Our Official Trip Planner (OTP) has done it again! Lisa found a stunning hotel situated in Amares, about a 30-minute Uber ride from our home in Braga, and we had the pleasure of staying there last night.
First, sharpen your No. 2 pencils – it’s time for a short history lesson. According to legend, two hermits living in the village followed strange lights in the night to find an image of the Virgin Mary, hidden during the Muslim occupation. They built a small retreat to house the image, which grew to become the Monastery of Santa Maria do Bouro, a 12th century Cistercian monastery. In 1834, the monks who resided there were expelled, and the monastery slowly fell into ruin. In 1989, an architect named Eduardo Souto de Moura proposed turning the monastery into a pousada (guesthouse / hotel). The Pousada Mosteiro de Amares opened in 1997.
Okay, end of lesson, and I’m at a loss for words to describe this place, it’s just so beautiful. Here are a few pics.
We had a complementary drink at the bar while we waited for our room to be ready, then rested and relaxed before our dinner reservation. I’ll admit, I was almost as excited about the bathtub in our room as I was with the hotel itself!
What a magical evening – the restaurant (otherworldly), the food (delicious), and of course, the company (❤️). We took a short walk around the grounds after dinner, then called it a night. Here are some more pics:
An experience I won’t soon forget.
I hope you all have a wonderful week.
The Portugal Papers 
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