ACCOMMODATION
Renowned for their service and hospitality, Portuguese hotels come in many different styles, ranging from historic and rustic hideaways to the most modern five-star resorts. In all cases, they ensure a genuinely warm welcome, offering visitors the best possible conditions in which to relax and enjoy the best of Portugal.
Like in most countries around the world, hotels in Portugal are graded by stars, which are awarded according to size, degree of comfort and facilities offered. A more intimate type of accommodation experience can be found in an estalagem or albergaria - these are traditional hotels often set in a picturesque rural location.
Pousadas are state-run establishments located in historic or regional-style buildings, most commonly a convent, castle or palace, and very often with outstanding views of the surrounding countryside. Particular importance is given to the regional cuisine, which is always represented with style and precision in the pousada's restaurant.
A wide range of high-quality accommodation is also available in Portugal's many manor houses, farms, cottages and other privately-owned buildings throughout Portugal. For more information about the wide range of accommodation available in Portugal, please consult the Portugal Hotel Guide website at www.hotelguide.pt or www.maisturismo.com, powered by the Nethotels global reservations system.

AIRPORTS
Modern airports serve every part of Portugal, including the islands of Madeira and the Azores. Lisbon's airport is located at Portela, on the northern fringes of the city. A downtown taxi journey only takes 20 minutes, while the resort areas of Estoril and Cascais are 30 km away. Oporto's Francisco Sá Carneiro airport is located in an industrial suburb 11 km due north of the city centre. Important renovation works are due to greatly increase the airport's capacity prior to the Euro 2004 football tournament. Portugal's main tourist region, the Algarve, is served by Faro airport located just 4 km from the town centre and a half-hour taxi ride from the busy resort of Albufeira. Madeira's recently-enlarged Santa Catarina Airport lies close to the small town of Santa Cruz 18 km north-east of Funchal. A new motorway link has reduced the journey time to just 20 minutes. Madeira's sister island, Porto Santo, also boasts a modern 21st-century airport thanks to NATO's upkeep and regular use by the Portuguese air force. Most people visiting the nine-island archipelago of the Azores arrive at Ponta Delgada's João Paulo II airport on São Miguel, the largest island in the group. The journey to the city centre takes approximately 15 minutes. Santa Maria Airport just outside Vila do Porto was the first to open in the Azores more than fifty years ago, providing a vital link between the mainland and the region's easternmost point. Faial's airport at Horta is located just 10 minutes from town, while visiting arriving at the island of Flores are just a few kilometres from the village of Santa Cruz.