we were in lisbon for over a month, i chose not to travel and stay in the city – giving me enough time to see everyone and enjoy our vacations without having to rush anywhere…or pack! but on the last weekend before we left, we made a little escape and spent it at the cooking and nature emotional hotel. located  in a small village right in the heart of candeeiros natural park, it’s only an hour away from lisbon.

julia and i went with my parents and couldn’t have had a better time, specially julia. we saw sheep and cows, only that can be pretty exciting for a toddler. we went on a bicycle ride, which was too much fun. we had a cooking lesson to make our own dinner with local ingredients. and the highlight for julia was definitely the afternoon spent at the indoor pool (i had barely put her bathing suit on, when she started running around the room as if with the highest sugar rush!). as for us adults, it was really the perfect place to relax, read and actually spend quality time with each other without interruptions.

the hotel has 12 rooms, each one decorated differently, julia and i stayed in a fun one, the shelter room, with penguins on the ceiling, a cozy rocking chair perfect for reading and a bathtub that looked like a pool. the public areas are big, with lots of rooms and different nooks to chose from, with lounge chairs, fireplaces and an honesty bar.

the staff were super friendly and helpful, our dinner and breakfast were delicious, with a lot of attention to detail. the hotel was full, but because of all the lounging areas available, we always felt like we had our own space. 

it was a really nice hotel to spend a winter weekend, – and i don’t think i can say this about many hotels. i’m hoping to be back with the summer weather to enjoy their swimming pool and outside areas too.

ps – other great places we’ve stayed before