As Portugal moves deeper into a new century with a new currency, the landscape is forever changing, although the old-fashioned traditions such as handcrafts and Manueline architecture remain to delight new visitors every year. Experiencing the greatest changes are Lisbon, the Costa do Sol (Estoril and Cascais), the emerging city of Porto, and the forever volatile Algarve, the beachfront strip along the southern coast.
Here are some major developments that could have an impact on your trip.
Algarve
Close to the resort area of Praia da Luz and the city of Lagos in the western Algarve, Burgau Beach Hotel, Praia da Luz, (tel. 93/459-50-12), is the only hotel in this picture-book village. The hotel opens onto a bay of blond sand, standing in a fisherman's village of cobbled streets. Its special feature is a private pool and a sun terrace. Parque da Floresta and Palmares golf courses are within a 20-minute drive of the resort.
The market town of Almancil lies at the center of some of the most exclusive tourist developments along the Algarvian coast, including Vale do Lobo 6.5 kilometers (4 miles) southeast of the city. In recent years this area of the coast has become one of the great gourmet dining centers of Portugal.
The beat goes on with the opening of world-class restaurants. These include Caso do Campo in the Qunita do Lago area (tel. 289/399-109), lying in an old Algarvean house filled with cozy charm. It accurately calls itself a restaurant for all seasons. Diners enjoy a blazing fireplace in winter and al fresco dining under an old fig tree in summer. The cuisine is international, prepared by first-class chefs who turn out such dishes as the fresh catch of the day grilled to perfection or such starters as warm goat's cheese tartlets with dried figs and honey.
Also in the same area, an owner/chef known to his friends only as Jose has opened Fuzio's Restaurant (tel. 289-399-019), just outside Almancil on the way to Vale do Lobo. This is one of the best Italian restaurants along the coast, offering superb dishes made with first-rate products, including fresh fish. The pastas are delectable, joining an offering that includes the freshest of seafood and succulent steaks, along with luscious homemade desserts. There are two outdoor terraces for summer dining al fresco.
In another part of the Algarve, near the town of Monchique, 42 kilometers (26 miles) from Lagos, Rouzinol, Estrade de Monchique (tel. 282/913-975), is drawing discerning palates with its take on some of the best regional cuisine in the area. The first-class restaurant is installed in an old hunting lodge that has been renovated by its owner/chef, Stefhan. The chef has operated restaurants in West Africa, Morocco, the Canary Islands, and the Caribbean, and has brought the flavors or those lands to his Rouxinol (nightingale in English). Food is served on open-air terraces on balmy summer nights. Most guests order the freshly caught catch of the day, and shellfish stew is the chef's signature dish. We can't wait to return to sample the grilled lamb from Alentejo, followed by the warm raspberry pie with ice cream.
Outside the Algarvian town of Almancil, in the scenic Vale do Lobo to its southeast, a series of restaurants has opened to earn Michelin stars, unique outside of Lisbon. Today this Valley of the Wolf offers the best dining in the south of Portugal in a rather amazing concentration of top restaurants. Casa Velha (Quinta do Lago; tel. 28/939-49-83) lures with some of the most refined and finely tuned French cuisine along the coast. It enjoys a lakeside setting in a restored century-old farmhouse. In Vale Formoso, 3.2km (2 miles) from Almancil, Henrique Leis (Vale Formosa; tel. 28/939-34-38) is one of the region's most outstanding restaurants, attracting serious foodies to its world-class French and international cuisine. Chef Henrique Leis is a master of the kitchen, insisting on market-fresh ingredients that he concocts into sublime offerings. Finally, there is São Gabriel (Quinto do Lago; tel. 28/939-45-21), an elegant citadel of fine Swiss and Continental cuisine in a setting southeast of the center of Almancil. The cuisine here is so well crafted and daringly original that it attracts discerning palates up and down the coast.
Alentejo
This province called a land of "fire and ice" is attracting more and more visitors to its plains. Because of recent travel magazine publicity in Europe, discerning motorists are heading for the town of Redondo, lying 27 kilometers (16.7 miles) from Estremoz and 34 kilometers (21.1 miles) from Evora. Once in Redondo motorists follow the signs for Aldela da Serra for 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) where they come upon Convento de São Paulo, Estrada N 381 (tel. 266/989160). A beautiful restaurant, O Ermita, has been installed in this restored hotel whose origins as a building go back to 1182. Guests dine stylishly beneath 18th-century restored fresco paintings. Some of the best regional specialties in Alentejo are served here, chefs using products grown in the province itself. Many of the recipes came down from the monks who used to inhabit the place.
Braga
More travelers to the far northern city of Braga are learning about the opening of a good and most affordable budget hotel, Albergaria Senhora a Branca (Braga; tel. 25/326-99-38). Modern comforts have been installed in this restored hotel, along with a bounty of antiques -- the owner was a former dealer.
