SOLD OUT - WAITING LIST!
Special offer for groups over 10 adults:
Transfers from Lisbon Airport included.
From Friday 15 to Sunday 24. April (possible arrival on Thursday April 14)
You will spend an amazing Passover vacation at the Luxurious Grande Real VILLA ITALIA Hôtel & SPA *****, facing the beaches of the City of Lisbon and 30 km from the city centre and only 40 minutes from Lisbon international Airport. The perfect haven for an unforgettable stay. Within an environment where the classical and the contemporary blend into a single scenery, the Grande Real Villa Italia Hotel & Spa derives from the recovery of the former residences of the last King of Italy - Humberto II. A total of 124 rooms comprising sophisticated suites and family Penthouses. The pleasant temperatures of the region, all the year around allow you to spend your days outdoors either around the swimming pool or on the beach.
Resort Amenities
- A unique sensory experience in the Real Spa Therapy, a Spa where pleasure promotes health, with exclusive Thalassotherapy treatments, based on Portuguese ingredients with proven benefits. (sauna, jacuzzi, Turkish bath, fitness room)
- Magnificent outdoor swimming pool surrounded by gardens with large solarium area (deckchairs and parasols).
- Heated indoor swimming pool with hydromassage jets.
- Many activities accessible in the immediate vicinity: Tennis courts, football stadium, volleyball, water sports.
Full Program
- Direct flights from London, Amsterdam, New York, Los Angeles, Milano, Zurich, Geneva, Brussel, Paris, Tel-Aviv,
- Free transfers organized from and to Lisbon International Airport (private shuttle on request)
- Daily Minyan with Ashkenazi & Sephardi Tefilot
- Glatt Lemehadrin gourmet menus without kitniot & gebrocht, on request non gebrocht dishes available
- Fine French and Israeli wine selection (Included)
- Shmura Matzah (for the Sedorim)
- Private Seder Option on request (in meeting rooms or even in the suites)
- Special dinning room and meals for the kids
- Scholar in Residence giving shiurim – in English, Hebrew and French
- Organized excursions to Lisbon and in the whole aera (additional cost)
- Full Board (Packed Lunch available) provided on Chol Hamoed
- Bar for tea and coffee breaks open all day around
- Daily evening entertainment (Israeli and Portugese bands and shows)
- Kids Club - & Teenagers Club
- Babysitting on request (additional cost)
Covid information
1- If there is a Portugal Lockdown (for coronavirus) and the hotel is also closed you will be fully reimbursed of your deposit.
2- If Portugal is open and the program is going ahead but if your country of residence does not allow you to travel 150 CHF (per head for administration fees) will be kept the balance will be reimbursed.
Have a look at the resort: https://www.granderealvillaitalia.realhotelsgroup.com
GROUP PASSOVER PORTUGAL - MOTSI TOURS
18th April – Monday
Full day Tour of Lisbon:
From 09h00-13h00
Lisbon is the capital and largest city in Portugal, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and the mouth of the Tagus river. Lisbon is the capital and largest city in Portugal, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and the mouth of the Tagus river. Lisbon is the city of the fado, of the palaces covered by the azulejos (the characteristic painted tiles) and of the winding alleys crossed by tram.We will start by Belem Quarter: This city is linked with the heroic deeds of the Portuguese maritime exploration, in the 15th and 16th centuries. This was the Age of Discoveries and the Golden Era of Portugal, transforming Lisbon into the opulent centre of a vast empire. Part of the wealth from these expeditions was used to build magnificent monuments in a unique Portuguese style: the extravagant Manueline architectural style, best typified in Jerónimos Monastery and Tower of Belém
Lunch break in the city center
After lunch, visit Alfama, Lisbon's oldest quarter and admire the Castle of St. George. It was by Alfama that the Judiaria (Jewish Quarter) of Lisbon used to be located. In the central area of the city you will also find the Jewish presence in the Commerce Square, where thousands of Jews were baptized against their own will and Rossio Square, where the Inquisition would make the terrifying “Acts of Faith”, the public ritual of punishing the herectics, during the Portuguese inquisition. Nowadays, a memorial pays homage to all those who suffered because of the intolerance and religious fanatism, in the most multi racial and multi-cultural place of Downtown Lisbon – Rossio Square. We will end the day with a visit to the Synagogue of Lisbon. With its hidden façade (because of the strict rules that were imposed on the Jewish buildings in the past) it still is the meeting point of the Jewish community of Lisbon.
