After a long day of sightseeing and a bus breakdown, I was relieved to find out accommodation for the night in Guinmares was a beautiful former monastery tucked into the surrounding peaks of the Douro Valley. Pousada de Santa Marinha is not the type of place I would typically stay, but I can’t say it wasn’t unique.
We were given the keys to our “cells,” which look like they should still have monks living in them. That’s not to say that they were simple or sparse. I’m fairly certain that monks have no use for mini bars and flats screen televisions.
I felt like I was living the song “Problem Like Maria” from the Sound of Music. I of all people don’t belong in such a place since I was enjoying many a port tonic and had just finished reading Fifty Shades of Grey. (I will save you the trouble. Don’t bother with it.)
I’m just not cut out for monastic life but I would gladly return to the pousada, even if it is one of the weirder places I have slept.
My stay was a part of a press trip organized by Visit Portugal following the Travel Bloggers Unite conference and my stay was complimentary, but all opinions are my own.
I have to say that that looks a lot nicer than what I would expect from a room at a monastery. Where there a lot of people staying there?
I know! There were about 20 of us.