File:The Lawrences Hotel (973438522).jpg

Sintra, Portugal (Source: Hotel Homepage)

Lawrence's history begins in:

1764 First date the Hotel is mentioned, in a postcard sent by an English traveller to his family in England (source: The Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon), there are no records of the exact time of the existence of the Hotel.

1780 Opened as Lawrence's hotel.

1809 July 7-17 Lord George Byron stayed at Lawrence's, where he wrote part of the Child Heritage Pilgrimage and wrote to his friend Francis Hodgson: "1 must observe that the village of Cintra in Estremadura is the most beautiful, perhaps, in the whole world".

1850 Became "Hospedaria Inglesa" owned by Mr. Duran, who sold the property to a Mr. Miguel David Gallway. In this time, around 1900 a small part was built on, and let to Mr. Alvaro Sim6es, to open a small pastry, where the first "Pasteis de feijão de Torres Vedras" were made, now a local delicacy. This same space was later used by the commander of the local fire brigade.

1935 A Czechoslovakian lady, called Mrs. Matia Janavcova bought the property and rebuilt it.

1949 Opened as "Estalagem dos Cavaleiros".

1961 Closes down for the last time as a hotel.

1969 Sold to Mr. Guedes de Sousa Hare, who tried to make changes in the structure but suffered an court injunction.

1989 The property was bought by Mr. & Mrs. Jan Willem Bos, with the court injunction. After several bureaucratic and legal problems, the restoration of the building started. In the following years the new project was approved, after more bureaucratic and legal problems. The restoration of the building started and ended in 1999 Only possible due to the owners persistance, the hotel opened once again its doors to the public as Lawrence's. Over the years Mr. & Mrs. Jan Bos have been able to buy several original items of the former hotel and other antique items which have been used in the interior decoration of the hotel. The well known Portuguese interior decorator Mrs. Maria Aura Troçolo assisted Mrs. Coreen Bos Beckeringh in furbishing the hotel.

2000-2004 Jan Willem Bos finally got Lawrence's up and running and his passion for excellence had no limit The hotel was at its best, and Jan Bos motto "Guests satisfaction! The rest is irrelevant", made it an unforgetable experience.

2005 Unfortunately the dream could not continue, 10 years of quest and a passion cannot cope with today's economics, so the hotel was sold on public auction and acquired by the WR Hotels Group.

2006