October 13 – 27, 2007
15 days, 14 nights
Friday, October 12
Depart from the United States for Lisbon
Saturday, October 13
Transfer from the Lisbon Airport to the
4-star Hotel Sofitel Lisboa (sofitel.com) in downtown Lisbon. Due
to numerous arrival times, airport transfers are not included in the
tour cost, but can be arranged for you upon request, in groups where
possible. This evening you are invited to a Welcome Cocktail Party
at the hotel restaurant, Adlib, where tour members can reacquaint
themselves with old friends and make some new.
Sunday, October 14 -
Lisbon
Today golfers will play at Aroeira Golf
Course, a course carved from a dense pine forest with fairways often
bordered by water. The course offers 36 holes, 6750 yards with a 72
par. Lunch will be on your own at the golf course.
This morning non-golfers will visit Lisbon’s
famous Tile Museum where works are exhibited from Moorish times
until today. After the museum your expert guide will take you to
the Chiado quarters and surroundings, one of the most trendy areas
in Lisbon, where you will enjoy the handicraft boutiques and other
fine shops, during which your guide will give you information on the
local history and offer up anecdotes of this traditional “bairro,”
the meeting point for politicians and intellectuals during the 19th
Century. Lunch will be on your own with several recommendations
made by your guide.
This afternoon golfers and non-golfers will
join together for a tour of the main historical sites of Lisbon
followed by dinner at the Bacalhau de Molho restaurant located in
the foundations of the Linhares Count Manor House. While dining you
will be entertained with the Fado, traditional Portuguese music,
which encompasses African rhythms brought to Portugal by the slaves
and the nostalgic songs of the Moors, which acquired a social status
in the 1940s.
Monday, October 15 -
Lisbon - Evora – Porches
This morning after checking out of your
hotel your driver and guide will take you to the Algarve region, the
last territory to be conquered by the Portuguese from the Moors in
1292. You will travel approximately 214 miles from Lisbon to reach
the Algarve. You will pass through the Alentejo region, an endless
plain spotted by quaint white villages, many topped with a Moorish
castle. En route you will stop in Evora at the Convento do
Espinheiro, a recently opened Sheraton Luxury Collection Hotel,
housed in a 15th Century monastery. Here you will
appreciate the regional wines of Alentejo in the monastery’s cellars
followed by lunch.
After lunch it’s time for a little exercise
and walking tour of Evora, during which your expert local guide will
share the history of the area and take you to the important local
monuments including the Bones Chapel and Roman temple of Diana.
Along the way you will visit some small handicraft shops featuring
local ceramics, cork items, etc. Evora can aptly be called “an
open-air museum of Portuguese architecture” and today is protected
as a national treasure. It is featured in the book “1,000 Places To
See Before You Die.”
After your tour of Evora, you will continue
on to Porches where you will check in at the 5-star Vila Vita Parc
Resort and Spa (vilavitaparc.com). Dinner will be on your own and
you will be provided with a list of the best restaurants in the
area.
Tuesday, October 16
- Porches – Vilamoura – Porches
After breakfast the driver will take the
golfers to Vilamoura to the Victoria Golf Club, a brand-new 18-hole
par-72 course which hosted the 2005 World Championship and occupies
a total area of 90 hectares with a total distance of 6,500 yards.
The course is laid out amongst 22 lakes inter-connected by several
waterfall features.
The non-golfers will be taken to the
Vilamoura Marina today where a boat will be waiting to take you on a
sail along the coastline of the Algarve.
In the afternoon golfers and non-golfers
will join together for a late lunch at Pier 1, a restaurant
overlooking the Vilamoura Marina.
Dinner will be on your own this evening,
perhaps at Casa Velha, purported by some to serve the best fish in
the Algarve.
Wednesday, October 17
- Porches – Alvor – Porches
Today golfers will play at the Penina Golf
Course located in the heart of the Algarve. This championship
course is considered to be the most brilliant project of Sir Henry
Cotton, triple champion of the British Open who later became a golf
architect. Lunch will be on your own at the golf course or later at
the hotel.
