Romance & Relaxation

Pedras Salgadas SPA reopens

Wednesday, 14 July 2010 00:00

The new thermal spa at Pedras Salgadas in Vidago (Chaves) opens on June 18, 2010. Owner, Unicer, said the SPA was designed by architect Alvaro Siza Vieira, and built in the historic building on the spa. The SPA will offer mineral water treatments supplemented with relaxation and well-being. Apart from hydro and Vichy shower, you can enjoy a steam bath, sauna, heated pool and old-fashioned relaxation. Unicer says the "uniqueness of this park" is due to the fact that "the origin of the Water Stone is a resource with recognized therapeutic properties for more than 100 years."  This project is part of the "AQUANATTUR" initiative Unicer is developing in Vidago - a total investment of 80 million.  The second phase of this investment includes the construction of a hotel. The Vidago Palace Hotel will reopen October 6, exactly a century after its initial opening. The official reopening of this landmark, which has been completely remodeled, is part of the Centenary of the Republic Celebrations. The hotel has 70 rooms and suites, restaurants, meeting rooms, a thermal spa and clubhouse, golf course with 18 holes and a park with a hundred acres.

Travel Portugal UNESCO World Heritage Douro River Valley Onboard Uniworld’s NEW Douro Spirit Cruise Ship

Tuesday, 15 June 2010 14:06

Uniworld Boutique River Cruises is proud to announce a new luxury ship, the Douro Spirit, along Portugal and Spain’s UNESCO World Heritage Douro River. In 2011, the NEW Douro Spirit will be the most elegant ship to sail through the magnificent Douro River Valley. The Douro Valley is being increasingly recognized for its wine making, natural beauty and exceptional value.  Its wine heritage—Port—dates back over 2,000 years with the oldest demarcated wine region in the world. The Douro Valley is also a cultural landscape of exceptional beauty with rambling vineyards and charming quintas clinging to the steep slopes of its valley, creating an incomparable backdrop to one of Europe’s most unspoiled regions. And this is what you can expect to see and experience from the comfort of Uniworld’s new Douro Spirit. Every riverview stateroom and suite onboard features a French balcony, so guests can get closer than ever to the breathtaking scenery of the region’s unspoiled natural landscapes. Staterooms and suites also feature hotel beds draped in fine linens, built-in closets, flat-screen televisions with satellite, and complimentary bottled water; and each bathroom is stocked  L’Occitane bath and body products. The Douro Spirit’s common areas provide added comfort with a main lounge featuring a full-service bar and dance floor, a restaurant, a sun deck with Jacuzzi® and small swimming pool, a lovely onboard restaurant with open seating, a fitness room, a massage room, a beauty salon, and a boutique. And all of this is presented on an intimate ship built to accommodate a maximum of 128 guests and provide the small-ship ambiance preferred by our experienced travelers. Of course, even a great ship is incomplete without a great itinerary. Explore the seven hills of cosmopolitan Lisbon, uncovering a treasure trove of Old World architecture. Visit Coimbra, the “Birthplace of Kings;” Porto, the beautiful “City of Bridges” with its UNESCO World Heritage-designated Medieval city center; Guimãres, which has its own UNESCO-listed Medieval city center. Taste a variety of wonderful local wines from village vineyards, including the famed Port wine. And, dine at the Vintage House Hotel, a magnificent18th-century wine quinta overlooking the Douro River. And all along the way, uncover a land of genuine beauty and breathtaking charm, as well as meet warmhearted, friendly people with welcoming open arms.

Uniworld’s 11-day Portugal, Spain & the Douro River Valley Cruise includes: three nights in Lisbon at a deluxe hotel with breakfast; a 7-night cruise in a stateroom with a French balcony onboard the new Douro Spirit; all meals with complimentary fine wine, beer, and soft drinks served with dinner onboard; 10 fully-hosted shore excursions by English-speaking local guides; and transfers on arrival and departure days.  Prices start from $2,999 per person, exclusive of airfare. And, if the trip is paid in full at time of booking by October 31, 2010, travelers can enjoy up to $400 per person savings depending on the category stateroom.

Malo Clinic Spa Luso to open

Sunday, 06 June 2010 00:00

Malo Clinic Spa Luso - Thermal & Medical Spa is scheduled to open in  mid summer 2010 and will offer new hydro-massages, relaxing showers and some hidropinia treatments (water ingestion - drinking waters to alleviate some respiratory symptoms). ³Água Termal de Luso² in Centrohas a remarkable therapeutic effect on chronic disorders of the renal-urinary system, hypertension, metabolic disorders, rheumatism, locomotion system and chronic respiratory disorders and skin ailments. Due to its diuretic and detoxifying effects, the water absorption from the Thermal Water Fountain has a therapeutic effect on chronic disorders of the renal-urinary system, hypertension, metabolic disorders, rheumatism, locomotion system and chronic respiratory disorders and skin ailments.

Termas de Luso Spa Renewed

Tuesday, 01 June 2010 00:00

After being closed eight months for renovations, the Luso Thermal Spa on the western slope of the Buçaco Mountains has reopened. Set in a zone of great natural beauty, the Luso Thermal Spa has long been an ideal site to relax amid green and exuberant scenery. But now, after significant work by the Grupo Central de Cervejas, the spa offers the Malo Clinic Spa Luso - Thermal & Medical. Beyond the classic water spa, the Luso facility will offer well-being and alternative therapies. The therapeutic properties help to treat respiratory diseases, renal problems, arthritis, bone and muscle problems, and bad circulation.