This post about Bussaco and Luso is part of a series of posts about the same trip. See the summary of this trip by clicking in the article below:
05/13/2024 – Monday
A stop in Santarém
We left Cascais late in the morning with our rented convertible car and made a strategic stop in Santarém to visit some houses. We ended up having lunch there in a very traditional and crowded restaurant, the Fortnight's Tavern, and then we continued our journey to the famous and wonderful Bussaco Forest.
I had already put this place on my list of places to visit in Portugal, but after a friend stayed at the Palace Hotel Bussaco and recommended it, my interest in the place increased. When we decided to travel alone and escape the stress of everyday life, Mata immediately came to mind.
Arriving at Bussaco Forest
I called the hotel on the way and got a 10 euro discount for our stay with breakfast, which ended up being 130 euros for one night. We started climbing the mountain and feeling the cold and the smell of the forest, and the excitement grew. When we arrived at the palace and saw that beauty in front of us even in the fog, we were sure that we had made the right decision.
We checked in and took a mini tour with the receptionist and spent a good amount of time admiring the decoration of the staircase, hallways and smaller rooms. Then we sat in the living room/bar and had a few drinks to celebrate our first trip as a couple since having children. We had been waiting 7 long years for this! 🙂
We then went up to the room and had the surprise of upgrade given: a balcony with a beautiful view of the garden! Unfortunately it was foggy so the place was a little scary, but the next day the sun came out and we really enjoyed the view. The room itself was nothing special, I thought it was a little cramped, and everything was quite old – just look at the hair dryer and the telephone, for example – but very well taken care of. I was worried that it would smell like old stuff, but I didn’t smell anything. We felt like we were in another time and found everything very special.
Dining in Luso
We decided not to have dinner at the hotel after looking at the menu and the price of 75 euros per person. I thought it was too expensive for what it offered, but I know my friend had dinner there and loved it. When the weather cleared up a bit, we took a walk around the hotel garden and got ready to go to Luso for dinner.
We ended up following the blog's tip Vagamundos and we went to dinner at Salt Stone, the #1 restaurant in Luso. We didn't call to make a reservation, but luckily we didn't have to wait long to get our table. The restaurant was packed and the menu seemed pretty good to me, as did the service, so it's definitely a place worth going to.
We ordered a starter of sausages and cheeses and then a very tasty meat main course, which we ended up sharing. All of this was accompanied by Quinta do Valdoeiro wine from Bairrada, which we also approved.
We returned to the hotel with the roof down in the middle of the forest and it was like a dream. A very well spent night!
05/14/2024 – Tuesday
We woke up in the palace and had a beautiful breakfast in a wonderful hall!
We then walked around the hotel, packed our bags and went to check out. We left our bags in the car and went out to enjoy the gardens and forest since the weather was nice.
Strolling through the Palace and Forest of Bussaco
We first stopped at the information center to ask questions and get a map. We started the tour at the Convent of Santa Cruz do Bussaco, built in the 17th century, and climbed its tower to ring the bell and enjoy the view. Then we got in the car and went to see the Trilha da Água, where there is the Fonte Fria and Vale dos Fetos, a path full of milk-cup flowers, which I love. I found it all very magical:
Then we got in the car and went to the parking lot closest to the Cedar of San José, a tree from Mexico that was planted 350 years ago by monks on the site. It is really huge and has a metal protection around it.
We got back in the car and drove to the Obelisk, a monument in honor of the Battle of Bussaco, where Anglo-Portuguese forces defeated the French in 1810. We continued driving to the Miradouro da Cruz Alta, which has an incredible view even in cloudy weather. How peaceful!
Visiting Luso
We left there and went for a walk around Portuguese, a Portuguese village that is known for the purity of its thermal water springs, used to treat kidney problems and skin conditions. We even went to the Luso Thermal Baths to see the treatments available, but we didn't want to do any of them.
We walked around the town center, drank water from the fountain and then drove to the restaurant. Peter of the Piglets.
Stopping in Bairrada to eat suckling pig
We chose to stop at Peter of the Piglets for lunch. This is one of the many restaurants in the Bairrada region, which is famous for its Leitão à Bairrada dish. We had already tried the delicacy on a trip in 2022 and thought about repeating it, but this time we chose this other establishment that is also quite traditional and, in our humble opinion, offers better value for money than Rei dos Leitões.
Read about our 2022 trip here:
We left Pedro dos Leitões very satisfied and drove to our next hotel, chosen there at the restaurant, Hotel Rural Quinta da Conchada.
I will tell you about the tour of this region in another post. 🙂
Map of this tour
Other trips through Central Portugal
If you are interested in touring this delightful region of Portugal, take a look at all our tours there through from this link.
These were some of them:
- 3 days in Fatima, Batalha, Alcobaça, Tomar and Nazareth
- 3 days in Figueira da Foz, Obidos, Buddha Eden and Lourinhã
- 9 days through the Center and North of Portugal
- 4 days in Central Portugal
