Monte Horizonte

The Council of Europe Museum Prize committee‘s decision was based on the success story of the Portimão Museum , the relevance of its theme and the extent of its educational program as a benefit to the local community. The Portimão Museum is in a former sardine canning factory on the estuary of the Arade River.

Chris Harrison, host of ABC’s “The Bachelorette” has disclosed that the new season was filmed in part in Lisbon, Portugal. So, look for Lisbon as one of the backdrops to love and betrayal for season 6 staring Ali Fedotowsky (who dumped bachelor Jake Pavelka) as the Bachelorette.

The season will premiere on ABC this May 24, 2010.  As a city, Lisbon is often referred to as one of the most romantic places in Europe with charming hotels, chique eateries, late night nightclubs, vintage trolleys and grand attractions. Add to that Lisbon¹s 4,000 years of history, and it’s easy to understand why this picturesque town and the hills surrounding it have been the focus of attention from the 2010 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit and J. Crew.  “Anyone who adores Lisbon’s Fado music knows that love, betrayal and jealousy are all part of the Lisbon allure,” says Jayme Henriques Simões, communications partner to Turismo de Portugal.   “And, we are excited that so many Americans will see the beauty and romance of Lisbon on their screens this summer.”

Portugal is forecasting an increase in U.S. visitors this summer, and just set a record for Americans arriving by cruise ship. Americans helped increase the incoming market ranking it to the 8th largest and the 6th largest in terms of spending.

The Bachelorette is a spin-off of the American reality dating game show, The Bachelor. It debuted on January 2003 on ABC, running until February 28, 2005. Then, the series returned to ABC during the spring of 2008, following an absence of three years. Season 6 Lisbon (2010) stars Ali Fedotowsky, who walked away from bachelor Jake Pavelka, as the sixth Bachelorette.

The Real Marina Residence combines its privileged access to the beaches, estuary and Olhão’s new marina with all the luxury and comfort one expects from the Real Hotels Group. Accommodations consist of apartments ranging from one to three bedrooms, allowing all your loved ones to stay together. The apartments also have fully equipped kitchens.  In the neighboring hotel, forming part of the Real Marina development, there are all the first-rate facilities of a 5-star hotel, including panoramic restaurants, bars, a fully equipped gym and luxurious Thalasso spa.  Prices from per night and apartment T1 (3 persons) $ 210.

Estoril’s hot springs have reopened to the public after being closed for nearly 50 years. The springs will reopen as an integrated part of a new international spa, offering well being therapy and beauty treatments. Originally opened in 1918, Estoril’s spring baths, whose waters are believed to have first been therapeutically used in the 17th Century, were open to the general public until 1961, when the Hotel do Parque, which later housed them, was torn down. Forty-eight years later, the Estoril-Plage partnership and Opway Real Estate have together built the ‘Elements Spa’ complex, which is situated next to Estoril Casino and the Congress Centre. It operates in two distinct areas, a spa dedicated to beauty and wellbeing treatments, as well as preventative or healing treatments.

Portugal’s economy grew 1 percent over the previous quarter, one of the best economic  recoveries in Europe, the National Statistics Institute has reported. Portugal’s Gross domestic product grew 1.7 percent from the same period in 2009. The growth came from solid performances in all sectors minus construction. “This country is very different from what some people think of it,” Prime Minister José Socrates commented. The ruling Socialist party is working with the oppositing Social Democratic Party to enact cost-cutting legislation.The Portuguese debt agency successfully auctioned Euro1 billion in 10-year bonds. The Institute reported that Portugal has experienced no liquidity problems and no difficulty raising money on international markets.

Lisbon will celebrate the International day of the museum from May 15-18 with a Night at the Museums program. The following Museums will open their doors to the city: Bordalo Pinheiro Museum, Museum of Fado,  Marionette Museum , city Museum, and eh Roman theatre Museum. On the 15th the Marionette Museum and the Fado Museum will be open until midnight free after 7 p.m. The Fado museum will have musical tours with various fadistas. The Roman Theatre museum will offer readings of classical literature. On the 16 and 18th will see free admission at the museums as well.