After breakfast non-golfers will be picked
up at the hotel for a tour of the walled town of Silves, founded by
the Moors. A stop will also be made at one of the many ceramic
workshops where you will be able to purchase some of this
traditional Portuguese product, should you desire. Lunch will be on
your own at one of the many fine restaurants in the area.
Afternoon is at leisure for golfers and
non-golfers alike.
Thursday, October 18
- Porches – Vilamoura – Porches
This morning golfers will be taken to the
Old Course, opened in 1969 and the oldest course of all the
Vilamoura courses. A unique feature of this course is the fact that
it is a par 73, despite the fact that among its last nine holes
there are no less than four with a par 5.
Non-golfers will have this day at leisure to
enjoy all of the amenities of the beautiful Vila Vita Parc Resort.
The group will enjoy dinner together this
evening at the hotel’s beach restaurant.
Friday, October 19 -
Porches – Muge – Bussaco
This will be a long travel day today as you
tour from the south of Portugal far to the north. Your deluxe
motorcoach will depart this morning for Muge and the Casa do Cadaval,
a beautiful Portuguese palace founded during the 12th
Century and currently a magnificent wine and horse estate. You will
be welcomed by the estate’s master rider and will have the
opportunity to enjoy a show of the famous Lusitano stallion. After
this experience you will taste some familiar wine varietals as well
as some selected blends that will undoubtedly be new to you such as
Padre Pedro, Herdade de Muge and Marquees of Cadaval. The house
oenologist will lecture you on the “secret” flavors while you
taste. Following the tasting you will be hosted by the owner of the
Domain, the Countess I.E. Grafin Von Schorn-Wienestheid (that’s a
mouthful) to have lunch on the estate.
After lunch your tour will continue north to
the 5-star Bussaco Palace (palacehoteldobussaco.com), an exquisite
hunting palace of the last Portuguese king. This Manueline-Gothic
palace is surrounded by splendid gardens and the magnificent
National Forest of Bussaco. This destination is also featured in
“1,000 Places To See Before You Die.”
Dinner will be on your own this evening at
the Palace restaurant. Take the time to visit the palace’s
impressive cellars.
Saturday, October 20
- Bussaco – Amarante
After breakfast, on your own, take the
opportunity to stroll along the many walking paths through the
National Forest of Bussaco which was planted by the Barefoot Mount
Carmel Monks. Build up an appetite for a special lunch that is
planned for you today.
After lunch your tour will continue to
Amarante, a quaint town only 40 minutes from Porto. You will check
in at Casa da Calcada-Relais & Chateaux (casadacalcada.com), a
former 16th Century palace. Dinner will be served at the
hotel during which you will enjoy an overview of the regional
gastronomy paired with Douro Valley wines.
Sunday, October 21 -
Amarante – Porto – Celorico de Bastos – Amarante
After breakfast you will depart the hotel
for a visit to Porto. After sightseeing with commentary by your
expert guide, you will be taken on a VIP visit to the Ramos Pinto
Port Lodge and museum. Lunch will be at the Presuntaria
Transmontana, a regional restaurant, known for the hot and cold
tapas.
After lunch your bus will take you to Casa
do Campo, a masterpiece of the 17th Century architecture
and one of the most emblematic Portuguese palaces. Upon arrival you
will be received by the owner, Gabriela Meireles, who will show you
the magnificent gardens and the famous embroidery of the region
while watching the artisans working. A homemade regional dinner
will be served paired with the world-famous Vinho Verde wine
produced at the farm. After a long day your driver will take you
back to the peaceful environment of the Casa da Calcada.
