See More: Lisbon Hotel Reviews • Lisbon Restaurant Reviews
Turim Saldanha Hotel
We grabbed an Uber from the Sete Rios Bus Station to Turim Saldanha Hotel.
The main entrance is to the left of the man standing in the photo below, sort of tucked in from the street.
Upon entering the hotel lobby you'll see some seating and the bar area. To the right you can see the elevators and just out of view is the reception desk. Checking in was smooth.
About checking in to hotels in Lisbon
Language - Throughout Lisbon if you are staying in a traditional Hotel there is almost certainly going to be someone at the front desk who can speak English. Nevertheless, we do like to use these opportunities to practice our Portuguese and if we don't understand then staff is gracious enough to switch to English.
Identification - It is common for all guests to be asked for their IDs whether that be a local residence card or a passport from your country. City Tax - A city tax of 2 euros per person per night may be due upon check in. This is capped out at 14 euros per person. So if you stay at one hotel for longer than 7 nights at 2 euros per night, you will not have any further city tax charges.
Lisbon City Tax Increase - An increase to the Lisbon tourist tax has been approved and is to be in effect beginning September 1, 2024. The tax will go from 2 euros per person per night to 4 euros - doubling. source
standard room turim saldanha
Here is a view of the standard room from the entry way, just passed the bathroom door.
It's very common in Europe to have two smaller beds next to each other instead of one Queen or King like Americans may be used to. To the right of the bed a sliding full length mirror (see photo above) opened to the closet which housed a small safe, and a few hangers (see photo below). A phone was available at the side of the bed.
Have a look at the room from the head of the bed. A TV is mounted to the wall and below it is a floating shelf perfect for your keys, sunglasses, and whatever bits and bobs are in your pockets.
To the right is a desk area with mini fridge and hot beverage set up.
For some reason the garbage can is right beneath the chair. It's always good to have a little garbage can in your hotel room outside of the bathroom.
Space to work and eat at Turim Saldanha
Some hotels we have stayed at recently do not have space to really eat a meal or work on your computer or even charge your devices. While not a ton of space, you do definitely have some options in this room between this desk and the small round table in the corner of the room.
Free beverages at Turim Saldanha
Taking a look at the beverage set up above the desk, you can see there is a glass bottle labeled "Courtesy Water". It was great to have this free water in the hotel room! The housekeeping staff will replace it.
As you can see, the outlets are European style. So you will need to bring an adapter.
The coffee situation, on the other hand was rather sad. The coffee was instant, to be used with the electric kettle, and upon arrival there was one package of black tea, one package of caffeinated coffee and one of decaf. I found it really strange that there wouldn't be two of each given that there were two guests booked into this room.
Each day of our stay I had to ask the front desk for more coffee packets. The staff down there was great and it was no trouble at all, but it would certainly be better for the guests if they just put a couple more in the room.
And let's be clear - no one is trying to take this coffee as a "freebie". It's not good. Like... at all. You only drink it out of pure necessity to fuel you until you can get a proper cafezinho. ❤ Mini fridge prices in lisbon
Taking a peek into the mini fridge we found water, juice, coca-cola, sagres beer, a Toblerone Swiss candy bar, mixed nuts, some liquor and a tiny can of Pringles.
Curious how much mini fridge items cost in Lisbon?
This grubby little price list was in the room and no, we were not the ones who soiled it. lol. Kind of gross, but still informative. I never use stuff out of a mini fridge, and here's a great example why. One can of Coke 4.50 euro? that's almost $5. come on... I always bring my own snackies and this weekend was no exception.
Would you like to see the view from our room? Turim Saldanha Restaurant Menu and Prices
At the small round table near the window we found a menu for the room service from the restaurant in the hotel.
Turim Saldanha Standard BathroomNow let's check out the bathroom.
You've got your standard toiletries along with wall-mounted tissues, hair dryer, and mirror.
Shower with bathtub with a glass door that doesn't slide enough to keep water from splashing out...
Overall a nice bathroom! Until I washed my hands and realized there was a design flaw - where do you put the bar of hand soap when you're done?!
