Dona Gracia Hotel

Quite the eclectic place… part hotel, part museum. Dona Gracia lived here during the renaissance and her life is partially documented in the hotel. Obviously the building has been renovated since then, and while showing its age, everything was quite functional, including a/c and shower. The public spaces are very nicely furnished and the guest rooms are more functional. Beware some of the rooms face the inner courtyard and as such do not have an outside window.

We didn't stay at the hotel. We visited the museum showing the life history of Dona Gracia de Mendes, an impressive story about this extraordinary women who lived during the time of Inquisition in Portugal, Spain and Italy. It's hard to believe that in those difficult times she managed to dominate the business of spices importation, and spent her life and fortune to support the jews trying to help them to fly from the persecution of the Inquisition.

There was a lot of hair in the bedsheets, we changed our room and there were still hairs in the bedsheets. I got “food” poisoning from the drinks in the cafeteria, so don’t drink the juice from the machines. *edit* I had also found hair in the baked goods they served during breakfast; actually disgusting.