Hotel Abade João sits in Montemor-o-Velho, with views across the lower Mondego plains or towards the town’s castle. The surrounding area brings together historic sights and the green fields along the river; Figueira da Foz is 15 kilometres away and Coimbra 30. Four kilometres from the hotel, the Montemor-o-Velho High Performance Centre is a water-sports complex with Portugal’s only Olympic rowing and canoeing course, regularly used for training camps by professional athletes from national teams around the world. The hotel describes its character as a meeting of hotel refinement and the familiarity of a country home. Its dining room seats up to 70, with group lunches and dinners arranged in advance. Local dishes include lamprey, shad, eel and duck rice, followed by convent sweets from Tentúgal.