My husband and I are travelers.
Together we’ve covered all 50 of the United States, Canada, Mexico, parts of Central and South America, Western and Eastern Europe, the Baltic States, Russia, and some of the Middle East and Africa.
That’s a lot of hotel rooms. And they can get really expensive. So over the years we’ve learned to be careful about how we search for lodging. One of our favorite approaches, when we toured with our intrepid Maltese, Carson, was to drive all day until late afternoon and then pull over and look online for a place to spend the night.
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Our requirements were: 1) pets accepted; 2) minimum 8.0 rating on Booking.com; 3) restaurant on premises or nearby; 4) free breakfast; and 5) within budget. There were a few memorable—or forgettable—failures using that method, but overall it has worked beautifully.
On a recent road trip in Portugal, however, we actually planned ahead. We booked a room days in advance for one night in Bragança—a historic city nestled in the lush and mysterious Trás-os-Montes region of northern Portugal—as we would be touring a variety of cities and didn’t want to be locked into returning to a single home base.
It offered free breakfast and free parking for only €65 ($76). That was just the start. We hadn’t looked closely at all the Exe São Lázaro offered, so when we arrived, it was a discovery a minute. All the basics were there: friendly, professional staff and a spacious, impeccably clean, air-conditioned room. (We didn’t opt for it, but for €10 [$12] extra we could have had a room with a view of the city’s legendary castle.)
What we didn’t expect were the extras: a pool table in the lobby opposite the bar, a fitness center with spa services available by appointment, a tennis court, and an outdoor pool area with a bar and café.
“Wacky” Mini-Golf
The historic district was only about a mile from our hotel, so we stowed our luggage and set off. We’d passed through Bragança many times in the past, but this time we climbed the castle ramparts and explored the offerings on Museum Street. That night we texted the front desk to ask if we could extend our stay. We could. The hotel’s location, just two minutes from the major artery A4, was also perfect for visiting other places we wanted to see, like Mirandela and Zamora, Spain. We extended our stay again.
When we weren’t exploring in or out of town, we made use of the free amenities: dipping into the outdoor pool or playing a wacky round on the property’s mini golf course. “Wacky” because the course badly needs revamping. Eventually I would walk up to a hole and tell my husband, “Just give me the max number of strokes,” and move on.
Having said that, we had fun. We didn’t dine at the hotel due to the expense (€35 per person with a reservation, €45 without), but online reviews show satisfied customers. Frankly, the expansive buffet in the huge breakfast room was enough to keep us full until evening, when we enjoyed tapas or other fare in town.
Our best dinner was at Solar Bragançana. Housed in an 18th-century manor, the elegant restaurant boasts an outdoor, candlelit patio. That’s where I had one of my favorite meals: a cheese and tomato omelet with green salad. My husband ordered pheasant. Dinner for two with wine: €42.
In the end, we stayed five nights at Exe São Lázaro. It was the ideal base to get better acquainted with Bragança.
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