Penha Longa Kids Club – courtesy Penha Longa Hotel & Resort
Family Holidays in Portugal: Penha Longa Hotel, Spa and Golf Resort
By Larry Berle
The Penha Longa Resort is located 30 miles north of Lisbon, Portugal, two miles from a beautiful city called Sintra. Penha Longa, meaning “long rock”, was originally built in 1355 as a Monastery. During the sixteenth century it became the summer residence of Portugal’s’ Royal family. Today it is the site of a luxury Ritz-Carlton hotel and spa.
The hotel was built next door 17 years ago. Ritz-Carlton has made a substantial investment in the renovation of the Monastery and has used the charming aspects of the medieval past for modern day wedding and conventions alike. Even its splendid, marble church has been preserved with unequaled beauty. The monastery has retained colorful ceramic tiles, large wooden doors, spacious gardens, vaulted ceilings, and more.
For family holidays in Portugual, look no further than the Ritz Carlton at Penha Longa resort. Their kid club activities are so popular that kids even ask their parents to bring them back year after year. Your kids can enjoy activities for part of or all of a day including evening if you wish. They have three activities per day; morning, afternoon, and evening. Each day is different but includes things such as Pastry Arts, golf lessons, visit the horse paddock, gardening, creating puppet shows, ‘Crazy Scientist Day’, pirate treasure hunt, sports activities and even nighttime star and moon observation. It’s very affordable. This is a growing commitment at Ritz-Carlton resorts as they grow their commitment to becoming a family vacation destination.
Penha Longa’s Cuisine is always front and center. The five international restaurants will satisfy every palate. The AssaMassa with its authentic Portuguese flavors, Midori a spectacular, traditional Japanese restaurant, and the ultra contemporary Hole-In-One bar in the golf clubhouse all have delicious selections and provide spectacular, pastoral views. One should not miss the Butterfish Entrée with Black Truffles or the sporty Club Sandwich with Cracked Egg in two of these locations. Kids menus are available upon request.
Next door, also housed in a 14th century bldg, is the six senses spa. They offer all the traditional spa services but in quite a unique setting. There are contemporary furnishings combined with antiques in this beautiful historic bldg. A very unique place for a spa visit. For more information on the golf and spa amenities, please visit Larry’s blog: http://golfersdreambook.blogspot.com/
The village of Sintra has plenty for the family too including a fabulous Moorish Castle, several historical churches and the former National Palace. Also, nearby historic Lisbon has museums, shopping, as well as all the offerings of being the capital city of Portugal.
If you go: Penha Longa Hotel, Spa and Resort
Sintra, Portugal
Larry Berle is a travel writer who writes on many travel topics but specializes in golf travel. He is author of A GOLFERS DREAM: HOW A REGULAR GUY CONQUERED THE GOLF DIGEST LIST OF AMERICAS TOP 100 GOLF COURSES. Learn more about his book at www.GolfersDreamBook.com and from there you can also access his travel blog.
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