Page 459 - Lonely Planet Europe’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

Eating & Sleeping

winery runs hour-long tours (€3) followed by
Peso da Régua 2 tastings at 11am daily. The bright, appealing
rooms straddle different buildings and private
5 Castas e Pratos Portuguese €€€ villas are available for weekly rental. Three-
(%254 323 290; www.castasepratos.com; course dinners (€25) are perfectly matched
Av José Vasques Osório; mains €19.50-22.50; with wines, and during the autumn harvest you
h10.30am-11pm) The coolest dining room can even join in with grape-treading traditions.
in town is set in a restored wood-and-stone 4 Vintage House Boutique Hotel €€€
railyard warehouse with exposed original
timbers. You can order grilled alheira sausage or (%254 730 230; www.csvintagehouse.
octopus salad from the tapas bar downstairs or com; Lugar da Ponte; s €140-210, d €180-
have the seabass on seafood fumet with saffron 285; paiWs) Occupying a string of
filaments, or kid goat in port with fava beans in 19th-century buildings right on the river, this
the mezzanine. luxurious sleep is actually very modern once
you get past the distinctly English facade (a
4 Hotel Régua Douro Hotel €€ reminder of the key role Brits played in the port PORTUGAL 32 DOuRO VALLEY VINEYARD TRAILS
(%254 320 700; www.hotelreguadouro.pt; trade). This is where BB King stayed when he
Largo da Estação; s €91-96, d €112.50-152.50; rocked the Douro. All rooms have terraces or
paiWs) This industrial- sized hotel balconies with river views.
sits by the river and is steps from the train
station. It has plush, carpeted rooms in ruby (or
is that tawny?) colour schemes and windows Miranda do Douro a
overlooking the Douro. The pool is much Portuguese €€
appreciated on hot days. 5 São Pedro
(%273 431 321; Rua Mouzinho de Albuquerque;
mains €7.50-12.50; hnoon-3pm daily, 7-10pm
Pinhão 7 Tue-Sun) This spacious restaurant, just in from
the main old-town gate, serves up a fine posta á
5 Veladouro Portuguese € São Pedro (grilled veal steak dressed with garlic
(%254 738 166; Rua de Praia 3; mains €6-8; and olive oil). The €11 tourist menu comes with
h10am-11pm Mon-Sat) Simple Portuguese soup, main, dessert, wine and coffee.
food, such as wood-grilled meats, is served 4 Hotel Parador
inside this quaint schist building or outside Santa Catarina Hotel €€
under a canopy of vines. From the train station,
turn left and go along the main road for 150m, (%273 431 005; www.hotelparadorsantacatarina.
then left again under a railway bridge, and right pt; Largo da Pousada; s/d/tr/q €50/80/85/100;
at the river. paW) Every guest gets a private veranda
with spectacular views of the gorge at this
4 Quinta de la Rosa B&B €€ luxurious hotel perched on the canyon’s edge.
(%254 732 254; www.quintadelarosa.com; d Rooms are a handsome mix of traditional and
€80-120, ste €120-140, villa per week €750- contemporary, with hardwood floors, flat-screen
1800) Sitting on the banks of the Douro, 2km TVs and large marble bathrooms. The attached
west of Pinhão, this charming vineyard and restaurant is the most upmarket in town.

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