Luxury bespoke holidays to the Pousada de Tavira, Portugal
Facts in brief
Location A 12-minute drive from the beaches of Tavira Island
Annual opening All year
Closest airport Faro
Distance from airport 30 minutes by car
Hotel facilities and services
Restaurant, outdoor pool, children’s pool, garden, WiFi, spa.
Complimentary
WiFi
Chargeable watersports
Watersports are available to book through the hotel.
Out and about nearby
The Algarve’s white sandy beaches are a 15 minute drive from the hotel. Pego do Inferno is a small lake and waterfall, located a 10 minute drive inland from Tavira and is an idyllic spot for walks and swims. Ria Formosa Natural Park is 20 minutes away and is an excellent spot for birdwatching and beachcombing. Kayak and boat tours are also available here. Places of interest in and around Tavira itself include the Roman Ruins of Milreu, the Roman bridge which links to two sides of the town across the river Gilão and Tavira Castle which grants visitors views over the town and towards the sea.
Sports nearby
Bike riding, Segway tours and golf can all be booked through the hotel.
What particularly impresses us each time we use your services is that ‘what we expect we get’ eg car hire, rooms selected, all with no hassle. Not sure how you do it!!Mr W, July 2022
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Classic double room for 3 nights
From about
£940
Holiday Code EXH1976
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke holidays to the Pousada de Tavira, Portugal
Pousada Convento de Tavira retains the character of the convent which the building housed from the 16th century. Outside, its ochre coloured walls and tiled roof create a warm, exotic ambience while the colonnaded cloisters enclose a cool, tranquil courtyard. In the neat garden is a swimming pool and deck with sun loungers as well as a dedicated pool for children. Inside, guests can appreciate more original features from the building’s history. The restaurant occupies the same space as the convent’s refectory, with its wood panelled ceiling creating a sense of cosiness and comfort. Here, guests can enjoy a range of local dishes made from the finest and freshest local ingredients. The hotel’s 36 guest rooms have been converted from nuns’ cells or the former study and service areas of the convent. Each room is elegant and inviting and decorated in subtle shades of red or gold. All rooms have either a private garden, balcony or terrace where guests can enjoy an evening drink with views over Tavira’s rooftops. Unique to the hotel is its display of archaeological ruins within the grounds. Renovations uncovered evidence of an Islamic style house dating from the 13th century. Guests can view the site and a small informative display to learn more about the hotel’s rich history. The Pousada Convento de Tavira offers a comfortable, luxurious stay in a historically interesting building.
Room descriptions
The Pousada Convento de Tavira has 36 rooms, each with air conditioning, WiFi, minibar, hairdryer, television and safe.
What particularly impresses us each time we use your services is that ‘what we expect we get’ eg car hire, rooms selected, all with no hassle. Not sure how you do it!!Mr W, July 2022
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Classic double room for 3 nights
From about
£940
Holiday Code EXH1976
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke holidays to the Pousada de Tavira, Portugal
The journey and how you get there
For a holiday to Pousada de Covento, Expressions Holidays includes scheduled flights with British Airways from London to Faro. The hotel is about 30 minutes’ drive from the airport, either by hire car or private transfer.
What particularly impresses us each time we use your services is that ‘what we expect we get’ eg car hire, rooms selected, all with no hassle. Not sure how you do it!!Mr W, July 2022
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Classic double room for 3 nights
From about
£940
Holiday Code EXH1976
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke holidays to the Pousada de Tavira, Portugal
About Portugal
An Expressions tailor-made holiday to Portugal's countryside bursts with pretty villages, glitters with historical treasures and World Heritage sites, as well as converted mediaeval monasteries, and elegant manor houses now hosting some of the finest hotels in Europe. Though Portugal's spirit is undoubtedly rural, its big towns Porto and Lisbon are lively, magical places making full use of their waterside setting, offering rich picking for those that like to wander, with colourful waterside cafes and boutiques, leafy boulevards and old-fashioned trams still rattling through the streets. Smaller towns offer their own enchantment, with well-preserved medieval quarters that invite exploring in towns like Évora, Coimbra, Guimarães and Braga. Outside the cities, travellers can enjoy Portugal's warm sunny weather, exploring centuries-old vineyards, visiting stone villages in the mountains or soaking up rays on the magnificent southern shoreline. Dramatic scenery lies all along the coast from windswept cliffs with edge-of-the-world views to wild dune-covered beaches. More than just a static backdrop, the scenery sets the stage for outdoor adventure. Hiking, surfing, windsurfing, horse-riding, big game fishing, kayaking, diving, golfing, and mountain biking are a few ways to spend a sun-drenched afternoon. 600 miles southwest of Portugal lies the island of Madeira, home to Reid's Palace Hotel, an elegant and glamorous five star hotel in a superb location, ideal for holidays all year round, due to the mild winter climate, and on an island renowned for its beautiful vegetation.