Cascais
The big news along the Costa do Sol (Lisbon's beach strip) is the opening of a government-rated, 5-star hotel, Farol Design Hotel (Cascais; tel. 21/482-34-90), in a restored 19th-century mansion along the waterfront. This stylish boutique hotel has been an instant hit since its opening to a beach- and fun-loving crowd attracted to this resort, which is far livelier than in Estoril. More hotel news is generated by the opening of Village Cascais (Cascais; tel. 21/482-60-60), a stunningly modern first-class hotel in the historic district of this old fishing port. The hotel offers beautifully furnished bedrooms and is one of the best equipped in the area, with such luxuries as two pools.
Once known as the queen of Lisbon's Riviera, the landmark Hotel Estoril Sol, Parque de Palmela (tel. 21/483-90-00), constructed back in 1965, has made a comeback. In its day it hosted everybody from royalty to Hollywood stars. In its restoration its room count was reduced to 292, making its bedrooms much more spacious, each with rejuvenated marble-clad luxury bathrooms. Some 92% of the accommodations open onto a private balcony with a panoramic vista of the Bay of Cascais and its marina. For the well-heeled luxury lover, there are 15 glamorous suites and 3 penthouses. There is private access to the beaches. All the public facilities, including drinking and dining choices, have been improved, and all the latest gadgetry, including computer plugs, have been installed.
Estoril
In what used to be the playground of kings (most often exiled royalty), the beach resort of Estoril outside Lisbon has had its dining scene vastly improved with the opening of La Villa (Estoril; tel. 21/468-00-33), fronting Praia do Tamariz. The chefs concoct a Mediterranean menu that includes some savory Moroccan specialties as well, with everything served in a restored 18th-century palace.
Estremoz
In the Alentejo city of Estremoz, long known for its deluxe pousada, a challenger has risen. Although it has been open for some time, Estalgem Páteo dos Solares (Estremoz; tel. 26/833-84-00) is just now becoming known among savvy travelers to this region. Evoking old Portugal, it is a restored 41-room manor house that has been completely brought up-to-date with such added luxuries as hydromassages.
Lisbon
In the heart of Lisbon, VIP Eden (Lisbon; tel. 21/321-66-00) has opened and has won architectural awards for its recycling of an Art Deco landmark, the Eden Theatre. Now converted to a sleek new 134-room apartment house, it offers suitelike living arrangements complete with fully equipped kitchenettes ideal for families. Even bigger excitement is being generated by the opening of the 14-room Solar do Castelo (Lisbon; tel. 21/887-09-09) within the walls of St. George's Castle, crowning the Alfama hilltop overlooking the city. This atmospheric and first-rate hotel was constructed on the site of the former kitchens of Lisbon's first Royal Palace, offering beautifully furnished bedrooms. At Parque das Nações, Lisbon has its third Tivoli Hotel, this one called Tivoli Tejo, Avenida D. João II (tel. 21/891-51-00), a glistening 279-room hotel just a 2-minute walk from the splendid new transportation hub, Estação do Oriente. Offering rooms in a wide range of sizes and configurations, this is one of the best equipped hotels in Lisbon, complete with a 16th-floor gourmet restaurant and a dramatic indoor pool.
One of the newest hotels to open is the government-rated four-star Mercure Lisboa Malhoa, Avenue José Malhoa 1684 (tel. 21/7208-000). Standing at one of the main approach routes to the center, the hotel features more than a hundred attractively and comfortably furnished bedrooms with everything from minibars to safes to dataports. The hotel's special feature is a covered swimming pool. Rooms are set aside for nonsmokers, and there are also special facilities for those with disabilities.
The latest Lisbon hotel is Villa Ríca, Avenue 5 De Outubro 301-319 (tel. 21/004-30-00), lying at Entrecampos, close to the center of Lisbon. The bedrooms are stylishly furnished and among the most up-to-date in the city, with such grace notes in decorating as art work by young Portuguese artists. The hotel offers 171 well-furnished bedrooms, each fully equipped, along with a health club with an indoor swimming pool. In addition, there is a choice of three dining options, each serving good food, plus a cigar room and a piano bar with live music played nightly.
Long a Lisbon standard, the 577-room Lisbon Marriott, Avenue dos Combatantes 45 (tel. 21/723-54-00), has been fully renovated and is now better than ever. Lying in the financial district, the rejuvenated hotel is convenient for both business clients and casual visitors intent on sightseeing. Everything is looking brighter here, including the business center, health club, outdoor swimming pool, and dining facilities.