The Port of Leixões is building a new cruise terminal.   This project includes the Cruise Terminal building, the new quay that will allow the calls of vessels up to 300m long, with approximately 2,500 passengers and turnaround cruise vessels, the  Science and Technology Park of the Sea of UP, which will be located in the two upper floors of the building. The construction of the Passenger Terminal building, which will allow turnaround operations, will begin in the last quarter of 2010, and will be completed in the first quarter of 2013. The Porto as a tourism destination has gained prominence, the tourism demand has been growing as well as the satisfaction of the foreign visitors. In this scenario, and aiming to increase the number and size of vessels calling Leixoes, the Port Authority, faced with optimism the forthcoming Cruise seasons, seeks to promote the best conditions for the reception of its cruise ships. The total project has an estimated cost of 49.9 million Euros, of which 21 million are designated for maritime works and 28 million to the terminal building. The construction of the new pier is planned for the first quarter of 2011. For May 2011, approximately 60 vessels calls are already booked. Amongst these calls, 15 vessels will be over 250m long, larger than the current capacity of the Port of Leixões.

A Southeast Alentejo and Costa Vicentina Natural Park Land Use Plan (PO-PNSACV) will focus on new more infrastructures for surfers and camper and add new four-star hotels. New infrastructures and other necessary work for improving roads, RV parking areas, surf-board storage, surf schools, and electricity and water points will be created under the PO-PNSACV project. Supporting the creation of four-star hotels, nature-tourism and rural tourism are other ideas under the plan.

Flights to Madeira Island this year will increase and be serviced by new air companies from various European cities. Now, more than twenty five international companies connect the UK with Funchal. In February the tour operator Atlantic Holidays, announced a charter service between London and Porto Santo. On 21st February Finnish operators began five new charter flights to Madeira. The English airline Jet2.com has a new direct connection every Monday between Manchester and Madeira.. Forecasts for hotel occupancy rates, based on statistics from the Portuguese government, range from 66% – 80%

Portugal will get its first theme park with a hotel, when the Aquashow, in the Algarve‘s Quarteira, invests some 15 million euros in a 136-room hotel. The hotel should be open by summer 2011, offering a Spa, sauna, Jacuzzi, restaurants and bars. Aquashow Water Park can be found next door to the popular tourist resort of Vilamoura. It is a water park for the whole family and has a selection of rides. Apart from the water rides, it is also home to a bird park with birds of prey and tropical birds, such as parrots and macaws. There are bird demonstrations and shows throughout the day, giving you some time to dry off from the water slides. The park is open year round, but the water attractions (which is the bulk of the park) are not.

The SATA group reports that the Portuguese Aviation authority, NAV, will keep closed the air space of the Azores and Madeira Islands due to volcanic ash clouds. Due to this, all flights for SATA Air Açores for today, May 11, 2001 are canceled. That means that 21 flights and 950 passengers will be impacted. SATA suggest that passengers look to inter-island ferry service, and is working to increase the number of trips by sea between the Azores islands.

SATA Internacional has also canceled the majority of its flights today as well to and from the Azores and Madeira – impacting eight flights and 1,343 passengers. Yesterday evening SATA was able to take advantage of break in the ash clouds to fly 13 extraordinary flights (5 on SATA Internacional and 7 on SATA Air Açores), transporting 1,173 passengers (846 on SATA Internacional and 327 on SATA Air Açores). In partnership with the Antlânticoline, S.A, SATA helped to transport 33 passengers from Horta, 42 passengers from Terceira and 334 passengers from Ponta Delgada. New information will be release at 1 p.m. tomorrow based on the climatic conditions. All morning flights for Wednesday are canceled, as well.  SATA thanks it passengers for their continued patience and understanding under these extraordinary and uncontrollable circumstances. Please check the SATA website for updates on canceled flights (www.sata.pt)

Two Portuguese beached towns were selected to be in the top ten best beaches and sun destination in Europe on Tripadvisor: Lagos and Albufeira- both in the Algarve.

Number 6 – Lagos: There is rich and beautiful history within Lagos’ 14th century walls, from its fortress to picturesque churches like Medieval São João Hermitage and the 17th-century São Sebastião. But that’s all appetizer. People come here for a main-course coastal buffet featuring more than a half-dozen beautiful beaches. Quiet sandy coves are sandwiched between dramatic cliffs. The sandy 2.5-mile stretch of Meia Praia caters to every water sport imaginable. And when you’ve had your fill, you can digest your day with some of the best nightlife in the Algarve region.

Number 9 – Albufeira: There are lots of beach types, and with 20 very different beaches to choose from, Albufeira delights them all. Hugging the coast in Portugal’s southern Algarve region, this prime vantage point showcases sparkling white houses with Moorish flair, breathtaking multi-hued cliffs, and old fortress remnants that ground modern amenities with a charming historical flair.

