Wednesday, 30 December 2020

VIDAGO (PORTUGAL)

 
VIDAGO
GPS: N 41.63868; W 7.57329

Vidago is a village and a former civil parish in the municipality of Chaves, in the Portuguese district of Vila Real with an area of 6.40 square kilometers (2.47 sq mi) and a population of 1186 inhabitants.

WELCOME TO THE ENCHANTED PARK OF VIDAGO
A CENTENARY PARK
Vast and generous are just two of the many adjectives to describe the beautiful park that surrounds the Vidago Palace Hotel. With its hundred-year-old trees, it wraps around the hotel like a protective cloak. Created in 1910, the landscaping is typical of the early 20th century and has survived intact to the present day. Avenues, paths, trails, and water features lead visitors through this spectacular grove that changes color with the changing seasons.

It is impossible to remain indifferent before the impressive blooms of Grandiflora magnolia, the gigantic scale of Camellia japonica, and the superb lines of Platanus hispanica… Impossible also to ignore the beauty of Sequoia sempervirens with their twisted trunks! Impressive, majestic trees, extraordinary scents, flowers and lakes, light and shade, sparrows and squirrels… A living universe that makes for a magical park!

Scattered across Vidago Park are four pretty springs, sheltered by structures of traditional architecture. Two of them are still active and the natural mineral water can be sampled in small amounts.

INSPIRING PEACE
Tranquillity is the Vidago Palace Hotel’s raison d’être. The hotel has inherited this vocation from the old thermal baths  – 100 hectares of woods and parkland, dotted with mineral water pavilions – just as it has inherited the discreet sophistication in evidence throughout! Passing through the tall iron gates of the Vidago Palace Hotel, the broad main avenue cuts through an enchanted wood, where planes, magnolias, pines, camellias, and lavender frame the monumental reddish-ochre façade of the hotel.

Green is the dominant shade of the Vidago Palace Hotel, an invitation to idleness that affords an unparalleled view over its true essence. From the windows of the Vidago Palace Hotel, you can appreciate one of the best examples of 20th-century romantic architecture in Portugal – Vidago Park. This is the main attraction of the town of Vidago. Blessed with pure air and the three natural springs that give their name to Vidago’s famous mineral waters, the park is home to a fantastic universe of fauna and flora. This verdant space also boasts one of Europe’s best golf courses, with 18 holes, and a traditional thermal spa, designed by the leading Portuguese architect Siza Vieira. 

Nature trails in the Park
Discovering the secrets of the park, in an unforgettable rail!
In every tree lurks magic ... In the jump of the Squirrel, the Vidago Palace Hotel nature transmits its joy!
The challenge is to walk through the colorful leaves ... through a mysterious trail that takes us to the surrounding hills.
Come, and breathe nature!
For more information contact the reception of Vidago Palace Hotel.