Note: the order of the visits may be changed according to the better logistics for the group
Entrance fees not included
19th April – Tuesday
Half day visit to Mafra and Ericeira
From 09h00 – 13h00
National Palace and Convent of Mafra:
Located in Mafra, (about 35kms from Lisbon and 30kms from Cascais), it was made built by our Kind D. Fernando V as a consequence of a vow the king made in 1711 if his wife D Maria would give him offspring. A magnificent testimony to the opulence of the court of D. João V (1707-1750), who benefitted from the richness of Portuguese overseas colonies – especially from Brazil, from where the Gold and Diamonds would come.
This is the most important Portuguese Baroque monument and classified as National Monument since 1910. In 2019, the Royal Building of Mafra (Palace, Basilica, Convent, Cerco Garden and Hunting Park) Having been the summer residence of the royal family, the Palace has various collections of Portuguese, Italian and French origin made by royal commission. The Basilica features a set of six organs, unique in the world, and the two chimes of 114 bells - 57 on each of the towers, made in Antwerp in the 18th century, also the largest in the world. Even today there are organ concerts in Mafra (on festive dates)
But the great masterpiece of this palace is the Rococo-style library: It is the most important monastic-royal library of the 18th century, existing in Portugal. It was the “Arrábidos” monks (Arrábida Order) who in the 17th and 19th centuries organized the 40,000 precious volumes in a systematic way maintained until today, and who developed the onomastic catalog, where all existing works until 1819 are recorded. Among this inestimable treasure stand out the national and foreign works, printed in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, some of which are very rare, such as the 22 foreign incunabula and 41 geographical maps. The Convent was initially though off just for 13 friars but ended lodging about 300 in a convent with about 40000m2. Here lived and worked the friars of the Order of St. Francis, the “Franciscanos” who managed also the “Enfermary” where the population would be attended and that we can also nowadays visit.
Continue to Ericeira, a charming fishermen’s village north of Lisbon
Ericeira is a fishing village located on the north coast and about 38 km from Lisbon. It is said that Ericeira comes from Ouriceira (Ouriço = hedgehog in Portuguese) owes its name to the abundance of hedgehogs that could be found here in the past.Small charming village and known not only for the fish and seafood of its restaurants but because of the beauty, beautiful beaches and above all the surfing: Ericeira is a World Surf Reserve (the first European level and the 2nd in the world ). Ribeira’Ilhas Beach is sought after by surfers from all over the world.It was from Ericeira that our last king D. Manuel, left, on October 5, 1910, with his mother, Queen Amélie d'Orleans, after the murder of King D. Carlos and the eldest son D. Luis, in the hands of the revolutionaries who established the Republic in Portugal.
Note: the order of the visits may be changed according to the better logistics for the group / Entrance fees not included
20th April – Wednesday
Fulll day Óbidos / Tomar / Nazaré
From 09h00 – 18h00
Leave Cascais in deluxe motorcoach towards
ÓBIDOS:
The day begins with the visit to Óbidos. Once the wedding present of a queen, the preserved medieval town of Óbidos is without doubt one of Portugal’s most classic walled settlements. Walking the ramparts, visitors can enjoy views of windmills, vineyards and surrounding farmlands. The village resembles an open-air museum; this walled medieval town has been preserved to look like a picture-postcard, with its monuments, narrow winding streets and white-washed houses with windows and terraces full of flowers.
