The Pousada I think Queen Santa Isabel will approve of (Pousada Rainha Santa Isabel (Estremoz, Portugal))

Member Name: Praskipark

Product:	Pousada Rainha Santa Isabel (Estremoz, Portugal)
Date:	20/08/09 (56 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A very lovely location, interesting furniture, great staff and excellent food

Disadvantages: High beds, lumpy pillows, some jaded pieces of furniture and art work.

A few years ago I remember being sat outside a terraced cafe in Estoril and listening in on a conversation between a young couple who had just come back from their honeymoon. They had spent two weeks travelling through Spain and Portugal staying in paradors and pousadas. I was envious and said to my husband - 'That sounds like a lovely holiday, I would love to stay in such luxury.' He was reading his paper at the time, looked up at me and said one word - 'Expensive'. That was that. My dreams crushed with his one word of wisdom.

Years passed and then one day, last year, my Prince came through the door on our 33rd wedding anniversary and said, 'We are off to Spain and Portugal.' I said, 'To visit the family?' No, we are doing a tour of the paradors and pousadas - you will need some posh clothes. You can imagine the picture on my face. :-)

Now, remember we live in Warsaw so the trip to Spain let alone Portugal is a long way by car. The most practical and normal thing to do would be to fly to Lisbon, Porto, Madrid, Barcelona etc and then hire a car but no, my husband chose to drive from our home here in Poland. Some days I worry about his sanity - I think he believes he has the stamina of Ranulph Fiennes.

The entire trip took three weeks; we covered a lot of miles and stayed in quite a few grand establishments. The pousada I am going to review for you first is one we stayed in about half way through the journey. It was certainly the most memorable for reasons I will explain.

The Pousada Rainha Santa Isabel is situated in the town of Estremoz which is in the Alentejo region of Portugal. The building is a palace - yes a palace that was built by King Dinis for his wife, Queen Santa Isabel. In the 1960's the palace was restored and refurbished and opened to the public as a luxury hotel. Would Queen Santa Isabel be pleased with the interior of this wonderful turreted building? Let's see.

As you can see from the picture at the top the castle is in a prominent position at the summit of a very steep hill and the drive up to the entrance is a breathless experience in itself. The road is steep, twisting and turning all the way to the top.

The exterior of the building isn't too grandiose. In fact it is slightly austere, painted in a shade of grey mixed with a touch of pale blue. The rooftop is a shade of dark maroon - the same shade as Portugal's football kit and national flag. Colourful shrubs and pine trees lead up to the entrance with terra cotta pots full of geraniums strategically placed on steps at the side of the building. So far so good.

On entering the castle the first thing I did was look up and I couldn't believe the height of the ceilings. I wouldn't like to be the painter and decorator in this building. Unbelievably high and very ornate. The reception desk was very grand with a mahogany desk and several period pieces of furniture dotted in the area - looked like 18th century. Although the reception area had several mellow lamps all giving off rays of yellow light it was quite dark and good job I had my reading glasses or I wouldn't have been able to read the small print on the booking form.

The staff on the front desk were very smartly dressed and their language skills were impeccable. They had a very professional manner and were friendly and courteous.

Booking in is very straightforward - you fill in your personal details, hand over your passport which the staff keep for 24 hours and then they hand over the keys.

To reach our room which was a standard room we had to walk through several corridors. This is when you really get the feel of being in a castle with all the rich tapestries, paintings and statues everywhere. I felt like a rock star returning from a gig. My first impression was one of awe because of the splendour of the whole building. I have never seen so many treasures in a hotel which is what it really is.

The room was quite large with two single four poster beds next to each other with a gap in between. I giggled when I entered the room because I knew we were never going to be able to push those together - they were far too heavy. The top and sides of the beds were covered in material portraying a hunting tapestry scene. It was a bit spooky, if I am honest and when I eventually did get under the covers later in the evening I couldn't go to sleep for ages. I kept thinking King Dinis was going to come sleepwalking through the door.

The pillows also kept me awake for a while until I turfed one out on to the chair at the side of the bed - another period piece. They were huge and so heavy and full. The mattress of the bed was so high you needed a ladder to get on it. The beds were really uncomfortable - hard matresses and bulky pillows. In fact I am not sure if I like four poster beds at all - they are very claustrophobic and made me feel like I was in a budgie box. I wanted to have a mad attack, like Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind and tear all the tapestry curtains down so I could breathe. What I did think was cute though was that the sheets and pillow cases were embroidered with the castle's crest.

The walls of the room were a pale yellow which was refreshing especially in the morning when the sun's rays came shining through. The bedroom furniture was dark mahogany and seemed to be a reproduction of 18th century bedroom furniture - not the real thing. An armchair sat in one corner and a desk and chair in the other. There was only one painting in the centre of the room and this depicted historical scenes of what looked to be a Portuguese/Spanish battle.

It wasn't too hot when we stayed here but there is air conditioning for the hotter months. Also a telephone, mini-bar, and cable TV.

We had a very charming latticed window which had the most wonderful view of the the city and countryside. At night when the city was illuminated this was one of the best views I have come across.

I will mark the room 7/10.

