Feast of Tabernacles 2010: Costa de Caparica, Portugal

We regret to inform you that this festival site is now full!

[Ver a informação da Festa de Tabernáculos em Português]

Costa de Caparica (1/2 hour south of Lisbon)

We will again host the Feast in the fishing village of Costa de Caparica, just outside Lisbon.

Services will be held in the 8th floor of Hotel Costa da Caparica for more information about the hotel) which is a sea-front 4 star hotel serviced by many restaurants and eating facilities on the continental esplanades just outside the hotel.

This site main language is English. Services will be held mainly in English with translation into Portuguese. There will be a split sermon in Portuguese, which will be translated into English. Please bring a small portable FM radio with an earpiece for you to tune into the translation.

Location of services: 8th Floor, Hotel Costa da Caparica, Av. General Humberto Delgado, 47; 2829-506 Costa de Caparica, PORTUGAL.

Services times: The opening service will be Wednesday evening September 22 at 8pm. Services will be held in the mornings, except on the 1st Holy Day and on the Sabbath which will be in the afternoon. On the Last Great Day (September 30th) there will be services in the morning and afternoon.
On the 1st Holy Day (September 23rd) there will also be a Portuguese Bible Study for the Portuguese brethren at 10:30am.

Reservations: To register for the Feast please download the '2010 Feast Registration – Portugal' form and submit your registration by e-mailing the completed registration form to the festival coordinator (Jorge de Campos) at jorge_decampos@ucg.org. You may also fax the registration form to UCG's home office fax number, for Jorge's attention. Should you have any further questions, please feel free to contact Jorge at (513) 907 9774 (mobile number).

Please ensure you complete the information in the registration form with details about all the people that will make up your group, and for whom you will be paying. Please do not assume that you are registered to attend the Feast in Portugal, by simply e-mailing or faxing the registration form. Please ensure you get confirmation of registration from the festival coordinator.

Accommodation is available at the same hotel as where the Feast will be held. Very special rates have been negotiated at approximately the same price as two years ago. To get these special rates you need to book through the festival coordinator. Although no deposit is required, your early booking is appreciated for our planning.

Accommodation rates for 2010:

• Single bedroom: 57.50 euros/night (or 68.00 euros/night if sea view requested), including breakfast;
• Double/Twin bedroom: 64.00 euros/night (that is, 32.00 euros per person if you share), including 2 breakfasts;
• Double/Twin bedroom with sea view: 79.00 euros/night (that is, 39.50 euros per person if you share), including 2 breakfasts.
• Extra Person in double/twin bedroom, for instance, a 12 year old child (or older): An extra bed charge of 20.00 euros/night for that 3rd person. Includes the extra breakfast.
Note 1: Children from 12 years old, pay adult rates at the hotel.
Note 2: Only one extra bed is permitted in a double room. Pure and simply, you can not fit 2 extra beds or a bed and a cot, because the room does not have any extra space.
• Extra Child in the double bedroom from 4 till 11 years old: 50% discount on the extra bed charge, if sharing room with 2 adults, including breakfast. (That is, the extra bed charge will only be 10 euros per night, including breakfast). NB: There is an absolute maximum of one extra bed (or cot) per room. No exceptions.
• Extra Child in room till 3 years of age: Free, if sharing room with 2 adults, including breakfast.
• Suites are also available, but the hotel is not offering special rates on the suites. Booking 2 double bedrooms with a sea-view is far more cost effective than booking a suite. Please ask the festival coordinator for the pricing details of the suites, should you be interested.
• They do not have family rooms, that is two adjacent rooms with a inter-leading door between the rooms.

Additional information:

• There is internet and wireless capability at the hotel. The wireless connection does not have a strong signal and the sensitivity of your wireless card in your laptop will determine whether you will be able to log on from your laptop in your room or not.
• The rooms have a small fridge and there is a hair dryer. Remember voltages are 220V/50Hz and US appliances (110V/60Hz) do NOT work in Europe.
• Cell phone frequencies are different in Europe than in USA. Better check with your cell phone provider. A good option to phone home is to use a phone card or a PC program such as Skype.

What is the dress code?

As we are coming before God please ensure that the correct dress code is adhered to. Suit and tie for men and modest apparel for ladies. Please avoid plunging necklines or revealing clothes and revealing beach attire. Even though the hall is air conditioned it does get warm in the hall.

