Pousada Castelo de Estremoz – Historic Hotel

Approaching Estremoz, we could see the hilltop castle overlooking town. We joked that it was our hotel, which of course it was. The opulent Pousada Castelo Estremoz is in a 13th century castle, and our schmancy room has a great view, and peculiar painting. I had fun poking around taking photos before we headed out to a long late lunch at A Cadeia Quinhentista in a 16th century medieval jail. Laurence tried a traditional sausage fritter dish, and I had a big pot of huge mussels. The couple serving us were so nice and fun and tried to teach us some Portuguese. There is a lot of slurring involved. Maybe an extra glass of wine would help. We went for a walk around town, which was pretty dead. Maybe because it’s Sunday and siesta time. Perfect for taking pictures. Estremoz is a larger town with a population of 7500, and well known for marble. We can see a huge quarry from our room, and our bathroom is different colors of marble. Even the sidewalks are made of marble chunks. After our enormous lunch, we wanted an easy dinner at 9pm. We chose a family run pizza place, had a big pizza, and a salad combination of tuna, egg and potato, plus water and a half liter of wine for €22. Miguel told us that he learned English in school from grade one to ten, but it was British. He learned the American dialect by playing video games and watching TV series. I learned how to properly order a crucial phrase of a half liter of white wine, which was €4.50. You can’t not afford to drink at that price. We are not big breakfast people, but when it is served in a castle, and included in the room rate, you make the effort to get there by 10am closing. It was the best breakfast we’ve had on our trip. The entrance to the castelo tower is in our hotel courtyard, and you can climb up the top for some nice views. I always look for a bird’s eye view in new towns to figure out the lay of land. There are holes in the upper walkway used to pour boiling oil on invaders. We enjoyed an incredible dinner in our castle dining room, with superb service and beautifully presented delicious courses.

What a lovely day! The property itself is lovely and the staff made it an absolutely incredible experience.

Amazing experience in memorable hotel We really enjoyed our stay at the Pousada Castelo Estremoz. It's in the old town of Estremoz on a hilltop: you drive through an arch and over a drawbridge, up cobbled streets to a square where there's free parking. The hotel certainly has a wow factor: it's like stopping in a museum with many historical items and paintings set in grand rooms. Our room was actually quite small and the bathroom tight but had everything you needed although getting things like extra drinking water was not so easy. We ate in the restaurant - nice food and certainly grand if not a little formal for us. Breakfast was quite simply amazing - so much choice and all really good quality. l loved our stay - the odd quirks of staying in a historic building are massively outweighed by the amazing experience and I would highly recommend the hotel.

Must see pousada Fantastic stay, highly recommended. The staff were great and breakfast were wonderful. Architecture was extraordinary. Hope to visit again!