After free time continue to
TOMAR:
Portugal has an entire city responding to an esoteric plan. It is called Tomar and was designed by Gualdim Pais, the most famous master of the Order of the Temple and founded in 116., On the top of the hill it's located the Convent of Christ, World Heritage by UNESCO, which is the bastion of one of the most important religious orders in Portugal: the Order of Christ.
In Tomar we can find one of the most important Synagogues of Portugal. The Tomar Synagogue, founded in the 15th c. is the only proto-Renaissance Hebrew temple in our country. The Jewish Museum Abraham Zacuto will allow you to understand the importance of the Jewish population in this city. The Synagogue of Tomar is located in the old Jewish quarter, in the historic center of the city. Built between 1430 and 1460 by order of Infante D. Henrique, the synagogue of Tomar testifies to the importance that the Jewish community has had in the city since the 14th century, first at the service of the Order of the Temple, and then of the Order of Christ. Its existence as a temple would, however, be ephemeral, an effect of the forced conversion of Jews to Christianity decreed by King Manuel I.
Lunch break in Tomar
On the way to Lisbon, pass by Nazaré, a charming fisherman’s village made known lately by the giant waves surfed by surfers like Macnamara. The name Nazaré is the Portuguese version of Nazareth: According to the legend it’s name derives from a Statue of Our Lady brought from Nazareth, Holy Land, on the 4th c. to Mérida in Spain. Later, a monk brought it to Nazaré, where he lived and died as a hermit and the statue of Our Lady remained there, in a grotto on an altar. Enjoyna wonderful view of the ocean and the village in Sitio, the upper part of the village, over cliffs hanging over the ocean.
Note: the order of the visits may be changed according to the better logistics for the group
21st April – Thursday
Half day visit to Sintra
From 09h00 – 13h00
Pick up clients at the hotel in Cascais by deluxe motorcoach and departure towards Cape Roca, passing by the beautiful coastal road, enjoying the sights of the Portuguese “Riviera” Stop at Cape Roca, the westernmost point of the European continent, with impressive cliffs and the ocean to lose sight of.
Continue to Sintra:
Described by Lord Byron as “GloriousÉden" and classified by UNESCO as "Heritage of Humanity and Culture". The small town of Sintra, built on the north side of the mountain, was the favorite place of summer residence in six centuries of Portuguese reign, attracted by the cool climate and the beauty of the surrounding area. That's why Sintra has not only the beautiful royal palaces, but many small palaces and palatial houses – the entire court followed the royal family to escape the abrasive heat of Lisbon in summer.
Royal Palace:
Built on the site of a Moorish castle, it has its origins in the 15th c, blending both Moorish architecture and Manueline styles. Portuguese kings were born and died in this palace that continued, throughout the centuries , as a favorite summer residence. The main exterior feature are the 2 iconic massive chimneys with an unusual conic shape that are said to mimic the medieval hat conc shaped the ladies used to wear.
Quinta da Regaleira:
It is one of the most important and enigmatic buildings from the beginning of the 20th century. It is part of the great revivalist movement of the time and represents nostalgia for a lost paradise, the times of discovery, the great periods of Gothic, Renaissance and Manueline. It is a large fresco all in lace stone with an almost palpable romanticism. Listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, it is the realization of a dream: Antonio Augusto Carvalho Monteiro asked the architect Luigi Manini, author of several scenes at La Scala in Milan, to realize this chimera. It seems that druids and alchemists lived here: intimate chapel of the Holy Trinity, with a spiral staircase leading to the crypt; heavenly terrace, where the Templars are preparing, before heading towards the initiation well, along which descends a spiral staircase with many tunnels, some of which lead nowhere and others lead to a labyrinth. The gardens are a delight, with statues representing each month of the year, rest areas in the inextricable forest, terraces with endless views.
Note: the order of the visits may be changed according to the better logistics for the group
Rates & Details
Early bird discount for groups over 10 adults-10% until 31 October 2021
Transfers from Lisbon Airport included.