The unexciting modern village of Batalha owes its existence entirely to the Mosteiro de Santa Maria da Vitória, better known as Batalha (Battle Abbey), arguably the supreme achievement of Portuguese architecture. An exuberant symbol of national pride, it was built to commemorate the battle that, in 1385, sealed Portugal's independence after decades of Spanish intrigue.
The Hotel Villa Batalha, four stars superior, 94 rooms, gives way to an entirely new concept in Portugal. One hour from the Lisbon Airport, at the Silver Coast, right in the ... More
I'm glad we checked the weather in Portugal online before leaving or we wouldn't have brought the jackets. Apparently it plunges to 15 degrees C at ...
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I'm glad we checked the weather in Portugal online before leaving or we wouldn't have brought the jackets. Apparently it plunges to 15 degrees C at night, and day time max is 28 degrees. We've hired a Renault for the drive up and down Portugal, and to avoid the hassle of reading maps this time we decided to splash out and get a Garmin Nuvo GPS with the maps for Portugal loaded. After attaching it to the windscreen, you simply program in your destination and follow the spoken driving instructions. The Nuvo was quickly dubbed my "girlfriend" throughout the trip because of her calm, soothing voic...
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Almost as soon as we arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport, the memories came flooding back. Fiona's year at INSEAD had been a wonderful experience for ...
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Almost as soon as we arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport, the memories came flooding back. Fiona's year at INSEAD had been a wonderful experience for both of us, and so it was with much fondness that we stood for 30 minutes waiting for our bags, then another 20 trying to get a rental car. We ended up with a Renault Clio which ran on gazole, making the nostalgia organ hit overdrive. That car rocks. After bumping into Patik and Tracy, we made our way to Samois sur Seine, using the same maps that got us around five years ago. The Hotel Country Club was gorgeous, an old three story building right...
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*Terms & Conditions: Savings calculation is based on Flight + Hotel vacation package bookings for a 3 month period for 2 adults with a 2+ night length of stay compared to price of the same components if booked separately during same period. Savings will vary based on origin/destination, length of trip, travel dates and selected travel supplier(s). Savings not available on all packages.