How should you take money to Portugal?

The most cost effective and practical way is to use credit cards (for instance, to pay the hotel, to pay for meals, etc.), and when cash (in euros) is needed, then withdraw money using your debit card via an ATM machine in Portugal.

The fees will be lower than using traveler's checks. Traveler's checks are not as practical and easy to use as they are in the USA.

Dollars may be exchanged to Euros at the airport or at banks, but their working hours are limited.
Please inform your Banks (Credit card and Debit card companies) of your dates of travel. You do not want them to freeze your accounts while you are traveling because they assume that there is an unusual utilization pattern in your account.

What about offerings?
Offerings should be in euros. Offerings donated in Portugal at the Feast will not be USA IRS tax deductible. There will not be receipts issued for offerings donated in Portugal. Offerings in Portugal will remain in Portugal for the Portuguese work in Portugal. If you are a member from the USA, you may opt to send a portion of your offerings to the Home Office, so that you benefit from the IRS tax allowance.

More Feast Site Information

Costa da Caparica is south of Lisbon, across the river Tagus, and is easily reached from Lisbon airport in about half an hour by taxi (may be longer if traffic is heavy). It is a pleasant fishing village with a market literally around the corner and various shops on the “fisherman's street” within walking distance from the hotel where the feast services will be conducted and accommodation is available. You basically will not need to hire a car during the feast, as the tours include transport and all facilities, restaurants, etc are within walking distance from the hotel where you will stay and where we hold services. As some have said, you 'fall out of bed' into the meeting hall.

The region where Costa de Caparica is situated is called Almada in the "Costa Azul" (Blue Coast) and is a popular tourist destination. Costa de Caparica is well known for its extensive sandy beaches (more than 16 mile /25Km) with fine and white sand. The Atlantic, the Tagus (Rio Tejo) and the picturesque sand banks marry together to make a multitude of possibilities and diversities that make the Blue Coast a wonderful destination for the Feast in Portugal.

The river Tagus separates Lisbon downtown (in the North bank) from Almada (in the South bank – where the feast is held). A large suspension bridge joins the two areas. There are frequent busses from Caparica to Almada and ferries between Almada and downtown Lisbon. The best way to get from the airport to the hotel is via taxi. It should cost you about 30 euros, depending on traffic. Make sure the driver has the fare meter running. We have not got an organized transport from the airport to the hotel, as the arrival times of the brethren are varied, and it is not practical, nor cost effective to organize such a bus service. During the Feast we will organize a bus from the Hotel to the airport, as we have found from experience that most brethren leave within a few hours, the morning after the LGD.

The proximity to Lisbon allows visits to historic sites, such as where the first navigators left to find the 'new world', castles, museums, etc. Special group tours with tour guides in English will be organized during the Feast. Please use the following websites to get more information about the hotel, places to visit in Lisbon and general information:

• www.hotelcostacaparica.pt/ for view of the hotel and conference room where the Feast will be held;

• http://www.atl-turismolisboa.pt for Lisbon tourist information – for text in English, select the English flag on the top-right corner of the web-site; 

• www.portugal.org for general information about Portugal;

• www.portugalvirtual.pt/_tourism/geninfo.html for general facts about traveling in Portugal, such as taxis, driving, weather, currency, opening hours, and some useful words;

• www.portugalvirtual.pt/80drinkeat/index.html for food - what to eat and what not to eat! (And about wines!)

• Portugal Tipping & Etiquette Guide

Tipping: In Portugal, tipping is not normally considered a pleasant thing to do in public with other people watching. However it is always quite welcoming when this is done in private. Tipping is not typically done by the locals as a percentage as it is in other countries. However, tourism has changed that culture some-how in the last few years. Tipping is more a token of appreciation. Here are some accepted examples:

Restaurants: For instance, when dinner is well served, tip 1 to 2 euros (per person).

Taxis: They already add a fee when they charge the taxi fare (in case you are indeed satisfied with the service, tip say 1 euro).

Hotels: Your courtesy (for instance if something goes wrong and the receptionist helps, tip 1 to 5 euros).

Haircuts: Tipping not necessary

WC (two important letters to remember: it is the sign in Portugal for the Rest Rooms / Toilets): Tipping not necessary

Festival coordinator:
Jorge de Campos
jorge_decampos@ucg.org
Mobile: (513) 907-9774