Pousada do Castelo de Estremoz

Sleeping in a castle is nowadays much more comfortable than when buildings had battlements instead of balconies. A night at this castle - built by Portuguese king D. Dinis for his "Holy Queen" Isabel - is a demonstration that love conquers everything, even giant boulders. The rooms in the Castelo de Estremoz Pousada, in Alentejo, maintain a classical decoration, with their four-poster beds, but added contemporary luxuries such as TV and wi-fi. Then there's the imposing castle keep, now open for private meals for groups up to 12 people, with three menus to choose from: one has a traditional tomato soup, sausage and poached eggs, and Brás-style cod; another comes with partridge and mint soup, black pork loins and fava bean stew; and a third includes Serpa cheese on crispy crackers and roast lamb.