More for Portugal - Know the winners of 2018 World Travel Awards

For the first time, the cerimony for the World Travel Awards occurred in Portugal, on its capital city, Lisbon. Not that we need it, but it must have brought good fortune, since Portugal won multiple awards!

Passadiços do Paiva

Here are some of the categories on which Portugal won the 2018 World Travel Awards:

World's Leading Adventure Tourist Attraction - Passadiços do Paiva World's Leading Airline to Africa - TAP Air Portugal World's Leading Airline to South America - TAP Air Portugal World's Leading City Break Destination - Lisbon World's Leading City Destination 2018 - Lisbon World's Leading City Hotel - Corinthia Hotel Lisbon World's Leading Classic Hotel - Olissippo Lapa Palace Hotel World's Leading Conservation Company - Parques de Sintra - Monte da Lua World's Leading Design Hotel - The Vine Hotel World's Leading Destination - Portugal World's Leading Fine Dining Hotel Restaurant - Vila Joya Hotel Restaurant @ Vila Joya World's Leading Inflight Magazine - Up Magazine (TAP Air Portugal) World's Leading Luxury Leisure Resort - Conrad Algarve World's Leading Tourist Board - Turismo de Portugal

Get to know the whole list of Awards here.

And congratulations for all the winners!

For the first time, there are eight hotels distinguished by the Forbes Guide

Lisbon premieres this year at the Forbes Travel Guide Awards with eight distinguished hotels. Bairro Alto Hotel was the only Portuguese to receive four stars, a threshold reserved for "exceptional properties".

Source: Fugas - PÚBLICO 

Each year, Forbes Travel Guide inspectors anonymously visit dozens of hotels, restaurants and spas, scrutinizing them through a thin sieve of "up to 800 objective criteria." At the podium of the Star Rating Awards comes only the crème de la crème of the sector, divided between five-star properties ("extraordinary, often iconic, with a virtually perfect service and incredible facilities"); four stars ("exceptional, offer a high level of service and corresponding facilities"); and recommended ("excellent, with consistently good services and facilities").

This year, the prizes awarded by the international publication have expanded to 20 new destinations, including the Portuguese capital. Lisbon premieres with eight distinguished hotels. None reached the top of the podium, but the Bairro Alto Hotel won the four-star label.

In addition to Bairro Alto Hotel, seven other Lisbon units were "recommended" by the international travel guide. The Corinthia Hotel Lisbon - a good choice for those who want a "quiet place" to stay in the city; The InterContinental Lisbon - with "vast views" over the capital; The Olissippo Lapa Palace - one of the outstanding features is the "exceptional collection of hand-painted Portuguese typical wall murals"; The Penha Longa Resort - a "picturesque hideaway" between the mountains of Sintra; The Pestana Palace Lisbon Hotel - where "palatial luxury and history meet"; The Pousada de Lisboa - "a luxurious look at the past" of the city; And the Sofitel Lisbon Liberdade - "French sophistication in elegant Lisbon".

Besides to Lisbon, new cities such as Bali, Barcelona, Bogotá, Budapest, Cartagena, County Kildare, Dublin, Kyoto, Lima, Manila, Melbourne, Monte Carlo, Munich, Osaka, Santiago, Seoul, Saint Tropez, Sydney , Venice and Zurich premiered in this guide made by Forbes. 

Estorial Palace on the internacional luxory spas guide

Condé Nast Johansens launched this week the new edition of the annual guide dedicated to luxury spas located in hotels all around the world.  

Estoril (Cascais), Portugal

The beauty and well-being treatments’ service of Estoril Palace remains as the only Portuguese between the restrict selection of 68 international establishments. 

The 2017 edition integrates, however, 14 new entries, including three hotels in Europe: Bulgari Hotel (United Kigdom), Miraggio Thermal Spa Resort (Greece) and Hotel Belleuve (Croatia). Among the guide Condé Nast Johansens Luxury Spas novelties stand up the services locatel in the hotels The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore (Singapura), Taj Exotica Goa Resort (India), The Chedi Muscat (Omã), Water Garden Sigiriya (Sri Lanka) and Sparkling Hill Resort & Spa (Canada).

The guide is already for sale online for 9,99 libra (about 11,87€). 

Source: Fugas - Público

Sá Pessoa is the chef of the year to Wine Magazine

Publication of the Wine Essence awarded once again “the best of the year” in the wine and gastronomy sector. 

The Wine magazine already elected the “2016 best of the year”, distributing 15 awards between different categories connected to gastronomy and wines sector.

In the wine section, one of the biggest winners was the red from Alenjeto, Dona Maria Grande Reserva 2011, producted by Júlio Bastion in Estremoz. Elaborated from selected grapes in plots of old vineyards Alicante Bouschet, Touriga Nacional, Petit Verdot e Syrah, was then fermented in mills, following a phase of a year in new French oak barrels. 

The Herdade of Portocarro, located in Torrão (Alcácel do Sal county), leaded by José Mota Capitão, eas elected “producer of the year”; meanwhile the Azores Wine Company, António Maçanita’s project with Filipe Rocha and Paulo Machado, with head office in Pico Island, was considered “Producer of the year revelation”. 

Still in the wine section, three more awards: Vasco D’Avillez, current president of the Wine Commission of the Lisbon Region, was elected “2016 Personality of the year”; Jorge Moreira has received the “Oenologist of the year” award, at the time he celebrates two decades of his career; and António Coelho, sommelier e maître in the Spanish restaurant Lasarte (with three Michelin stars), was considered “sommelier of the year”. 

In his turn, João Rodrigues, bartender in the Columbus Cocktail & Wine Bar, in Faro, Algarve, conquered the award of “Mixologist of the year”, after won, last year, the World Class Portugal competition final and represented the country in the world final in United States.  

In the gastronomy area, highlights to the awards delivered to two new Michelin stars in Portugal. After having conquered the first star in the last year, Henrique Sá Pessoa, from the Alma restaurant, was elected “Cuisine Chef of the Year” and Loco, from Alexandre Silva, was considered the best “Gastronomic Restaurant”. Duarte Calvão, gastronomic and director of the event Fish in Lisbon, is the “2016 Personality of the year in gastronomy”.   

The Mealhada region, famous for its roasted piglet in wood oven, left de ceremony with two awards. It was elected as “Gastronomic Destiny of the year” and saw one of the region’s restaurants, Rei dos Leitões, being distinguished with the “best wine service”.   

Among the awarded, are still added Herdade do Esporão, in Reguengos de Monsaraz, Alentejo, with the “Wine tourism of the year”; the salt flower of the company Salmarim, based in Castro Marim, Algarve, is the "artisanal product of the year"; and Jaime José de Barcelos, owner of the Ostradamus restaurant in Florianópolis, was elected "personality of the year in Brazil".

Source: Fugas