisbon you experience the atmosphere and culture of an historical European capital, and can combine that with a visit to a fairytale town (Sintra or Obidos), or with a walk by the beach, open-air dining, and all-night partying (bar-hopping or in Europe’s largest casino). And perhaps the best-selling point right now: it’s the best-value capital in Western Europe, with the most reasonably-priced accommodation and restaurants. Take a break to discover Lisbon, and you’ll agree that it’s the best spring break destination. Not to mention the destination for a city break in summer, winter, and autumn…

Portugal’s Madeira Island is known as “the garden of the Atlantic,” but that idyllic subtropical paradise was last February 20 the victim of a major storm (perhaps the worst on record) that left over forty people dead and much infrastructure damaged. However, the area where most of the hotels are located was left largely unaffected, and the island has been cleaned up and is picking itself up to continue to share its beautiful setting and serene atmosphere with the world. It therefore continues to be the perfect place for a rejuvenating getaway right now, with wonderful hotels offering breathtaking views and special pampering services. Here are a few of the best which include special rooms, views, and spa:

QUINTA SPLENDIDA
With views of the Atlantic and a botanical garden, this hotel has a contemporary, Asian-inspired ambience. Its spa offers special services for couples, or you can enjoy a massage or luxurious treatment all by yourself. The hotel also has a small golf course and 25 spa suites for a truly splendid stay.

CHOUPANA HILLS
This nature-inspired design hotel has a health and beauty spa with hot stone massages and aromatherapy among other treatments. It also includes a Turkish bath, sauna and heated indoor pool, as well as yoga classes, all at prices starting at 40 euros. The hotel overlooks the city of Funchal and the Atlantic, and is surrounded by a subtropical garden with over 200 plant species.

CS MADEIRA ATLANTIC
You can say that the Atlantic that surrounds the island is the inspiration for this spa hotel. All of its treatments are water-based, allowing their healing powers to do their magic on your mind and body. There are 14 treatment rooms and four outdoor pools, so you’ll always find space to relax in peace.

Obidos is Portugal’s most picturesque medieval village, it’s found about one hour north of Lisbon, and is inundated with chocolate every year. The Obidos Chocolate Festival this year takes place from the 4th to the 14th of March, and has a calendar of special events for each day.
Chocolatiers from around the world (this year from the United States, France, Germany, Brazil, and Austria) compete with others from Portugal in the international chocolate recipe contest, and there are also awards for the local chocolatier of the year, best chocolate window display, and best “chocolate jewelry” (necklaces, bracelets, and rings that must be 80% made with chocolate).
One of the highlights every year is the sculptures exhibition, obviously all made up of chocolate. This year’s creations have the theme of “world wonders” and will be in the form of the Rome Colisseum, the Great Wall of China, the Chichen Itza pyramid, the Taj Mahal, the lost city of Petra, and Portugal’s World Heritage City of Guimarães (which will be the European Capital of Culture in 2012).
On the 12th, it will be time for the annual chocolate fashion show, this year presenting creations by Portuguese designer Augustus who will of course incorporate chocolate into the looks. Other events will include presentations and workshops about cake design, creative (chocolate) gastronomy, and special activities for children which includes telling the history of chocolate.

Lisbon’s Berardo Museum of Contemporary and Modern Art inaugurates a special exhibition today called “Sem Rede” (“Netless”) presenting the work of Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos. She’s recognized as Portugal’s top contemporary artist, having one of her pieces recently sold for half a million euros at a Christie’s auction. That piece was called “Marilyn,” a couple of stilettos (pictured above) made of stainless steel pots and pans. The artist is known for her large pieces made of unusual materials, with an especially famous creation being a large chandelier completely made of tampons (it hung for some time in Lisbon’s Lux club).
The current exhibition can be seen until May 18, and is free along with all the other exhibits (temporary and permanent) of the museum. There are around forty of Vasconcelos’ works, including large-scale sculptures placed at the entrance and outside the building. Much of the artist’s work is said to question identity (gender, class, or ethnicity), and has a particular focus on the female condition, social issues, and Portuguese culture.

There have been several tourist DVD about Lisbon released by the city’s tourism office over the years, but although they all feature beautiful images of the Portuguese capital, they always seemed to lack something in the narration, adding no more than what a Flickr gallery or GoLisbon’s own photo album could offer. But a recently-released DVD has changed that, offering beautiful shots of the city (from aerial views to close-up details of landmarks) together with an insightful guide to Lisbon by one of Portugal’s biggest cultural icons. That is Fernando Pessoa who’s also widely considered to be one of Europe’s greatest poets of the 20th century, who left behind an English-language tourist guide to Lisbon when he died. It was only found and published much after his death, and although it dates from the early 20th century, it’s interesting to note just how current it remains. That’s because his description of the view of Lisbon from the river Tagus is timeless, and because a large part of the city’s attractions are its centuries-old landmarks and the emotions they can all create together.
But this DVD also starts out by showing contemporary Lisbon and goes on to present the tour suggested by Pessoa, with a narration that includes some of his poems and the text from his “What the Tourist Should See” book. That narration is available in several languages — English, Spanish, French, Italian, and German, as well as two Portuguese versions — one for Portuguese viewers, and another by a Brazilian narrator for those Brazilians who may have difficulty in understanding the accent from Portugal.
At the end of the film there is a number of extras, all interviews with some of the narrators (the Portuguese, Brazilian, Spanish, and American), plus the director and a literary advisor who’s compiled much of Pessoa’s work. They all talk about their involvement in the process of creating the film and share their personal relationships with Lisbon, as well as how Fernando Pessoa has helped them better understand the city and even themselves. Especially evocative of the Lisbon magic and the mark it can leave on visitors is the interview of the Brazilian narrator which is subtitled for those who don’t understand Portuguese.
This is therefore a film that no one from Lisbon will want to miss, and one that tourists will want to acquire as a reminder of their visit to the city.  It’s also a great way to share the city with others who haven’t yet visited.
Look for it wherever DVD are sold in the city, with the most popular and perhaps most convenient being the FNAC store in Chiado. The price is 20 euros and you can get more details here.

