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  (Option: Day Cooking Classes)
Alentejo, Portugal - 7 nights
Available year round - Sunday to Sunday
Located just one hour from the Spanish border and 90 minutes from Lisbon, lies the romantic Refúgio da Vila Cooking School. Spend your week indulging in the delicious Mediterranean cuisine of Portugal as you learn hands-on cooking techniques using the local flavors and herbs of the Alentejo. Because life is so unhurried here, you will savor the beauty of this unspoiled region.
The specially designed kitchen, with a fireplace for baking Portuguese breads and curing sausages, is an ideal atmosphere for cooking instruction. Your exquisitely furnished room only complements this spectacular escape where you will learn to love this hidden treasure of a country and its kind and friendly people.
ITINERARY Day one - sunday  Upon your arrival into Lisbon airport, you will take a taxi to the Hotel in Lisbon where you will check-in and have some free time before your hostess meets you in the hotel lobby at 7pm. Welcome reception and dinner this evening with the other guests.
Overnight: Hotel Mundial or similar Day Two - Monday  This morning, we drive to the small Alentejo town of Portel, and Refúgio da Vila, our base for the week. After an orientation walk around Portel, past the 13th century castle and Baroque Church, and lunch, we'll enter a Portuguese kitchen and have our first Cooking Class: Introduction to Portuguese Gastronomy, a study in influences and seasonings.
Dinner at Adega do Refúgio. Overnight: Refúgio da Vila Day Three - Tuesday 
After breakfast our second Cooking Class begins: The Importance of fish and Olive Oil in Portuguese Cuisine. Lunch is a chance to sample your own cooking! Non-cooking partners join at the table. This afternoon you'll visit the Esporão Wine State, blending ancient and modern winemaking techniques. The grapes of this wine region include Periquita, Trincadeira, Tinta Roriz, and Moreto for red wines, and Roupeiro, Manteudo, Perrum, Rabo de Ovelha for the whites - all Portuguese varieties, as well as Cabernet Sauvignon, and Shiraz. The nearby Arts & Crafts Center of Regungos displays a wonderful collection of Alentejo wares. The road winds past megalithic sites to the thousand-year-old village of Monsaraz. Here we'll dine under the shadow of the 13th century castle built by King Afonso III. Day Four - Wednesday  Today's focus is on local produce: The Abundance from Local Quintas/Farms and Ranches. This afternoon, we'll tour nearby Évora, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Cultural Center of the Alentejo, and a beautiful white town with a wealth of monuments, from Roman times to the 19th century.
Dinner at Adega do Refúgio. Day Five - Thursday  Cooks, This is your day off! Today we’ll drive into the northen Alentejo, and before lunch at Vila Viçosa, we visit its Renaissance Ducal Palace. Passing through the marble area we visit the historical and white town of Estremoz, enclosed within its ramparts and overlooks a vast plain of gnarled olive trees and wheat fields.
After passing through Estremoz, we return to Portel in time for dinner. Day Six - Friday  This region is known for its Aromatic Herbs, and wild flowers. This morning we’ll use them in dishes that the locals have passed on through the generations. Enjoy an afternoon excursion to several traditional and unique villages.
This evening, sit down to a Farewell Dinner at the Adega do Refúgio with entertainment from a local folklore group.
Day seven - saturday  Today's Cooking Class focuses on: The Flavors of the South.
After lunch, enjoy a siesta and a free afternoon to stroll, ride out on horseback, bicycle, or simply lounge by the pool. Time to pack, dinner and overnight. Day Eight - Sunday After breakfast, transfer back to Lisbon. GROUP SIZE A minimum of 2 participants is required to run this tour and the tour is limited to a maximum of 10 participants. (The number of participants refers to how many persons are required to run the tour, not to how many persons you must have in your party. Please inquire.) HOW TO ARRIVE Closest Airports: Lisboa (Lisbon) Airport (one and a half hour drive) and Beja Airport (30 minute drive) *These details are provided as additional information. Please check below to see if transfers are included in this tour. BOOKING INFORMATION
January through June and October through December
Double Occupancy/US$2600 July through September
Double Occupancy/US$2995 Non-Cooking Partner Reduction/US$275
Single Room Supplement/US$300
Junior Suite Supplement/US$200
Royal Suite Supplement/US$375 NON-RESIDENTIAL DAY COOKING CLASS
US$185 NO TOUR OPTION: (includes 5 cooking classes, transfer back to airport and guided walking tour of Portel) Double Occupancy/US$1800
*Pricing may vary depending on market fluctuation After availability is confirmed, a deposit of US$1000 per person and the completed and submitted registration form will secure your reservation. Final payment is due in full 75 days before your arrival date. Available upon request for 2 or more persons. *Seven (7) nights' luxury accommodations with breakfast
*Daily lunch and dinner, with wines
*Five cooking classes; all supplies
*Tours with English-speaking guide
*Land transfers to and from Portel
*Pre-trip information DAY COOKING CLASS *Cooking Class
*Meal
*Wine Airfare and personal expenses are not included.
For further inquiries or to register, click here.
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CANCELLATION POLICY
Please contact us for cancellation policy information. Travel insurance is highly recommended. CLIENT REMARKS "Dear Jo-Ann - You are great. I will be sending along pictures and an article as soon as I catch my breath. Portugal has a very authentic atmosphere, I was hard put to find a tourist trap. The people are genuine, helpful and friendly. The rolling hills of grapevines, shepherds tending their flocks against a backdrop of castles and wildflowers will become permanent memories" "Dear Jo-Ann - My trip to Portugal was absolutely perfect! I honestly can't think of one thing that I would have changed - everything was so well done! The accomodations were beautiful, comfortable and conveniently located both in Lisbon and in Portel. The food and wine were spectacular. The cooking instruction was perfect, relaxed in an intimate setting and at a level that was easy to replicate at home. Sofia and Angela were wonderful, they made sure everything was taken care of and they allowed me to experience Portugal through the excursions, the cooking, and just getting to know them in a way that I couldn't have done on another trip. It is one of the best vacations I've ever experienced." “Dear Jo-Ann - We had a truly magical time with Sofia in Portugal. What a wonderful place with such interesting people! Once Sofia met us in the hotel lobby, we had no worries and everything went smoothly--she took such very good care of us. Thanks again for a great trip and we will be in touch.” Click here to return to top of page. MAP* This exciting region is depicted below. You can also access Google MapsTM by clicking HERE. 
*In some cases mapping may give clients a general sense of location due to changes in venue. Please inquire about specific location. Click here to return to top of page. |
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Refugio da Vila Cooking School