The sink ledge is curved, so you can't set it on the sink. The toiletry stand has openings cut out to fit each toiletry in packaging. No where to set the soap. Until I realized... that roll of toilet paper in the corner. It's not just the back up... it doubles as a soap rest! 8)
Let's get a close up of this design genius... It's like a little crown for the TP! :)
Oh wait.. our door lock doesn't work
It's about this time when we came to the realization that our door did not lock properly. You know how when you turn a deadbolt lock the deadbolt comes out of the door? Well in this case, the part you turn just turned 360 degrees and the deadbolt didn't ever emerge.
After a quick ring to the front desk, someone from housekeeping came by. The dear lady did not speak any English at all. While front desk staff will often speak English, as noted above, other staff may not as you can see here. Another great opportunity to practice Portuguese presents itself! We explained and demonstrated the issue and while she didn't seem too fussed about it, she did get on the walkie talkie to her colleague. Her colleague laughed and said in Portuguese "Oh room # _____. It's just like that." And then the lady parroted that back to us as though it was a solution. So we asked if we could just switch rooms. She had to walkie talkie her colleague again, but conveniently turned the volume down this time. And a few minutes later someone from reception came up to meet us with a new room key and escort us to the new room - next door. The lock functioned normally there. :) He said he would put a maintenance request in for the other room. So after all, these pictures are of the room we did not stay in. The room next door was almost identical though, don't worry. :) Overall Review of turim saldanha
Turim Saldanha Hotel is a nice place to stay in a great area of Lisbon. The rooms were nice, simple and clean with modern touches and had everything you would need. You're in close walking distance to a lot of great restaurants and you're a quick uber away from anything you'd want to see. This hotel does not offer free breakfast and we did not try their paid offering. The staff was very nice and I would not hesitate to stay here again.
There are lots of other hotels for us to review, though. ;)
More from this weekend in Lisbon
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How to get to faro airport from Western algarve
While you can hire a transfer service, we initially planned to drive to the Faro airport and pay to park our car there. When I originally checked the prices it was going to be about 100 euros for the duration.
Typically we would fly out of Lisbon which requires taking the bus 2.5 hours and staying in a hotel the night before or paying around 50 euros in tolls plus gas each way not to mention parking.
Faro Airport Travel Tip: Book Airport Parking Early! Also consider if it makes more sense to use Uber/Bolt.
Check parking prices at Faro airport here. Flying Out of Faro Airport
Flying out of Faro airport was a delight. 10/10 recommend!
We arrived at 4:05am for a 6:20am flight to Italy. The airport was already abuzz with activity.
It was just 4:08 when we entered the security line. As you can see the line was pretty wide open. :) It literally took longer to snake through the empty line than to go through the security!
By 4:16am our bins were on the conveyor belt and at 4:21am we were already through security and double checking our gate location. So just 16 minutes after Uber drop off we were through security and on our way to our gate. Maybe there is something to those painfully early morning flights after all...
Flight days are all about the "hurry up and wait" game, aren't they? So now that we had hurried to our gate, it was time to wait for an hour or so until boarding would begin.
Boarding Ryan air at Faro Aiport in Portugal
At 5:45am we were already queued up outside to climb up to our RyanAir plane for our 6:20 flight.
I really loved not having to cram into a shuttle bus to get to our plane. Every time we fly out of Lisbon we have to do that and it's never my favorite.
Ryan Air FLight Safety Card
The flight safety instruction card for the Boeing 737-8200 was right on the seat in front of you along with adverts which alternated every 2-3 rows. I actually thought that was pretty good planning as if your gaze drifted between the seats you would see different ads.
The plane felt really fresh and new and I was pleased that the seat in front of me had plenty of room for my puffy samsonite bag that I always use as my "personal" item. Before we knew it, we were in the air with this view:
Arriving in Italy
After nodding off a good bit, we were already descending into Fiumicino (FCO) airport in Rome. The pastural views were lovely and can you spot the tiny airplane shadow captured here?! ;)
By 9am (okay 9am Lisbon time, 10 am Rome time) our RyanAir plane had landed in Rome (this photo is from the window of one RyanAir plane looking at another) and we were ready to experience train travel in Italy as we made our way to the cruise port at Civitavecchia.
How much does it cost to fly from portugal to rome?
This RyanAir flight from Faro Airport, Portugal to Fiumicino Airport in Rome, Italy cost $163.74 for 2 people including 2 cabin bags. So each of us could bring our personal bag to store under the seat and a carry on sized luggage to store overhead. This flight was in the month of June.
First impressions of ryan air:
I was a bit apprehensive ahead of this flight as I had always heard not-so-great things about RyanAir. Happily, our experience was great! Everything went smoothly with our flight. It was timely, the aircraft was comfortable and had plenty of room for my bags. Of course we got to board early since we paid for an extra cabin bag which helped.
I would not hesitate to fly Ryan Air again based on this experience. Let's hope they are all as good!! RyanAir Travel Tip: Buy a cabin bag to get priority boarding ;) How early should you fly ahead of a cruise?
We arrived in Rome around 10am local time for a cruise leaving the same day, at 6pm.
We would have preferred to arrive a day before the cruise started as it's just best practice, but since flights are only available a few days per week out of FAO Faro Airport to FCO Rome Airport, we didn't have much choice other than to fly the day of the cruise and assume some risk. We calculated the risk and if something happened and we were to miss embarkation we felt relatively secure since our flights had been booked with our Sapphire card which has built-in travel protection. And we figured worst case scenario we could take a train to Naples and hop on the next morning. Much less risky than if we had been traveling from the States. If you are traveling to Europe from the US, for example, I would never risk arriving the same day as the cruise. It could be so much more stressful if anything went wrong and overall I recommend arriving a day or two early at least to combat jetlag ahead of your amazing Mediterranean cruise! Pin for later:
originally post date 11/12/20
In the Summer of 2018 we had a special opportunity to visit friends and get a taste of a wonderful place - Portugal! No list of "top foods to try in Portugal" is complete without the glorious little Portuguese custard tart known as Pastel de Nata!
Our first Pastéis de Nata came from Portela Cafe on Rua da Graça in Lisbon. It was a short stroll from our airbnb and we wanted to get our Portugal trip off to a good start with cafe and pastries for breakfast! ;)
From there we enjoyed Pastéis de Nata just about everywhere we went - Lisbon, up the Silver Coast, Porto, and even the airport lounge on the way home.
So what exactly is a Pastel de Nata?
Pastéis de Nata are a delightful little treat consisting of a flaky crust filled with custard. Most people enjoy their Pastéis de Nata with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and cinnamon on top! Some people prefer just cinnamon or just powdered sugar while others enjoy a Pastel de Nata as is!
How do you eat a Pastel de Nata?
Easy. Just take a bite for optimal enjoyment of the creamy custard together with the crispy crust. There is a segment of society, however, who prefer to use a spoon to eat the custard first and then eat the crust. Posh. ;p No matter how you eat your pastel de nata, it's going to be delicious!
History of Pastel de Nata
The popular origin story of the Pastel de Nata goes back over 300 years ago to Jerónimos Monastery in Belém. The nuns and monks used egg whites to starch the clothing, leaving a huge amount of egg yolks needing used up. To prevent waste and simultaneously generate income to support the monetary, the custard tart was born. The recipe was later sold when the monastery closed in 1833. Today you can try the original Portuguese custard tart at Pastéis de Belém.
Wait. I'm Confused. Is it Pastéis de Nata, Pastel de Nata or Pastéis de Belém?
Pastel de Nata - one Portuguese custard tart
Pastéis de Nata - multiple Portuguese custard tarts Pastéis de Belém - Portuguese custard tarts made from the original secret recipe. The original Pastéis de Belém is only available at Fábrica Pastéis de Belém It makes me think of how some people say Kleenex any time they mean "tissue" whether it's Kleenex brand or not. Technically, a Kleenex is a tissue, but all tissues are not Kleenex. So all Pastéis de Belém are Pastéis de Nata (albiet branded with the perception of superiority), but not all Pastéis de Nata are Pastéis de Belém. Hope I got that right and hope it makes more sense now!
Flash Forward to December 2018 and we were already in withdrawal! On a weekend trip to Toronto we looked up Carousel Bakery in St. Lawrence Market so we could relieve the custard tart experience
Flash Forward to summer 2019 when family brought back some Pastéis de Nata after attending the Love Never Fails International Convention in Lisbon! And later when we sought out Azores Cafe in Pittsburgh so we could have some more Nata.
Basically, it was high time we tried to make Pastéis de Nata at home...
A Pastel de Nata has two main elements to master:
Which begs the question.... Can you make Pastéis De Nata with frozen puff pastry?
How To Make Pastéis de Nata Custard Step-by-step
I followed LeitesCulinaria's recipe found here
How long will Pastéis de Nata uncooked custard mixture last?
Uncooked custard mixture can last in the refrigerator for up to 3 days according to LeitesCulinaria.
At what temperature does milk scald? Why do you scald milk
Milk scalds once it is heated above 180F or 83C. Scalding milk can kill bacteria and enzymes that may interfere with thickening in recipes. (sources here and here)
Tips for using Frozen Puff Pastry to Make Pastéis de Nata
You will want to take the pastry out of the freezer well in advance.
How long does it take for frozen puff pastry to defrost/thaw from frozen? In general, thaw at room temperature for 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. It's important to let the pastry thaw or else you will break it when you try unroll it from the package. Once the pastry is thawed, you are going to lay it flat on your work space (I used this large cutting board) and then roll it tightly into a log. Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate until you are ready to assembly your Portuguese custard tarts! See this CupcakeJemma video below for the technique:
Assembling Pastéis de Nata
The final product was quite adorable and delicious! This one has a very light dusting of powdered sugar and cinnamon on top.
I also tried to make them in normal sized cupcake tins, but I filled them up too high, causing the custard to run down the side and caramelize way before the pastry was fully cooked. You can tell below that the pastry at the bottom is still soft. I definitely recommend taking seriously the recommendation to fill just 3/4 full!
When do you eat a Pastel de Nata?
According to Eater, "locals eat Pastéis de Nata at breakfast, in the midmorning, after lunch, or in the evening — any time they're craving a snack"
Should you eat Portuguese custard tarts hot or cold?
Is there lemon in Pastéis de Nata?
Although this particular recipe did not call for it, many recipes do infuse lemon flavor into the simple syrup by adding lemon rind to the water, sugar, and cinnamon stick! I will definitely try this next time because I love a bit of lemon in a custard.
Tools That Make It Easier To Make Pastéis de Nata at Home:For That Friend Who is Obsessed With Pastéis de Nata:
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original post 7/15/22
To start off with some irony, after you have sold all of your precious and well chosen belongings in order to move abroad, one of the first things you will likely need to do upon arrival to your new country is... buy some of those things again.
Yes. It's kind of annoying. Yes. It sort of feels like a waste of time and money. It's just a reality and part of the process for the vast majority of expats and immigrants. So now that we have that out of the way..
It's even more helpful when that same place has a restaurant on site so you can refuel after the exhaustion that will more likely ensue. Let's check out Ikea's restaurant at Mar Shopping in Loulé Portugal!
As you can see, the restaurant seating area is stylish and truly massive and it also extends outside.
Some of the soft drinks available at the self serve beverage area at Ikea restaurant in Loulé Algarve Portugal.
Prices at Ikea's restaurant remain quite affordable from vegetable soup for 0,50€ and full meals for €3-9. Beer and wine are also available as are a variety of desserts, and side salads, fruits etc.
Pernil de Porco (Smoked Pork Knuckle)
Almost every Portuguese person in front of us in line ordered the Pernil de Porco and a wise friend told us before we left to always do what the locals do ;)
I've had a lot of pork in my life and must admit this ranks at the top of the list. Incredibly tender, juicy, and flavorful. Even though we were eating outside, sweltering under the blazing sun in an effort to stay a distance from the crowd... it was worth it. We chose broccoli and mashed potatoes as sides for the meal which was the most expensive at €9 but fed both of us!
Cheesecake
Not even a cheesecake person, but the berry cheesecake at Ikea was super yummy.
How To Get A Free Pastel de Nata At Ikea:
At the end of the restaurant line you can buy a pastel de nata and a cafe for 0,50€.
Or you can buy a cafe for ...0,50€. So why not snag both for the same price?! You're welcome.
As you finish the meal with a cafe and a nata, take a moment to enjoy where you at. Look at the view from the terrace of the Ikea restaurant in Loulé Portugal. A beautiful location, hard to capture in a hasty pano.
More Algarve Restaurant Reviews:
TooGoodToGo is a free app designed to prevent food waste by enabling customers to buy a restaurant's left overs at a discount. You reserve a slot and pay in advance. Then, at a designated time you go to the business and show the app to pick up your order. You never know exactly what you will get since it depends on what sold that particular day. TooGoodToGo can be a fun way to prevent food waste, discover new places and save money in Portugal, whether you're here as a tourist or live here. But remember each days offerings are unique and without guarantee, so set your expectations as such that some boxes will be amazing and others just okay. In the end I think it evens out! And you have an opportunity to rate and give feedback regarding the contents of your mystery boxes. Curious what your box may include? Here are some of our personal real life examples: Celeiro - LouléSeptember 2022 Pickup 10:00 am - 10:00 pm €3.99 Hussel - Too Good To Go Chocolates & SweetsAugust 2022 Pickup 12:00-10:00pm €4.99 Hussel is a German confectionary shop with a location in Portugal at Algarve Shopping in Guia. Our toogoodtogo hussel bag contained a package of 8 truffles, a package of 6 milk chocolate fish, and 250 grams of Baiser-Eier Bunte Schaumzucker-Eier. They are sort of like a large jelly bean, but inside is a not quite marshmallow, foamy sugar center. Tip: Hussel PT Too Good To Go pick up window is one of the most flexible. If you're at Algarve Shopping in Guia, near Albufeira, go ahead and grab a treat! Pão do Povo - Too Good To Go Pastry BoxJune 2022 Pickup 7:00-9:00pm €3.99 Pão de Povo is a cash-only restaurant and bakery on the Main Street in Quarteira. The surprise box was loaded with a variety of beautiful pastries definitely past prime. Tip: If your pastries are past prime, try sticking them in the oven for a bit. It's surprising, but depending on the pastry type, it can make a huge difference! Vila Galé Marina - Too Good To Go Breakfast BoxJune 2022 Pickup 11:30am -12:30pm €2.99 The pequeno-almoço (breakfast) box from the Vila Galé Marina Hotel was a cake sized box filled with scrambled eggs, bacon, mini hotdogs, assorted rolls, cheese, ham, and a couple of sweet pastries. It was so much food we ate a breakfast meal from it, later took sandwiches to the beach with the rolls/ham/cheese, and still had more bacon left which we sliced finely and fried as toppings for soups salads and other meals the following days! Tip: There are two Vila Galé Hotels in very close proximity. Be aware that the Vila Galé at the walkway to the beach is not the Marina location. Also, when you do go to the Marina location, we went to the desks where you typically check in to the hotel and they knew right away about the box "Caixa" (ky-shuh). Rei do Churrasco - Too Good To Go - Grilled Lunch For 2Rei do Churrasco (meaning barbecue/grill king) is a local restaurant in Quarteira serving delicious grilled meals and Madeiran specialties. May 2022 Pickup 12:00-1:00pm €4.99 Grelhados para Dois - Almoço included 2 containers essentially amounting to an entire grilled chicken and a lot of French fries Tip: Definitely bring a bag to carry your order in. We walked from Vilamoura the foil containers were hot to carry since we forgot our bag! Mourapão - Too Good To Go Pastry BoxMay 2022 Pickup 9:00-9:30pm €2.99 Box included: 4 pasteis de nata, loaf cake, snicker doodle, S cookie, rolls with dried fruit inside. Mourapão is a great restaurant and bakery located in Vilamoura near the marina. Absolutely worth a visit at full price and if you're around when a toogoodtogo box is available, don't hesitate! ---> See our dedicated & ongoing Mourapão Review here! Vilamoura Restaurant Reviews:
original post 8/23/22
Filed Under: Portugal
At Algarve Shopping centre in Guia, you will find a huge selection of stores including international brands like H&M, Zara, Aldo, Claire's, Levi's, Massimo Duti, Pandora, Sephora, Sketchers, The Body Shop, to name a few.
Aglarve Shopping also has a cinema, pharmacy, optical shops, and multiple grocery stores.
Cineplace Cinema at Algarve Shopping
Cost of movies in Portugal: Tickets start at 6.70€ with add on charges for 3D, etc.
A Well Designed Shopping Center in Portugal
The indoor/outdoor design of algarve shopping makes it such a pleasant place to spend the day with your family or friends.