Standing virtually under the Ponte do 25 de Abril (25th of April Bridge), Doca Peixe (Lisbon; tel. 21/397-35-65) means "Fish Dock" in Portuguese, and that aptly describes the first-rate offerings served here nightly in an evocative nautical ambience. Check out the wide range and variety of offerings in the aquarium at the entrance. In the increasingly fashionable Parque das Nações district, Restaurante Panoramico Torre Vasco da Gama (Lisbon; tel. 21/893-95-50) has become the restaurant of choice, not only for its exciting international menu, but also for its panoramic seascape views that include the vast span of the Vasca da Gama Bridge stretching over the Tagus river. The restaurant is installed atop a new landmark built for the World Expo show.
An intriguing new restaurant, Kais, Cais da Viscondessa, Rua da Cintura-Santos (tel. 21/881-0320), lies in a converted warehouse at a dock. It was decorated by one of Portugal's best-known designers. Pulleys and chains are dramatically suspended from the high ceilings. The restaurant serves a first-rate international cuisine, using quality products. Wait until you sample that spicy Mozambique prawn curry.
Many visitors rank shopping as one of the most compelling reasons to go to Lisbon. In the Parque da Naçoes, the Vasco da Gama Center has recently opened, boasting 164 shops, plus 123 so-called "satellite" outlets, along with a staggering total of 30 new restaurants. Along with Portuguese made products, you can also find a lot of designer labels, including Vuitton and Hugo Boss selling at cheaper prices than you might find in other Western European capitals.
On other fronts, new and attractive shops seem to be opening every week, including FactoLab, with a location at the docks at Avenue Infante Dom Henrique (tel. 21/882-2898), a shoe store and a salon catering to cutting-edge fashion, as it accurately claims. One of the most exciting new galleries is Galeria Filomena Soares, 78-80 Rua de Manutenação (tel. 21/862-4122). Both up-and-coming Portuguese artists, along with those more internationally acclaimed, are on display here.
For a showcase of the latest Portuguese products, check out ModalLisboa, 25 Rua do Arsenal (tel. 21/031-2830), which displays everything from Susana Barbosa's stunning silver pieces to José Viana's gleaming crystal products.
Madeira
On Portugal's lushest and most beautiful island, Madeira, off the coast of Africa, Xôpana Restaurant, at the Choupana Hills Resort and Spa outside Funchal (tel. 291/20-6020) is becoming a preferred choice for dining. It lies in the Choupana Hills in a subtropical garden setting with panoramic views of the capital, Funchal, and its harbor. A fusion cuisine focusing on seafood is the feature here. As an added attraction the Basalt Bar is suspended above the resort, offering not only great views, but also exotic cocktails. In winter, a fireplace blazes.
Choupana Hills Resort & Spa (Funchal; tel. 29/120-60-20) is an elegant new hotel with a first-rate spa that has opened in the mountains overlooking the city of Funchal and the bay. The resort offers understated luxury, a fusion cuisine, and a romantic hideaway. There's nothing quite like it on the island of Madeira.
Porto
A refined Japanese cuisine has finally invaded this northern city famous for its production of port wine. Amid a minimalist décor, Itmae (Porto; tel. 22/205-12-40) offers superb Japanese dishes, attracting all sushi lovers and devotees of the freshest of fish. Highly trained chefs are acquainting local palates with some real Asian treats such as ruby-red raw tuna.
Opening in November of 2003, Sheraton Porto Hotel and Spa, Rua De Tenente Valadim 146 (tel. 22/606-0982) became the first government-rated five-star hotel to open in this city of port wine in 11 years. Offering 266 well-furnished and spacious guest rooms and suites, this new property has immediately become a favorite with visitors intent on sightseeing as well as the business traveler. This is the Sheraton chain's third property in Portugal, and it lies just 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) form the city's famous port wine cellars. Special facilities include a swimming pool, a first-class gym, and topnotch drinking and dining facilities.
Sesimbra
The opening of the completely modern 100-room Sana Park Sesimbra Hotel (Sesimbra; tel. 21/228-90-00) is luring more beach devotees to this little fishing port south of Lisbon. The government-rated four-star hotel serves as a beach escape from Lisbon for those not wanting to patronize the more overcrowded Estoril and Cascais on the immediate doorstep of Lisbon. The fresh seafood served in its topnotch restaurant is another reason to stay here.
Setúbal
In this ancient city south of the Tagus, a government-rated four-star hotel, Estalagem Do Sado (Setúbal; tel. 26/554-28-00), has opened with 66 handsomely furnished and impressive bedrooms. Bedrooms are divided between an older restored building and a more modern wing, and there's an on-site restaurant with a panoramic view over the cityscape.
Viseu
The provincial city of Viseu, capital of the region of Portugal known as Beira Alta, has gained a new leading restaurant, Muralha da Sé (Viseu; tel. 23/243-77-77), serving a most rewarding and authentic Portuguese cuisine in the heart of the historic district. Its grilled lamb dishes and grilled baby beef are the finest meat platters served in the region, and the menu is backed up by a reasonably priced wine list.