Monday, October 22 -
Amarante – Douro Valley – Amarante
After breakfast your driver will take you on
your visit to the Douro Valley and one of the most picturesque areas
in all of Europe. Your journey will begin in the port wine region
and the Quinta da Pacheca where you will be hosted by the owner,
Count Serpa Pimentel and his faithful Labrador, Pipo. They will
share with you the process of producing their wines, followed by
lunch in the estate cellar among the barrels and scents of port.
After this experience you will board a rabelo boat and take a
private cruise on the Douro River, heading towards Pinhao where your
boat will dock at the Vintage House Relais & Chateaux, with stunning
views.
You will be driven back to your hotel where
dinner will be served al fresco in the hotel garden and you will be
treated to a traditional Portuguese barbecue.
Tuesday, October 23
- Amarante – Sintra
Today after breakfast you will leave the
north of Portugal towards Sintra.
Golfers will play this afternoon at Praia
del Rey, one of the most stunning golf courses in Europe. Golf
World says “a mix of holes – some in the mighty dunes, others among
fragrant pines – that are an assault to the senses. Wild and
wonderful!” Lunch will be on your own at the golf course.
Non-golfers will visit the beautiful town of
Obidos, escorted by the expert guide, and will enjoy the narrow
cobblestoned streets, the white-washed houses and local handicraft
shops. Once again, Obidos is a national monument and is featured in
“1,000 Places To See Before You Die.” However, before the tour you
will have lunch at the Casa das Senhoras Rainhas, a former palace
and now a charming, small hotel.
By 6:00 p.m. the bus will collect the
golfers at Praia del Rey and you will head to Sintra where you will
check in at the 5-star Penha Longa Hotel & Golf Resort (penhalonga.com)
located within a magnificent 545-acre national park on the southern
Sintra Mountains. Dinner is on your own.
Wednesday, October 24
- Sintra
This morning after breakfast golfers will
play on the Penha Longa Atlantic Golf Course which features 6,300
yards, was designed by Robert Trent Jones II and is a par 72. The
landscape surrounded by the Sintra Mountains and the national park
is the course’s trademark.
Non-golfers will have a morning of leisure
to enjoy the wonderful amenities of this beautiful hotel.
This afternoon golfers and non-golfers alike
will be taken to visit the town of Sintra (yes, again, in “1,000
Places To See Before You Die”). This World Heritage Site was
founded during the Moorish domination when a castle was built on the
perch of the mountain. During the 13th and 14th
centuries additional palaces were built and/or enlarged and the city
flourished during the 16th Century. You will tour the
city with your guide and then be left to stroll the streets of
Sintra and visit the many shops and restaurants. Dinner is on your
own.
Thursday, October 25
- Sintra – Cascais – Sintra
Today after breakfast the bus will take the
golfers to Quinta da Marinha – Oitavos Golf. The ex-president of
the American Society of Golf Course Architects, Arthur Hills, has
carefully crafted the layout of this golf course and has maintained
and preserved the unique characteristics of the land, creating a
6,300 yard, par 71 course. After this round you will meet the
non-golfers in Cascais where they have been preparing lunch for you.
After breakfast the non-golfers will be
transferred to Cascais where you will meet Jose Avilez, one of the
most prestigious chefs in Portugal, at the Albatroz Hotel. Your
Chef will introduce you to Portuguese gastronomy and a creative
cuisine based on the best Portuguese products. Golfers will join
you later in the afternoon to enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Afternoon and evening at leisure.
Friday, October 26 -
Sintra – Lisbon – Sintra
After breakfast golfers will play another
round at Penha Longa Golf Course.
A shopping tour for non-golfers will be
organized by your tour guide to include any special requests and
visits to establishments that feature products unique to Portugal.
In the afternoon golfers and non-golfers
will join for lunch at the trendy Bica do Sapato restaurant,
co-owned by John Malkovitch. Here you will enjoy excellent cuisine
and a view of the Tagus River.
This evening you are invited to a special
farewell dinner at the hotel, an event not to be missed!
Saturday, October 27
- Lisbon – USA
Transfer to the airport for your return
flight home. Bon Voyage!
Tour Features:
