Oporto - Capital of Culture 2001

Advantages: A perfect City break
Disadvantages: Few

...Oporto – where the Port comes from – is a designated Site of World Heritage according to UNESCO, which means that the city is one of the world's most precious cultural sites and has also been named European Capital of Culture for 2001 by the EU. This will come as a surprise to my father-in-law as I well remember his remarks when I returned from my first visit to the city. “So, what did you think?” he asked (in Portuguese) “It’s very old”, I faltered, with my poor grasp of the language. “Not old, - just dirty!” he countered with a grin. It should be pointed out that my father-in law comes from Lisbon, so I was being treated to the Portuguese version of the ‘grim up north’/soft southerners debate. But it’s true …. the granite buildings along...

Andy_W 30.03.2001 (03.04.2001) · Read review
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Review of Porto (Portugal)

Hotel in Portugal's Paris-Hint of Hercule Poirot

Advantages: Friendly Staff, Great location
Disadvantages: Doesn't have all the mod cons

...The Hotel Astoria is situated in Coimbra, one of the four major cities of Portugal. The other three are Lisbon, Oporto and Braga, and the Portuguese (bless them!) have a little ditty to describe all four. They say, in between mouthfuls of roast suckling pig, that 'Braga prays, Oporto works, Coimbra studies and Lisbon plays'. From that you can probably guess that Coimbra is the principal university town, their version of Oxbridge. It is, in my opinion the best-looking and friendliest major city in Portugal. The bulk of the city and the campus areas are on and around a dome like hill and is the usual Portuguese mix of white marble and redbrick squalor. The residential and commercial centre however is on the banks of a wide meandering river, the River Mondego. It is here that you will find the Hotel Astoria, overlooking the river and close...

bigush 03.01.2007 · Read review
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Review of Astoria Hotel Coimbra

Portuguese unusual but attractive location

Advantages: Attractive hotel and courtyard, friendly staff
Disadvantages: not many other children, lack of activities

...My young family had a lovely time at this hotel Location Hotel Suave Mar is located in Esposende in North Portugal. It is about half hour on the coach from the airport at Oporto. This is a great distance for the kids' tolerance. This is on top a much shorter flight from the UK compared to other sunny destinations. It is a smallish hotel, which gave it a comfortable and cosy atmosphere. The hotel is set a little walk away from the centre of Esposende where there is a pleasant enough market square. However the town is a small, ordinary place and there is not really much to see of interest. It would be a good base to explore the area of the Costa Verde and Oporto, but being with young children that was not for us. It is also set fairly close to the beach, although you do need to cross a fairly major, though not busy, road and walk...

imogen49 11.09.2006 · Read review
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Review of Hotel Suave Mar, Braga

The Pestana Porto - my pick of Porto

Advantages: friendly efficient staff, good location
Disadvantages: poorly promoted restaurant

...In September we had a great holiday in North Portugal and I wanted to tell you about my favourite hotel. We booked into the Pestana Porto for 4 nights and it was a very enjoyable stay. My Aunt had recommended Oporto so after a search on Tripadvisor for hotels there, we booked a room with a river view. Location The Pestana Porto is ideally situated for tourists. It looks out onto the river Douro and the riverside cafes. Nearby are old, narrow quaint streets with bars and restaurants. River cruises regularly set off from just below our bedroom window. A walk across the bridge to Vila Nova de Gaia takes you straight into the old part of the town and you can easily walk to many of the famous port houses. The fabulous Palacio da Bolsa is located a short walk away. We walked into town although this is not recommended for all. Parts...

kazbo 27.11.2006 · Read review
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Review of Pestana Porto Hotel, Porto

Cockburns Ruby Port

Advantages: Low affordable price
Disadvantages: doesnt have the class of older ports

...Cockburns Ruby Port Although i am not a big drinker, when i do drink i generally only drink port. Personally i find taylors to be a much smoother drink however Cockburns Ruby Port is extremely drinkable and being genarally £2 or £3 cheaper that Cockburns Special Reserve a nice alternative and well worth a drink and at an average cost of £8.99 for a 75cl bottle very reasonably priced. Made in Portugal, Cockburn's Ruby Port is a blend of young wines from various years which is then aged for three years in wood casks and bottled after filtration. Port gets its name from Oporto, Portugal's second largest city from where the wine has been shipped for over 300 years This Port offers a rich and fruity taste mixing full bodied flavours of raspberry, plum and spice, its red colour is as vibrant as the taste. Fine Ruby goes...

hammer4 27.06.2007 · Read review
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Review of Cockburns Ruby Port

Port & Brandy Makes You Randy....And Posh.

