Pousada Tavira

I stayed at the Pousada Tavira at the beginning of the year, just for a couple of days and loved it! It is perfectly located in the heart of the old part of the town with cobbled streets leading off from it into the main square with a beautiful church and the ruins of the old castle close by.

The Pousada has been thoughtfully converted from the original convent into a 36 room hotel. The inner courtyard with its cloisters links the whole building and additional rooms have been added. The whole building project took 3 years and was completed in 2006. Remains of a 12C settlement were discovered before the actual building took place and archaeologists spent four years carefully examining the evidence. Part of the settlement was preserved and turned into a museum for the benefit of visitors and the bar area overlooks it.

Our room was located in the new part of the hotel and was a good sized double with a balcony and stylish furnishings. Being a town hotel, the view was very limited as we were on the ground floor but we didn't spend much time in the room. The bar was a comfortable place to enjoy a pre-dinner drink and when we decided to eat in one night, the meal we enjoyed in the restaurant was superb! Breakfast was a generous buffet with plenty of choice and the service throughout our stay was first-class!

Naturally, we explored the town and it was just a few minutes walk to the main street and the square. We enjoyed a fish lunch overlooking the river and watched a group of local musicians playing traditional Portuguese music in the square. A very attractive town, Tavira is built on both sides of the river and we were spoilt for choice with plenty of restaurants and bars all within easy walking distance. We ate at the 'A Ver Tavria' on our second night. Again a very good meal and situated very close to the Pousada.

We spent one day exploring more of the Algarve itself and drove inland following the N124 which runs parallel to the coast and takes you through the hills with stunning views and into some delightful little towns. We took a quick look at Quinta da Cima and Quinta da Ria - fantastic courses - and played a round at Benamor on our second day. A great course, close to Tavira with lovely views over to the sea.

I would highly recommend Tavira and the Pousada to anyone who wants to enjoy more of ‘real' Portugal with plenty of good golf courses and evening entertainment on the doorstep. I'd happily spend a week there!

Petra Giffen, Premier Iberian