The bathroom was en-suite but boy was it small. All that space in a huge castle and we had one of the tiniest bathrooms going. Not a lot of imagination had gone into the renovation of the bathroom. Everything was plain white - bath, washbasin, loo, shower curtain and towels with the embroidered emblem adding a touch of colour. The walls were all tiled in white marble as were the surfaces next to the wash basin. Floor tiles were also white marble with a slight grey grain. Spotlessly clean with soft towels changed every day and extra loo rolls added. Robes were hung on the back of the door - again in white. This was a nice touch and useful to use after a dip in the pool of the evening only we never did as it was freezing. Overall, very old fashioned and a bit tacky but adequate. 6/10

There are many common rooms or public rooms in this building and they all vary in grandeur. Some are filled to the brim with furniture; the style is definitely 18th century but not all pieces are museum pieces. There are many a reproduction. The decor in one of the rooms was really over the top. Tapestries adorned every wall, sofas, chairs, reading lamps, were everywhere and I felt very claustrophobic - it was like being in an old peoples home. The carpet was patterned and had seen better days and although some of the pieces of furniture were elegant they were quite jaded and could have done with a bit of upholstery.

Lamps; of all shapes, sizes, mounted on walls, hidden away in every nook and cranny. I know the 18th century was meant to be the century to celebrate light but I did feel that this was a bit too much.

My favourite rooms were the ones with huge windows overlooking the pool and charming gardens. These had cool, terracotta tiles on the floor and the walls were bare stone with the odd painting here and there. I particularly liked the blue room which had full length Prussian blue curtains tied back on all the windows. The blue and the colour of the stone was a welcoming contrast. Much nicer than all the heavy reds and gold in the other rooms.

7/10 for the public rooms

It seems strange to have a swimming pool in the grounds of a castle but the pool's position is incredible. From the sunbeds on the terraces around the pool you have a commanding view of Estremoz and the flat, golden plain of the Alentejo. As mentioned above the water was freezing when we were there which was late April.

The bar area was very relaxing even though red is the dominant colour. The bar is part of the Vasco de Gama saloon. I particularly liked the esplanade and how it spread out on to the garden where you could sit out and look at the city full of a hundred more golden lights. Bar staff were really chatty and friendly and a pleasure to spend time with. In the early evening you could sit and read or listen to the tinkling of piano keys. Yes, the bar was one of my favourite rooms - very charming and atmospheric.

Dinner and breakfast are served in different rooms. At weekends 'Royal Buffets' are served in the main dining hall which is a beautiful, high arched room which comes alive and is very atmospheric. The magnificent buffet is served on Saturday evening and Sunday lunch and consists of every Alentejo dish known to man - hot and cold.

You can also choose from the main menu if this doesn't entice you. Here you can choose from dishes of soup - tomato or bean or the traditional acorda with pork. Wild asparagus and mushrooms in pastry was on the menu when we stayed which was delicious. Various salads are available and always fresh ingredients are used.

Fish is plentiful and you can choose from the traditional bacalhau or stuffed crab or monkfish cooked in a white wine and coriander sauce with clams added to give the dish an even more fishy flavour. Not forgetting the friendly dogfish served in a wine and coriander sauce.

Roast meats are always on the menu including lamb, pork stuffed with pig's trotters and coriander, coelho (rabbit) served with green peppers and when in season game is served. Alentejo creamy cheeses, sweet, syrupy, delicious desserts and a decent smooth red wine round off the meal in true Alentejo style.

Breakfasts are just as colourful. Set out on a main table in a very artisitic manner. Every form of cereal, bread, cheese and cooked ham is available for you to help yourself and pile your plate as high as you possibly can. Decorative fresh fruit is placed at intervals along the table with fresh floral decorations giving the breakfast room a giant look of a Cezanne still-life. Cooked breakfasts are available as is yoghurt and freshly made honey cakes. I mustn't forget the home-made coffee brewing from early hours. The aroma was superb. Always being late risers we were last to go down to breakfast. It was a very peaceful experience sitting in this hall with huge arches, made for Kings and Giants - with just my husband and a waiter. One I will not forget.

There are 29 rooms altogether in the castle - some standard like the one we stayed in, some more luxurious and a couple of suites and one Royal suite. All are decorated in 18th century decor.

As Estremoz is in a country area the hotel caters for special hunting parties and has theme tours as well as theme nights which are generally Fado nights. Wedding parties are catered for and although a little jaded would make a great location for a wedding. Just imagine the bride wearing a long dress with pointed sleeves and a laced hood or a garland of flowers wrapped around her head. A perfect setting for a beautiful wedding.

Conferences and conventions are held in the building but my conference days are over so I didn't get involved with that side of things.

Now we come to the bit which you are waiting for - the price. Rooms are generally priced from 150 euros to 230 euros but throughout the year there are special promotions. There are concessions for people over the age of 55 with a 40% discount. In the summer months you can take a room for 100 euros if you stay for 5 nights or more and newly weds are offered some discounts - usually a free dinner.

We went in late April last year and paid 100 euros per night. This is for the room and breakfast only. Dinner is extra and starts from around 35 euros depending on your choice of wines.

Did I think it was worth it? Yes, I have to say - mainly for the location and actually staying in a real castle. I was slightly disappointed with the furnishings as they are definitely jaded and some need a trip to the antique hospital. The bathroom was very antiquated and too small.

I was told that this was the best pousada in Portugal but having been to several I can now say, it isn't.

On the positive side the building itself is fabulous and the gardens and pool complex are utterly charming as are the staff. The views from the battlements, pool and gardens down over the city and the surrounding farmland are really stunning - even more so at night when the castle itself is lit up.

I think its a fair price for such a memorable experience. It was my wish to stay in the pousadas of Portugal and it came true and even though Pousada Rainha Santa Isabel is a little down at heel I am sure King Dinis' beauiful queen would approve of the changes.

Summary: Not the best pousada in Portugal but a very nice one.