The February issue of Lonely Planet magazine (on sale worldwide) recommends “52 best weekends away.” One of them, in the category of “history and culture” is Sintra. It suggests that readers “take a trip back in time to imperial Portugal,” a place “blessed with palaces, villas and churches” and for more information it recommends the GoLisbon website. So here’s the direct link to our Sintra guide: Sintra, Portugal.

In another section of the magazine, it highlights Lisbon’s historic kiosks that have been recently restored. It says it’s one of the city’s “oldest street-drinking traditions” that has been revived, offering perfumed milk, iced tea, and traditional lemonade, “bringing an element of old-fashioned class” to the “hot” Chiado district.

But Portugal is featured a third time in this issue, in an article titled “10 Easy Trips You Can Book Now.” One of the ten is “the edge of the Old World,” Sagres. It was chosen for being a destination where you can “find a beach away from the crowds,” a place that’s Europe’s most southwestern point and with “Atlantic waves crashing onto the dramatically rugged beaches.” It’s also “a good base for exploring the rest of the Costa Vicentina Natural Park,” it concludes.

The Financial Times’ monthly magazine “How to Spend It” always features a city in its “The Long Luxurious Weekend” column. Lisbon was highlighted in the February 2009 issue (as reported here: “Lisbon for a Long Luxurious Weekend“), and the December 2010 issue has chosen Porto.
The reason for the trip was the new luxury “wine hotel” The Yeatman, but the author found that the city is “increasingly home to design-savvy hotels” like the recent Hotel Teatro and the Palácio do Freixo Pousada.
In addition to the new sophisticated accommodation, the city also offers “original restaurants, world-class concert halls and chic boutiques.”
Porto is “now echoing with vibrant culture,” and among the featured attractions in the article are the Rem Koolhass-designed Casa da Musica and the Serralves Museum.
The city is also described as a “first-class walking city,” and a visit to the riverside Foz is recommended for its “signature boutiques” and “buzzing” restaurants.

The most spectacular Christmas-related activities in the Lisbon region are not in the capital but in the medieval village of Obidos. Known for its festivals throughout the year, the village is also home to the big “Christmas village” festival every December.
This year it happens from the 10th to January 2nd, and in addition to the annual ice skating rink and house of Santa Claus, the 2010 edition also features an ice bar and a “chocolate lounge” (Obidos is also the stage of an international chocolate festival in early spring).
The photos below show last year’s “Christmas Village” and the official website has more information: http://www.obidosvilanatal.pt/

After Portugal’s Alentejo in its lifestyle magazine earlier this week, the New York Times now highlights the north of the country in this weekend’s travel section. Titled “Portugal Old, New and Undiscovered,” the article goes through the Douro region (the World Heritage wine country) after arriving in Porto, “a city of bold, sudden architectural contrasts.” The chosen hotel was the new Pousada which for the author was a surprise to find such affordable luxury. Dining was at two of the city’s newest “glossy design showcases,” although the favorite gastronomic experiences were at the more traditional restaurants. From the city the next destination was “Portugal’s Tuscany or Piedmont,” staying in the region’s newest accommodation and trying the “superb” food at two of its restaurants that pleased “immensely.” The rest of the trip was driving around this “majestic land.” Here are all the details in the full article: Portugal Old, New and Undiscovered

It only takes a quick glance at the cover of the latest Summer Travel Issue of the New York Times Style Magazine to recognize that it’s highlighting Portugal. It’s the typical whitewashed architecture of the south of the country, and in this case it’s the province of Alentejo east of Lisbon. As is expected from the New York Times, it goes to still-undiscovered corners, places filled with character but not on the usual tourist path. In this issue it chose the upper Alentejo, recommending days traveling on “the slow lane,” enjoying “Portugal’s answer to America’s Great Plains.” That’s where you’ll find country inns and restaurants that are “highly personalized labors of love,” and the article recommends a few. You can read the entire article and current issue of the magazine here: New York Time Style Magazine

It took eleven years and a one-million-euro restoration but this weekend Mafra Palace will once again have its basilica’s organs playing. They’re no ordinary organs, but a total of six which are unique in the world. While most churches, cathedrals, or basilicas have one or two organs (in some very rare cases, four), none in the world have six, and it’s not just the number that makes Mafra’s unique, but what they were intended to do. These six organs were strategically placed in a way to create a never-before-heard “surround sound” and had music written for them to be played simultaneously, meaning that those musical sheets can only be used here. When the Portuguese royal family moved to Brazil to escape Napoleon’s invasion in the early 19th century, the palace and consequently the organs suffered a period of decadence, with the instruments becoming inoperable. Only recently has there been an effort to bring them back to life, and 203 years after they last played together, this weekend there will be concerts that were never able to be performed since then. Because all six organs are necessary to hear the musical compositions, no one alive has heard the effect created by this unique assemblage but from now on all 12,000 tubes that make up the organs can emit the sounds King João V imagined would be a grandiose affirmation of his power in the 18th century.
The palace was built at a time when fortunes were pouring into Portugal thanks to the discovery of gold in Brazil, a precious metal that here transformed into a colossal monument of record-breaking proportions that has just been announced is a candidate to the World Heritage list by UNESCO.
This weekend’s concerts are at 9PM on Saturday and 6PM on Sunday, and are free. The palace is open every day except Tuesday for tourist visits. More info: Mafra Palace

The ABC network (American Broadcasting Company) is coming to Lisbon to film one of its highest-rated shows. That’s “The Bachelorette” which has aired on the network since 2003 where 25 men compete for the love of an attractive young woman, with one bachelor being eliminated in every episode until one remains at the end (and who just may or may not be proposed to by the bachelorette).
This sixth season of the reality show will begin airing next month, and filming is going to take place in the upcoming weeks in Lisbon, bringing a crew of eighty people to the city. Because the show is all about love and romance, the chosen sites to be featured on the show will be the romantic ramparts of the Castle of St. George and of course Sintra which is recognized as one of the most fairytale places in the world.
This season’s bachelorette is a 25 year-old from San Francisco, so considering the similarities between Lisbon and that Californian city, she just may feel right at home, and perhaps even fall for “the one” in the Portuguese capital. To see whether or not that happens, you must watch “The Bachelorette” every Monday night on ABC if you live in the United States.

First it was the new 7 Wonders of the World announced in Lisbon in 2007. Then Portugal was inspired to choose its own seven (man-made) wonders in the country, the 7 Portuguese Wonders of the World, and is currently voting for its seven natural wonders. It’s now arrived at a list of 21 finalists in 7 different categories that range from protected zones to caves which can be voted at www.7maravilhas.sapo.pt. Among the nominees are sites already singled out by UNESCO as World Heritage — the Sintra landscape, the Douro Valley, and Madeira’s Laurissilva forest.
Not on the list are a couple of my personal favorites, the breathtaking scenery of Coa Valley in the north of the country, the mystical Cabo Espichel, and Cabo da Roca which is the Westernmost point in Europe. Still, the ones on the list are all worthy of the distinction.
The winners will be announced in the Azores (itself a natural wonder) on September 11. In the meantime, here are a few illustrated examples of the candidates:

Berlengas Natural Reserve

Arrábida Natural Park

Sintra Hills

Sete Cidades Lake

Mira D’Aire Caves

Lagoa do Fogo (“The Lake of Fire”)

Douro Valley

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.

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.