Fans of animation will want to be in Lisbon for the city’s Animated Film Festival from the 11th to the 21st of March. “Festival Monstra 2010″ will screen animated films from around the world, including a selection of shorts competing for the “Best Short” prize. There will also be a special section dedicated to Portugal’s animated films throughout the country’s cinema history, with the oldest film shown dating from 1923. All of these Portuguese films and most of the other foreign ones will be shown at Cinema São Jorge in Avenida da Liberdade, while other screenings will also be presented at Cinema City Alvalade and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation among other venues.
The first “Monstra” was held in 2000 and its goal is to promote the art of animation from around the world, with workshops, master classes, and special exhibitions accompanying the screenings.
You can get all the details of this year’s festival at the official website: www.monstrafestival.com

Following on from the May 2009 and October 2009 editions we told you about here, the Lisbon restaurant Week starts again tomorrow in its third edition and goes on until 6th March.

This iniciative, originated in New York 16 years ago and implemented in many other capitals since, allows diners to sample gourmet dishes at Lisbon’s top restaurants for the excellent price of 20 euros per person (drinks not included). For every client, 1€ is then donated to charity.

Thus the objective of Lisboa Restaurant Week is to help different charities and provide easy access to quality dining, and participating restaurants in this edition once again include Casa da Comida, Conventual, Cop’3, Eleven, Gemelli, Mezzaluna, Olivier, and XL, amongst many more (full list below).

For this edition, and to commemorate the Peixe em Lisboa event to be held in April, participating restaurants will also offer a special fish dish option for 25 euros.

See the full list of restaurants below, and if you’re not in Lisbon during the next 2 weeks, don’t worry, you can still check out our Lisbon restaurants guide for other excellent dining recommendations.

1. Ad Lib
2. Alecrim às Flores
3. Associação Naval de Lisboa
4. Brasserie Flo Lisboa
5. Bubbly
6. Casa da Comida
7. Clara Jardim Restaurante
8. Coffee Shop do Real
9. Coisas de Comer
10. Conventual
11. Cop’3
12. Eleven
13. Faz Figura
14. Flores
15. Fontana Park Hotel- Restaurante Bonsai
16. Fontana Park Hotel- Saldanha Mar
17. Gemelli
18. Guarda Real- Hotéis Real Portugal
19. Il Gattopardo
20. Kais
21. L’Appart
22. Lapa
23. Mezzaluna
24. Momento Gourmet
25. Olivier Café
26. Panorama- Sheraton Lisbon Hotel
27. Petra Rio
28. Pratus
29. Quinta dos Frades by Chakall
30. Restaurante Aviz
31. Restaurante El Corte Inglés
32. Sessenta
33. Sofisticato
34. Spot Lx
35. Spot São Luiz
36. Suite- Food and Dance
37. Tágide
38. Terraço
39. Varanda
40. Varanda de Lisboa
41. Vela Latina
42. XL

More info at http://www.lisboa-restaurantweek.com

Lisbon’s latest restaurant was one thought for the beautiful people. One of the owners is the president of the Elite model agency, the others are models, and the place is also meant to be a meeting point for the fashion world. “Opaq” is found on a street lined with mostly-abandoned buildings just off Largo Conde Barão in the Santos neighborhood, and was given a glamorous look to match the intended clientele. It’s all about contemporary design, with white and purple tones, all dimly lit.
Considering all of this, you’d expect it to be a pretentious, exclusive place, but it’s actually not looking to become the hot restaurant of the moment. Although it’s linked to the fashion tribes, it’s open and welcoming to everyone.
Usually restaurants by and for the pretty faces and trendy crowds tend to concentrate more on style and forget about the quality of the food, but at Opaq there seems to be an effort to also have an attractive menu. The chef cooks up mostly Portuguese/Mediterranean cuisine, innovating the most traditional dishes, and offering them at surprisingly reasonable prices.

Address: Boqueirão do Duro, 50 (ao largo Conde Barão)
Phone: 213 940 602
Opening times: Closed on Sundays all day and Mondays at dinner time. Lunches served Monday to Friday from 12PM to 3PM.
Website: http://www.opaq.pt/

Now that daylight is becoming prolonged and the temperatures will start to rise (spring is just about four weeks away!), Lisbon is offering you a new spot for a drink in the sun. Just opened in the recently-renovated Jardim do Torel, this is another viewpoint café where you can admire the city as you enjoy a light meal or a refreshing drink. It’s not one of those charming old kiosk cafés opened last summer, but rather a brand-new and contemporary structure. You can sit indoors or at a table outside, enjoying a salad, toasted sandwich, a chocolate or cheesecake, or a freshly squeezed juice starting at 10AM until 7PM (for now because it will remain open until later in the upcoming summer months). Those looking for a pre-dinner, after-work, or after-sightseeing drink also have the option of wine by the glass, sangrias, and mojitos.
Best of all is that the garden remains one of the city’s best-kept secrets, found away from the beaten tourist path (although easily reached by the Lavra funicular), and even often forgotten by locals. So you’ll likely have most of the space and view all for yourself, although probably just for now because come summer, word of mouth will surely change that…