Food-o-Phile Home | Culinary Vacations | Comments | Owner Arlene Feltman Sailhac

 PORTUGAL

The food, the wine, the culture, the history...

Oporto to Lisbon

October 19th~28th 2012

Dear Fellow Travelers,

Portugal is an incredibly unique country, offering real "old world" flavor, and varied wine regions, from the spectacular Douro Valley (spotted with Port wine quintas, noble mansions and medieval hamlets) to the fabulous Alentejo wine region (full of rolling hills, cork forests, Moorish castles and prestigious wineries.)

Portugal, apart from food and wine, is a collection of artistic and architectural treasures. Portugal enjoyed an illustrious navigational history that included the colonization of the "new world". This brought back huge wealth to the country, and was the start of the "Golden Age". In Europe, the Portuguese were best known for being great seafarers and explorers. Famed explorers included Vasco da Gama and Prince Henry the Navigator. Before the Portuguese Golden Age, however, Romans and Moors each had their rule in Portugal. The Roman legacy can be admired in the striking Temple of Diana in Évora; and the Moorish influence can be seen in the glorious, Arabic tilework throughout Portugal (called "Azulejos", like in Spain). Portugal offers the gourmet traveller old world charm, wonderful wine country accommodation and beautiful, unspoiled scenery.

Join Chef Alain and Arlene Sailhac for a VIP trip to Portugal highlighting the food, wine, history and culture of this remarkable country attached in the short version of the working itinerary arriving October 19 and departing October 28, 2012. Flying into Oporto and departing from Lisbon. This should be a really beautiful time to visit this country.

Needless to say it has taken some time to come together but I think it will be another fabulous adventure in a most spectacular part of the Iberian Peninsula.

We do have to have a 16-person minimum so hopefully that will not be a problem.

All accommodations will be in 5 Star properties- We will be in 3 different hotels- The first 3 nights at the Yateman Hotel, a fabulous Relais and Chateaux Hotel that has just earned their first Michelin Star, the fourth night will be at the Relais and Chateaux Quinta Das Lagrimas, and the remaining nights in a very deluxe hotel in Lisbon. Which will be determined at a later date but needless to say it will be spectacular.

The other thing that is good to know that TAP airlines have direct flights from Newark on Thursdays to Oporto and direct flights from Lisbon as well. If we have enough people I will see if we can get some sort of group business class rate.

It will be a full day on Oct 19 so you may decide to fly into Lisbon a day earlier and take the short flight to Oporto early in the morning. 

The 9 day 10 night trip will be between $5900- $6000 pp double occupancy.

The single supplement will be about $1500 additional.

This will include absolutely everything including 3 meals a day at typical and gastronomic restaurants, wine for lunch and dinner, local transportation, and admission fees. We will visit some world class wineries and have an insiders guide to Port and even a cooking class in a winery, an evening listening to the Fado music unique to this country as well as soaking in the old word charms of this little known country

 Remember as well the best part of any Food o Phile trip are the fabulous people that travel with us and the life long friendships that are made.

The fee does not include airline travel insurance, personal expenses and any food and wine that is not part of the program.

If you can possibly let me know ASAP as to whether you would like to go or not that would be great so I can make the necessary arrangements.

Really looking forward to hearing from you all and hoping you will join us!

Click here for the itinerary.

CONTACT

For further information, please contact Arlene Sailhac:

Telephone: 917 544 5568

Email:  grtcooks @aol.com