Little Shepherds Lagoon Hotel — Hotel in Ourém

Lagoa dos Pastorinhos is likely a pilgrim's dream - highly affordable and spartan enough to keep any sentiments of luxurious excess at bay while on a spiritual journey. Cynicism aside, those with a decent pair of legs (or knees, couldn't resist that one) should give Lagoa plenty of thought when planning a journey to Portugal's holy land. ||||Fatima is small enough for pretty much everything to be centrally located, though Lagoa does lie about 10 minutes' walk from the Basilica grounds. The locale seems to lack any activity at a glance, but reception was easily able to direct us to a pretty good restaurant. For mental preparation, do note that Lagoa is situated next to a construction material holding yard and in the middle of plenty of unfinished construction that will likely not be completed any time soon - don't be alarmed by the pseudo-Soviet landscape. The area is well-lit and generally safe.||||The hotel maintains about three receptionists - the proprietor and proprietress, and (probably) one of their mothers. The couple speaks passable English while the mother was able to gesticulate eloquently and help us on our way in scattered phrases. All were very helpful and reasonably amiable, though we interacted more with the elderly lady, who directed us to an excellent restaurant (Manhas). We would've been quite clueless if not for her assistance, despite the lack of spoken English. ||||Rooms were a little spartan for our tastes - but with the prices we were getting and the inclusion of breakfast, we tempered our expectations accordingly and I would advise guests to do the same. Beds were sleepable, pillows were of a reasonable hardness and bathrooms were decent. We also had an extra bed in the room for no apparent reason, but who's complaining about that? Unless you're someone who really needs to do yoga in the empty space.||||Noise isn't an issue anywhere - the loudest thing that drives by would be an infrequent tour bus. ||||Breakfast was excellent - a wide spread of cakes, cereal, cheese and cold cuts were available on top of the usual offerings of bread and butter. Fresh fruit was also an added bonus. ||||While not a top-of-the-line establishment, the value here is as good as it gets, particularly on the packed 12th and 13th of the month where some solace would likely be handy after spending half the night trudging around armed with a 50-cent candle. Would recommend this to those who are willing to walk a little...

We had a wonderful stay at this family hotel which I was surprised to find out was 2 star. The service was exceptional. The couple were extremely friendly and helpful with any request. I stayed with my parents and 2 children and all our needs were met. The rooms were of a very high standard and very clean. We were surprised on our arrival as we're staying elsewhere in Portugal for the rest of our stay at a 4 star hotel which was actually of a much lower standard than at lagoa. It is very near the sanctuary and for those who wish to go to the houses of the children of Fatima it is situated at the roundabout were the path to their houses is. This is a wonderful way to get to the houses. The path leading you there has the stations of the cross along the path, it also brings you to the well and where the angle appeared. We did not know of this path to their village, it is only an 15 min walk to their houses. If it had not been for suggestion of the family at Lagoa, ŵe would have missed out on this wonderful experience as part of our visit to Fatima. Not only did they provide for all our comfort needs, they also enhanced the pilgrimage for me and my family, and for this most of all I would like...

Our second stay at this wonderful little hotel only confirmed the praise that I bestowed on it in my first review. Excellent hospitality and comfort. As another reviewer said, it is near the roundabout where there is a path with an open air stations of the cross (very popular during the season of Lent). This same path leads to the village of little shepherds. ||||For pilgrims who are not in a rush, Fatima has more to offer than the Marian Sanctuary. The abovementioned roundabout also has an exit that leads to the National Park of Serras de Aire e Candeeiros near Fatima. The park is home to beautiful subterranean caves called 'Grutas de Mira de Aire' (15 km from Fatima) and the little-known but equally amazing area where fossilized dinosaur footprints can be seen (10 km from Fatima). The footprints are the oldest discovered in the world and the trail of the footprints, the largest unearthed so far. We paid just €3/person to view this blast from the distant past. The caves cost us €6/person.||||It was always a pleasure to return to this tranquil little hotel from our outings and we would definitely stay here again if we stay overnight in Fatima. Unbeatable...