It's (nearly) Christmas

Advantages: Lots of seasonal activities
Disadvantages: Not for older children

......

danielalong 29.11.2006 · Read review
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Review of It's Christmas Time - Praca Zbiorowa

Clean and European

Advantages: Modern and clean
Disadvantages: I do not know

...Florianopolis is a modern city with nice beaches. You can also visit the town around Praca 15 de Novembro. During Brazilian summer, it can be a bit expensive to find accommodation. The area around Rua Consilheiro Mafra has a few of cheap places. For the food you can try ?Macarronada Italiana? for Italain food in Avenida Rubens de Arruda Ramos. Many people stop only at Florianopolis and then go to Ilha de Santa Catarina. This is an even better places to go to the beach. A very famous beach is Praia dos Ingleses, on the East Coast. If you have the time, I also recommend you go to Blumenau, which looks more Germany than Brazil to me!...

FRADUC 25.07.2000 · Read review
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Review of Florianopolis

Only a base for exploring the surrounding area

Advantages: Good stopover
Disadvantages: Not much to do

...You may want to spend the night in Belo Horizonte only as a stopover, I do not really feel it is worth spending much time in the city, while Minas Gerias has got plenty of tourist places and few still undiscovered gems. A couple of addresses if you happen to get stuck in Belo Horizonte. Do not stay in the hotels around the rodoviaria, unless you intend to find cheap company. Hotel Continental at Avenida Parana should not cost you more than $20 for a double and has a good standard. For lunch, once you are in Praca Sete, have a look around and make your choice. If it is convenient for you, you can stay in Belo Horizonte and go to and come back from Mariana on the same day. There are 8 daily buses....

CICLISTALOCO 18.07.2000 · Read review
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Review of Belo Horizonte

Loquacious Lisbon

Advantages: A Vibrant City with a Cosmopolitan Atmosphere
Disadvantages: A bit hilly for some

...surrounded by cafe tables and is the heart of Lisbon. Heretics were burnt at the stake here and it was also a venue for bullfights. In the middle of the traffic free island stands two fountains and a statue of Dom Pedro 1V, hence its official name Praca de Dom Pedro 1V. Around the edge of the square are a number of celebrated cafes which are quite grandiose in design. The Cafe Nicola is a beautiful Art Deco cafe with a genuine 1930's exterior and the decor inside is filled with gems like Art Deco lamps, chairs, crockery, teapots and the like. This is an ideal place to sit and observe the multi-ethnic nature of modern Lisbon. Indian, African and Asiatic features in the faces of the passers by reflect Portugal's maritime history and status as a colonial power. The Pastelaria Suica is another magical cafe in the square and one I recommend. Not only...

Praski 28.09.2009 · Read review
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Review of Lisbon (Portugal)

My Lovely Lagos

Advantages: A Great Atmospheric Town Bubbling with Life and Colour
Disadvantages: None

...so soft and golden. In winter my husband used to run every morning the whole length of the bay and sometimes he would never meet another soul. There are bars along the expanse of the beach which are very simple made from wood with bamboo roofs. In the evenings I always loved to go to a beach bar for a simple meal, sit out and look at the ocean's waves silently coming into the shore. Sometimes we would walk back slowly collecting shells and filling our pockets to the brim. Other times we would race each other to see who could get to the rocks first. Yes, I did win once! Happy memories. The ancient port of Lagos has a long and troubled history. It was a very important centre on this section of coast, primarily because it served as the main trading post for slaves from Africa. In 1443, under the arcades of the Casa da Alfandega by the Praca...

Praski 26.02.2009 · Read review
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Review of Lagos (Portugal)

A famous restaurant tucked away in a small passage in Evora

Advantages: A great traditional restaurant in the historical city of Evora
Disadvantages: A little difficult to find.

...The Alentejo has always been known for its traditional regional recipes and about twenty years ago when I first started visiting this dry, sunny region the area only had a handful of restaurants. Travellers nowadays can select restaurants with care and can expect a more gastronomic experience. Especially in Evora you will be spoilt for choice. Fialho is a restaurant that is tucked away down a little side street off the Praca Joaquim Antonio de Aguar and can be difficult to find. While chefs in other restaurants in Evora are taking the Alentejan traditions in new, lighter directions, the Fialho still remains a shrine to traditional Alentjan cooking. Sixty years ago this restaurant was a little diner where workers and families used to go to eat. Its owner, Manuel Fialho, has now passed on the traditions and his recipes to his sons...

Praski 21.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Fialho, Evora

Beach front perfection!

Advantages: Location!
Disadvantages: Nothing!

...After losing out on going to Tenerife (see my Thomsons review), we decided to go to Portugal. First choice was Lisbon. To get a hotel by the beach seemed very expensive so we looked a little further out and came to find Costa da Caparica. --Getting There-- If you are on a late flight into Lisbon i would say you would be best to catch a taxi to the hotel. This costs around ?40.00 which isnt too bad for a 25 minute jouney but i think some of the taxi drivers do try and pull the wool over your eyes especially if you are obviously a tourist. The taxis do charge an extra ?1.60 for luggage, not much i know but worth mentioning. If you are on a earlier flight or feel like being brave a cheaper way to get to the hotel is to get a taxi to Praca De Espanha (?7.00) and then catch the 153 bus (?2.50) to Costa Da Caparica. The hotel is a 5...

clarej69 06.05.2007 · Read review
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Review of Da Praia Do Sol, Setubal

Lovely Lisbon

Advantages: a really nice city
Disadvantages: none

...the underground, clean, on time, cheap [for us]) to the big round Praça (place) Marquês de Pombal with an enormous monument in the middle showing a male figure with a lion at his side; Pombal, foreign minister to King José I, was responsible for the reconstruction of the city after the earthquake. Uphill is the 500m long geometrically laid out park Edoardo VII, downhill (Lisbon is a hilly city) the wide and elegant Avenida da Liberdade leading to the part of the city that shows Pombal´s planning hand, the Cidade Baixa (low city), a grid of rectangular streets, a modern concept for the 18th century. The Rua Augusta is a pedestrian precinct with mostly expensive shops on either side and open-air cafés in the middle, from there we got through a triumphal arc to the Praça do Comércio. A big equestrian statue of King José looks out at the river Tejo...

MALU 02.08.2005 · Read review
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Review of Lisbon (Portugal)

Is this the best resort

Advantages: Facilities
Disadvantages: Pricey

...at the expensive Dona Filipa. I've tried them all. This is a very nice resort, particularly with the Praca at night (shops, bars, restaurnts etc.) and stands out in Portugal. Avoid Albufeira and Vilamoura unless you like the Blackpool type holiday, clammering from bar to br being hassled by timeshare reps...you know the type. Vale do Lobo attracts a better type of holiday-maker, hence the prices. The beach is fantastic, the best on the Algarve. Prefer Quinta do Lago, the resort next door. Bit quieter but classier - the likes of Madonna and Michael Owen reside there during some summer months!...

foxstuart 08.07.2003 · Read review
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Review of Vale Do Lobo (Portugal)

Time travel

Advantages: It's diferent
Disadvantages: It's not in the UK

...place because Madrid is considered The European Night Capital. The place busiest places are between Portas del Sol, Praça de Santa Ana and Calle Huertas, with numerous bars, beer shops and restaurants and of curse, the typical madrilène environment, that you will only understand if you are there. To go for a walk or have fun, if you want to go with the family, this city is a perfect place … But if you are a culture lover then, this is just what you were looking for…...

leo290902 23.02.2005 · Read review
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Review of Madrid (Spain)