Advantages: Good quality Port for a low price
Disadvantages: Not in supermarkets

...If you go to Oporto, the main city in the North of Portugal, you will find that it is built (and I use the term loosely, scattered might be better) on the steep banks of a wide river. The river which splits the city in two is the River Douro and is responsible, geographically, for this particular alcoholic concoction. If you look over at the south bank of the river you will see a forest of neon signs. On closer inspection you will notice that the names on the signs look curiously English. They are English. You will see Taylor's, Sandeman's, Graham's, Dow's and Offley's, the brand I am reviewing here. These are the Port Wine Lodges where all the official Port in the world is made. The names are English because traditionally the vineyards and production of Port have been controlled by the English since the 18th century. You will still...

bigush 21.02.2007 · Read review
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Review of Offley Tawny Port Wine

Rod Stewart Semi-Plugged, The Sublime To The Banal

Advantages: Ron Wood
Disadvantages: Hot Legs

...It's hard for non-babyboomers to believe that Rod Stewart was a cutting-edge R&B troubadour in his time. He was though, and it wasn't until the early eighties that he really became a conversational embarrassment. What happened to the poor sod? LA basically, and too long a separation from Ronnie Wood. Jagger has Keith to keep him on the 'Bent & Wide', Rod has Ron. Both have Ron actually but that's another story. So it was, that after a particularly liquid lunch in Oporto, I found myself in a multi-media store. I saw this CD. I thought 5 euros (3 quid) can't be bad, added to which I saw Ron Wood on the cover. I did, of course, wonder why in the hell I'd bought it on the Sunday morning, but it turned out to be not such a bad buy. I've done much worse after a liquid lunch! This is a discount pressing of one of those unplugged MTV...

bigush 17.12.2006 · Read review
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Review of Unplugged... And Seated - Rod Stewart

Portuguese TGV- The Best Ride I've Had!

Advantages: Very cheap, Very Comfortable, Very Fast
Disadvantages: Bit too fast to take in the scenery

...This is not a travelogue on Lisbon and Porto but a review of the Alfa Pendular high speed train service that runs between the two cities. Lisbon and Porto deserve at least a book each, their being two of the most picturesque and interesting cities on the Iberian peninsular. On a simple level Lisbon (Lisboa) and Porto (Oporto) have the same relationship and rivalry as do London and Manchester in the UK. Lisbon is where the money and power of Portugal are centred, whereas Porto has traditionally been an industrial hub. In particular it is the centre of the textile industry just as Manchester was, and also Port wine production, as Manchester certainly has never been. The distance separating them is roughly the same; 350k (210 miles). Their football teams, especially Benfica and Porto FC are by far the most supported in Portugal...

bigush 15.01.2007 · Read review
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Review of Alfa Pendular High Speed Train Service Lisbon-Porto

An other idea of the beer

Advantages: read me
Disadvantages: read me

...of barley and of malt of wheat what gives him a mild acidity very thirst-quenching. Lightly hot he mouth one feels a small fruity taste and more precisely of apricot coloured. She lets have a wheaten after taste who is far from to be distasteful because the taste is not too stiff. It must serve her very fresh with a slice of lemon-coloured, his moss is high-class and white. Do not forget a few peanut to marked. I let have you a few cocktail receipts Favour to read me. Joao Weisse Quantitée : 1 cuil. to coffee of Oporto 1 cuil. to coffee of dehydrated sugar 1 pinches of nutmeg 1 bottles of 25Cl of Hoegaarden Prepare : In a mixer, to pour a bottle of Hoegaarden, a spoon to coffee of Oporto red and a spoon to coffee of dehydrated sugar . To add a little to pounded ice then to mix gently. Before serving, to sprinkle...

seth6672 21.02.2003 · Read review
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Review of Hoegaarden White

Off the beaten track

Advantages: It's more of the REAL Portugal (not the Alrgarve folks!)
Disadvantages: To get to see most of the sights you're gonna to have to hire a car as the public transport is very poor

...Ideally situated in the centre region of Portugal, Coimbra (pronounced phonetically as qwim-brar) is a picturesque university town steeped in history. It was previously the first capital of Portugal prior to Lisboa (Lisbon to Englsih speakers), and also had the first university in the country. The University still dominates the skyline on top of a steep hill on one bank of the river (which cuts through the center of the city). Coimbra is flanked on the east side by steep hills, which rise almost immediately off the bank of the river. • Where is it? What is there to do? Coimbra has not developed as commercially to the extent as the other major cities such as Oporto (Porto) in the north-west and Lisboa (Lisbon, the Capital) on the southern tip of the Atlantic (west) coastline. It still retains a more laid back atmosphere...

Slim_Lee 04.05.2001 · Read review
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Review of Coimbra (Portugal)