Chocolates & Confections at Hussel in Algarve Shopping
If you're looking for a candy shop, check out Hussel on the lower level.
See the deal we scored at Hussel via too good to go here. Fish Spa and Massage in Portugal Algarve Shopping Center
Seeing a Fish Spa in Portugal totally brought us back to our time in Thailand. Maybe next time we should try the fish spa/massage combo, just so we can report back if it really is the best massage in the world? lol
Eating At Algarve Shopping Mall Albufeira
When you work up an appetite, you'll want to visit the food court at this shopping center in algarve.
You'll find American fast food giants Pizza Hut, Burger King, KFC, McDonald's and Taco Bell. You'll also have options for traditional Portuguese food, Middle Eastern, Asian, Hamburgers, Salads, Pastries, and more!
While you may want to stay inside with the AC, you should know that the outside seating at algarve shopping is ample and beautifully designed!
If you're wondering if it is expensive to eat at algarve mall or affordable, here are some prices:
Alentejo - Portuguese Food Algarve Shopping
Plates at Alentejo were around 7-10 euros. Dishes with steak like Picanha were grilled on the spot!
Olá Gelataria - Ice Cream at Algarve Shopping
Ice cream treats from Olá were around 3-5 euros including waffle cones, cups, and actual waffles.
Check out some of the ice cream flavors below. The algodão doce (cotton candy) ice cream was popular and nearly sold out! Le Croissant - Algarve Shopping
Most pastries at Le Croissant were around 2 euros.
Pizza Hut - Algarve Shopping Portugal
There is nothing quite like the crust of a Pizza Hut Pan Pizza :)
Where to Park at Algarve Shopping
Algarve Shopping has a large underground parking garage, in addition to an above ground parking lot. The garage is divided in colored sections, then Alphanumeric sections to help you find your vehicle more easily. No matter where you park, look for the lit up areas that resemble traditional Portuguese houses to find elevators, escalators, etc to access the shopping mall. Super cute!
Wanna Know What We Ate?
Now to explore other malls in Algarve, Portugal:
Hungry? Find The Best Restaurants in Algarve:
Hey! Thanks for stopping by!
Did you find this algarve travel blog post from a google search? What did you search? Where to shop in algarve? Shopping malls in algarve Shopping centre in algarve shopping malls in portugal shopping centre in algarve portugal best shopping malls in algarve biggest shopping mall in algarve best shopping mall in portugal guia shopping mall albufeira shopping mall near Albufeira
original post 7/14/22
Filed Under: Vilamoura Restaurant Reviews • Algarve Restaurant Reviews • Portugal • Restaurant Review
Mourapão will always hold a special place in our hearts as it's the first place we ate after arriving in Portugal on the D7 visa. After those hectic final weeks waiting for the visa to arrive, selling belongings, hoping nothing important was forgotten, visiting with family, traveling and moving internationally for the first time (& during a pandemic!), handling canceled flights etc.... to finally arrive in Vilamoura was surreal. Nothing felt more simultaneously comforting and rewarding than the prospect of a pizza and a pastel de nata at the same time. Enter Mourapão.
Located in Vilamoura near the Marina, Mourapão is a short walk from the secret apartment.
With indoor and outdoor seating available as well as an extensive menu, mourapão can cater to just about any guest. Bonus, it's open until at least 10pm! Here's what we have tried: Tigelada
Tigelada is a traditional Portuguese dessert made with eggs, milk, and sugar. Typically baked in a wood fired oven inside a Portuguese ceramic bowl, this sweet dessert is all about the texture as shown in the photo above.
Pastel de Nata
Pastel de Nata is easily the most popular pastry you must try in Portugal with its flakey crust, pudding like custard filling and optional cinnamon topping. Remember when we made Pasteis de nata at home?
Margherita Pizza
For an optimal experience, be sure to dine in at Mourapao and enjoy classic pizza made with fresh ingredients.
(Although you can get take out or pizza delivery in Vilamoura through apps like Glovo fyi) Take a look at that pizza slice - the cheese pull, the browning, the sheen... If this pizza is for you, you will know it. ;) Discover more Pizza in Portugal here Best Places To Stay in Vilamoura, Algarve Portugal
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