Weekend in Estoril
Click Here to read more... Estoril is an upscale suburb located on the sea about 20 KM (12 Miles) outside of Lisbon. The Palacio is an elegant old hotel with wonderful open public spaces and a beautiful garden featuring large inviting swimming pool. As we were there mid March, it wasn't too crowded but the weather was beautiful, especially for golf which is a specialty of the hotel. They have their own world-class course 1 KM from the hotel and while I am not a golfer, I gather it is a great course. The hotel is also next to the world famous Estoril Casino and a short walk to the beach. As you would expect, the appointments and service are first rate and the staff could not be more helpful and friendly. Perhaps most important is that across the street there is a grocery store that sells the best and largest dates I have ever eaten!! Estoril is really well placed to spend a weekend or a week. Just up the road a few kilometers (miles) is the old fishing village of Cascais dating back to Roman times. Here you can wonder the old streets by the port and choose from dozens of restaurants that specialize in the local seafood. There are also plenty of Italian and Oriental restaurants if you don't care for fish or want a change. There are, of course, plenty of shops and fascinating old buildings to take in. Cascais has miles of beautiful sand dune beaches with a several terrific hotels to choose from. There is another great golf course here as well as six others in the region This is a golfers paradise! We had rented a car at the airport for the short drive to Estoril, had dinner in Cascais and then spent the next day exploring the region. We had been here a couple of times before but the area never ceases to amaze me. The impossible winding roads that head up into the mountains are thrilling and for the passenger, at least, offer some spectacular views. We started up toward the ancient village of Sintra, which has no less than one Moorish castle from the 8th century and 6 beautiful palaces, one of which has been converted to a hotel. On the way up we happened on a Sunday market in the neighboring town of San Pedro, which if you are traveling with any kind of female will necessitate a stop. I assume there is something genetic in women, not only regarding shopping, but that requires them to stop at all outdoor markets! There is also another beautiful golf course on the way at Penha Longa. The town of Sintra is a really a pleasure to wonder around and the surrounding areas are beautiful. Depending on your interests you can visit historical sites and monuments all day, shop and eat or play golf or some combination of everything. But we were on a mission and so headed further up in the mountains to the next town, Mafra which also has a huge palace built in the 17th century. Having visited most of these palaces in the past, we decided this day would be to just explore and visit some places we had not been to. Finally we headed back to the sea for a late lunch in a charming fishing village called Ericeira that the doorman at the Palacio recommended and insisted we not miss. Here we had a wonderful seafood meal in a charming "family" type restaurant that was obviously the place to be on a Sunday afternoon. I think we were the only tourists in town (certainly in the restaurant), which also made it a bit of a special experience. When we asked the waiter what the people next to us were eating, they offered us a small plate to try: it was delicious!! After lunch we drove back along the coast to Cabo Da Roca, the most westerly point of continental Europe. I am not sure why we felt this was important, but it apparently a lot of locals seemed to want to be there also and it is mentioned in all the guidebooks. So after a quick look over the cliff and up the coast, we headed back towards Cascais and Estoril driving through some charming villages and past some beautiful beaches and getting back to the hotel at the end of the afternoon. Too tired to wonder back to Cascais for dinner we stayed in Estoril for dinner and had an early night. No doubt the Casino was where the action was but we were just too tired. The next day we drove up the coast to Lisbon for 4 days in one of Europe's best destinations. But that is another story that must wait until we get a client there!! |
