Vidago’s Palace Hotel

On our tour of northern Portugal nearly five years ago, we stayed at Vidago Palace‘s sister property at Pedras Salgadas Spa and came to Vidago for lunch one day. We were awed by its dramatic pink façade, intrigued by its history, charmed by its food and service and excited about its on-site golf course (well, one of us was anyway). So, we pledged to come back and stay one day.

Despite its not-that-close proximity to Podence, when we elected to check out Carnival there and see the masked caretos of Podence roam through town, we decided to book some time at Vidago Palace (the winter rates and mid-week discounts didn’t hurt).

Vidago Palace was commissioned by Dom Carlos I of Portugal at the turn of the 20th century. Alas for him, he was assassinated before it opened and by the time its doors officially did open in October of 1910 Portugal had become a Republic and done away with its monarchy.

Vidago attracted royalty, elite and bourgeoise from all across Europe to come cure consumption and enjoy the healing properties of the spring water found here, in Vidago, and nearby at Pedras Salgadas.

Almost 100 years later, a substantial remodel took place transforming the 200 rooms into a little less than half that amount, constructing a spa and expanding the 9-hole golf course (designed by MacKenzie Ross of Turnberry fame) to an 18-hole track. The remodel was meticulously designed by Portuguese architect Siza Vieira with original touches, like its signature staircase, carefully removed before the interior was completely gutted and replaced in the new interior after it was rebuilt. The hotel was reopened on the 100th anniversary of the original opening on October 6th of 2010.

Home today to four restaurants of varying levels of fanciness (and price), the hotel offers hiking trails, carefully manicured gardens with 100-year-old trees, bicycles to rent, tennis, pools, the spa and golf. But most importantly it offers a great little refuge from modern life in the northern mountains into which you step back in time from the moment you enter through its magnificent front doors.