Highlights of Lisbon
The area close to the city of Lisbon is known for its variety of attractions. Moorish architecture left over from Arabic rule can be seen in the Castelo de Sao Jorge in the Alfama. Collections of Portuguese art are on display in the Museu Gulbenkian, the Museu de Arte Antiga, and the Berardo Collection. For a taste of Portugal's maritime history, visit the Monasteiro dos Jeronimos. Sintra, the favourite haunt of Lord Byron, is home to twin-peak-top castles and royal palaces. Beautiful, golden sandy beaches can be found in Cascais to the west of Lisbon, or on the Costa da Caparica to the south; particularly idyllic are the coves between Setubal and Sesimbra. Peniche is a picturesque seaside town renowned for being one of Europe's best surfing spots. You can explore all that the area around the city of Lisbon has to offer with our Tour of the City and Countryside of the Lisboa Region.
Highlights of the Algarve
Known for having some of Portugal's most scenic beaches, the Algarve is a popular destination for those looking for a beach or water sports holiday enjoying the Portuguese sunshine. Sagres and Tavira are recognised as the best places for this. In Albufeira, Armacao de Pera, and Lagos you will find an abundance of the light-catching rocky outcrops and peaceful coves that the Algarve is so well known for. Salema, Burgau, and Sagres were once busy little fishing villages, and now still stand as testament to this important aspect of Portuguese culture. The Reserva Natural da Ria Formosa lies just off the southern coastline, the islands of which can be accessed from many towns, including Faro, Olhao, Fuseta, Cabanas, and Tavira; most of which are also ideal starting points from which to try a little surfing. White-washed and serene Alcoutim is an example of the less-developed Portuguese towns, with a hint of Andalucia in its appearance, and Loule is the perfect place to wander around a bustling market. You may also wish to visit the Roman ruins at Milreu, the Moorish town of Silves, or the Spa town of Caldas de Monchique. For outdoor pursuits, head into the Serra de Monchique Mountain Range.
Highlights of Porto and the Douro Valley
At the mouth of the Rio Douro lies Porto, an atmospheric town with a dramatic aspect and almost Parisian lifestyle. Its streets are lined with historic buildings and wine lodges serving the best of Portuguese wines. The nearby wine towns of Penafiel, Peso da Regua, Pinhao, and Amarante are also recommended for wine-tasting, but have a much more rural location. Amarante, in particular, is believed to be the most attractive wine town in the area, with a central triple-arched bridge, tall stone red-roofed houses interspersed with verdant trees, and a gently flowing river. To witness a sample of Portuguese Baroque architecture, visit the pilgrimage town of Lamego. The main attraction of this town, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Remedios, lies at the top of an elaborate and intricately decorated set of zig-zagged stairways that pass through archways and across viewing balconies. In Porto, some of the greatest artistic triumphs of 17th century Portugal reside, the Se Cathedral in particular, in which every inch of the columns, archways, and altar have been adorned in golden floral and religious motifs, in true Baroque style. For something even more historic, visit the Palaeolithic rock formations of Vila Nova de Foz Coa, the largest outdoor gallery of stone age remains in the world, which have since been neighboured by flourishing vineyards. Along the rocky gorges of the river, you will find a number of castle-towns, including the Medieval walled town of Trancoso and the fortress town of Almeida.
Highlights of Madeira
A green and fertile island in the Atlantic Ocean, Madeira is situated off the coast of Morocco. Its coastline combines beautiful sandy beaches with rocky cliffs, the latter of which can be best appreciated at Cabo Girao. The island's capital, Funchal, is packed full with historic buildings, including 15th century churches and convents and a Se Cathedral as ornate as the one in Porto. Enjoy the relentless joviality of the street markets, or visit more peaceful attractions, such as the basalt cave of Capela de Sao Vicente or the island's protected nature reserves. Rare Laurissilva forests can be walked, trekked, or hiked through, affording guests sensational views; and the crystal clear waters off the coast can be swam through, perhaps below the water's surface so the ecosystems that live in the reefs can be appreciated. One of the greatest pleasures of Madeira, however, is wandering over the beaches, surveying the rock pools, and taking in the sights from the clifftops. Aside from the key regions that our Portuguese programme focuses on, there is much to find and see in Portugal. Those willing to drive a little further during the day will enjoy a much more diverse touring holiday.
Facts in brief
Capital LisbonAirport There are international airports at Lisbon, Porto and Faro, served by a variety of airlines from the UK, including British Airways, EasyJet, bmibaby, TAP, Jet2.
Size 35,000 sq. miles
Population 10 million