TAP Portugal will be the airline to take Pope Benedict XVI back to Rome after his visit to Portugal on May 14th. The Pope’s visit to Portugal from May 11 to 14, 2010 is to mark the tenth anniversary celebrations of the beatification of two of the Fátima shepherd children, Francisco and Jacinta. The flight will be aboard TAP’s newest A320-200 named the “Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro.” The A320 fleet chief Commander Falé Borges will be in charge of the flight with Commander Melo Correia and Pilot Vasco Batista. The flight will take the Pope from Porto to Rome. This is the third official flight that TAP has carried a Pope on since 1967.

Douro voted as one of the Most Beautiful Wine Region in the World by 5886 votes on Budget travel  Magazine. National Geographic Traveler recently released their sixth annual “World’s Great Places: 133 Destinations” survey, and Portugal’s Douro Valley rated Seventh on the list. Further, in 2001, UNESCO rated the Douro River Valley as a World Heritage Site. The Douro Valley has experienced a surge in wine tourism, and hotels and restaurants are being built to accommodate the influx of wine lovers from around the world.  Quinta do Vale Dona Maria has a guesthouse on-site; Quinta do Vallado has four lovely rooms and one suite available for overnight guests. You can also dine at Quinta do Vallado, even if you don’t spend the night; reservations are mandatory.

Lisbon in June is the month of the ‘Santos Populares‘ (Popular Saints), notably the Lisbon-born, Santo António, whose life is celebrated each year on the night of 12 June with a parade on the Avenida da Liberdade. Referred to as the Festas dos Santos Populares (Feasts of the Popular Saints), or the Festas de Lisboa, the festival has lots of concerts and street entertainment takes place in the name of the three saints, Santo António (St. Anthony), São João (St. John) and São Pedro (St. Peter). Each year to celebrate the life and work of Santo António, a big parade pulsates its way down Lisbon‘s Avenida da Liberdade on the night of 12 June, starting at 9 p.m. The merrymaking and street parties continue until daybreak in the streets around the Castle of São Jorge, which is prominently situated in the Alfama district, the place where Santo António himself was born.

Most flights were back normal today, Wednesday, after the ash cloud which caused difficulties over the Atlantic dispersed on Tuesday night, European air traffic agency Eurocontrol reports.

High levels of volcanic ash from an eruption in Iceland have caused Portuguese aviation authorities to exclude or re-route airline traffic over the weekend. Today, the airport at the northern city of Porto has reopened. A flight from Porto took off for Paris at 7:07 a.m. All flights to Porto and the Azores were suspended Sunday, with normal operations expected to resume Monday morning, Porto airport officials said. The Azores will report today, Monday, at noon local time on the situation.

Pope Benedict XVI is due to arrive on Tuesday for a four-day visit – and the trip is still on schedule. Faro airport in the Algarve was operating normally. Lisbon airport, the nation’s busiest, is set to open today at 1:00 p.m., Portugal’s civil aviation authority NAV.

On Tuesday, the pope is due to fly in. The Pope is scheduled to arrive at Lisbon airport at 11:00 am on Tuesday. He will also visit Porto and Fatima. Porto Santo and Funchal, in Madeira should also reopen today at 10:00 a.m. GMT.

Airline updates:
SATA
TAP Portugal

The SATA Group has announced that the Azores’ airspace remains closed due to the levels of ash from the volcanic eruptions in Iceland. For that reason, all flight for today, May 10, on SATA Air Açores have been canceled.

That impacts 46 flights and 1,580 passengers. SATA recommends that inter-Azores passengers use the network of maritime connections between islands. SATA is working with Antlânticoline to set up extra ferry trips to help passengers in Horta, Terceira and Ponta Delgada get to their destinations.

SATA Internacional has canceled most of its flights for today – all flights with origin or final destinations in the Azores or Madeira. Some 17 flights affecting 2,454 passengers are cancelled. Since the approach of the ash cloud on Saturday, SATA has had to cancel 125 flights (40 for SATA Internacional and 85 for SATA Air Açores), impacting some 8,296 passengers (5,440 on SATA Internacional and 2,852 on SATA Air Açores). New information will be offered tomorrow, May 11 by 1 p.m. Azores time (GMT -1). All morning flights for Tuesday have been cancelled.  SATA thanks its passengers for their continued understanding under this uncontrollable circumstance, and ask that passengers not go to the airport if the flight is cancelled, please.

