My husband and I and another couple spent 3 nights at Casa da Nora during our two week trip through Portugal. This historic olive mill has been converted to a modern hotel with loving attention to every detail. It's a bit difficult to find (be sure to print the detailed map to help you get there) in the little village of Cortes outside Leiria but once there you'll find a tranquil setting for exploring the many attractions in this area of Portugal -- the long stretches of empty beaches, natural parks, monasteries and Roman ruins. Having a good restaurant onsite for a relaxing and tastey meal after a day of sight seeing was especially nice. At first glance, the town of Cortes itself doesn't seem to offer much, but the museum and beautiful tiled church up the hill are well worth a visit. It was also fun to see the school children stopping off on their way home to cool off in the old mill pond (complete with diving board) right next to the hotel. Hotel guests can opt for the lovely pool set in a beautifully tended garden.
Finally, Rodolfo is an excellent host and very caring person who will go out of his way to make your stay at Casa da Nora as comfortable as possible.
The prices were a little high for a rural setting (we did ask for and received a discount for staying 3 nights) but the rooms were immaculate and exceptionally well furnished with the latest in energy efficient design and service was superb.

We stayed at Casa da Nora for a couple of days in august 2008 with a group.
The rooms are nicely decorated and pretty spacious.
The town of Cortes is cute and its a great base to visit this incredible area.
Unfortunately there were a couple of flaws:
-No elevator for luggage and even though its a rural hotel the prices are at the same level as a 4 star in Lisbon on Avenida da Liberdade.

-They had landscaping and construction going on in the hotel which meant waking up with hammers at 8 in the morning and having construction workers check out your wife while she's sun bathing.

Man,just wait 'till its off season to do your construction work.

-We had no air conditioner the first night and were told it was malfunctioning.

-Breakfast was really below average for that kind pf price.

-Overall service was below average.

I may seem kind of harsh but when you're paying over 100 euros for a room in Portugal you expect much more.

Good for 2 or 3 nights, to visit surroundings :Caves, Fátima, S. Pedro de Muel. About 5 Km from Leiria.
Very quiet, just side by side with the river you get asleep with the sound of water and frogs.
Nice swimming pool, good restaurant, kind people.