The Comporta Dunes project, a golf course planned by Tom Fazio for the Setúbal region of the Alentejo coast, will be Portugal’s candidate to host the 2018 Ryder Cup. It will be competing with applicants from Spain, Holland, France, Germany and Sweden. The Ryder Cup is the third largest sports event worldwide media coverage, with 1.1 billion (tele) spectators, after the Olympic Games 3.7 and 3.4 of the World Cup. The Comporta Dunes golf course will be designed by a renowned architect, and will be part of a project that consists of two five-star hotels. The final location of the 2018 Ryder Cup will only be known in 2011 and the hosting country will have to invest €140 million by 2018, €12million of which must go into promotions and golf tournaments every year.

A half a million people are expected to welcome Pope Benedict XVI to Portugal at the Fátima basilica next month during the Pontiff’s four-day visit. The Pope’s visit to Portugal from May 11 to 14, 2010 is set to mark  the tenth anniversary celebrations of the beatification of two of the Fátima shepherd children, Francisco and Jacinta,  Benedict XVI arrive in Lisbon for a Mass in Lisbon‘s Terreiro do Paco square. The next day he will visit the Chapel of the Apparitions in Fátima, followed by a torchlight procession on the square in front of the Fatima shrine. On the following morning of Thursday May 13, Pope Benedict XVI will celebrate ] Mass in Fatima, marking the 10th anniversary of the beatification of Francisco and Jacinta Marto,  On Friday May 14 the Pontiff will leave Fatima for Porto where he will celebrate Mass in the city’s main square on the Avenida dos Aliados. Crowds of up to 150,000 are expected to attend open air masses in Lisbon and Porto and between 300,000 and 500,000 at Fátima, the country’s holiest site.

Level Club launch day took place on February 27, 2010 in Alcochete and was designed by Frederico Correia. Official website www.levelclub.pt and on facebook. Images available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/vilela/

The cloud of volcanic ash flowing to Europe from Iceland is causing some disruptions today, Tuesday May 11, as Pope Benedict begins a visit to Portugal. Europe’s air-traffic coordinator said it was no longer setting buffers around volcanic ash cloud as no-fly zones because they are able to monitor the ash dispersion accurately. Eurocontrol will remove a 60-nautical-mile buffer zone around the ash cloud at noon Lisbon time – helping to spend trans-Atlantic traffic. The airports in Lisbon and Porto re-opened on Monday, but Faro was closed later in the evening as the ash cloud moved across the Algarve region. Lisbon welcomed the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI, who begins a four-day visit to Portugal today. The ash cloud this morning is affecting southern Portugal, including Madeira, but the impact on trans-Atlantic flights was less than in recent days because the cloud concentration over the ocean is dispersing, Eurocontrol said. In the Azores, an opening in the cloud allowed SATA to fly more than a dozen flights to the islands of the Azores and the mainland.

The Adega Cooperativa do Algarve, came about 2 years back when the local cooperatives of Lagoa and Lagos, merged to create even better Algarve wines.  The new winery will be in Lagoa and the new organization has nearly a thousand metric acres under cultivation – or 75% of the region’s winery production. With new technology, the Adega do Algarve will be able to produce even better, and more modern wines.

Sana Hotels is set to nearly double the number of hotels in its portfolio from nine to sixteen over the next three years. The company operates nine hotels in Lisbon and the Lisbon Coast, with newly build properties in the Algarve , including Sana’s first move into the five-star property. The first to be unveiled will be a modern new five-star hotel attached to the Vasco da Gama Tower in Lisbon’s Nation Park or  Parque das Nações. Opening in spring 2011, the 186-room luxury property will be on the banks of the Tejo River. Next to open in spring 2011 will be the Epic Sana Algarve with 190 rooms in Albufeira’s Praia Falésia beach. In Lisbon, the inauguration of the Epic Sana Amoreiras is set to take place at the end of 2011 or in early 2012 with 318 rooms, followed by another hotel located on the city’s Avenida Fontes Pereira de Melo with either a four- or five-star rating. Yet another Lisbon property is planned to open in nearby Saldanha, while the number of guest-rooms at the Sana Lisboa Park Hotel is due to be increased from 287 to 419, making it one of the largest four-star hotels in the City of Lisbon.

Água Hotels, the owners of the Água Hotels Mondim de Basto, have its sites on the Algarve. Right outside of Carvoeiro, the new Água Hotels Vale da Lapa is a 5-star resort and had a soft opening in March 2010. It will offer 85 rooms ranging from rooms to villas. There will be a restaurant, open-air bar, exterior pool, and spa with indoor pool. There will be a running track, putting green, and a kid’s pool.