Cultural Portugal
Our first town to visit was Obidos a romantic walled fortress with winding streets, whitewashed houses, quaint bookshops, churches and museums. This town once home to Kings and Queens hosts numerous festivals throughout the year and a must see is the preserved 12th century shop/bar and house just outside the main gates of Obidos.
Later that evening we had the amazing experience of a spectacular sunset on the coast of Santa Cruz beach. White sands, wild cliffs this area is a haven for surfers and connects two meccas Ericeira and Peniche, we enjoyed a glass of bubbles watching the sunset and also have a lovely meal in Tavola Lagoa restaurant.
Our boutique hotel for our first night was the stunning Rio do Prado, this ecofriendly hotel is beautiful with facilities like Yoga, the Spa, Sauna, Turkish Bath, float room and they even grow their own organic produce. We all had our own rooms which were huge with a log burner and decorated with sustainable items. Next morning after breakfast we headed to Tomar. Home to the Convent of Christ a World Unesco heritage site and former seats of the Order of the Knights of Templar. Every 4 years Tomar holds the famous Tray Festival "Festival dos Tabuleiros", it is located on a quiet river very old worldly and charming. We had our lunch in the Vila Gale Collection hotel right beside the river and then a visit to the Convento de Cristo.
Later in the afternoon we headed to Fatima, on our way we stopped off at Luz Charming Houses, here it's like a retreat to unwind with Yoga, massage, heated pool and different design really fabulous. On arrival in Fatima, we were staying at the Hotel Estrela de Fatima right opposite the Shrine. After our dinner at the Apollo Privee restaurant we went on a candlelight procession at the Shrine, this was surreal I had for many years sent pilgrims to Fatima whilst working for Tap Air Portugal and now here I was enjoying it myself a very humbling experience.
Our next day on our way to Nazare we did a biking tour by A2Z, mostly downhill!! We had a fabulous lunch at the Pesca no Prato restaurant overlooking the bay and stunning beach, weather was fabulous, we visited the Storytellers Palace Hotel, lovely location each room is named after a world-renowned writer whose work is available. Some amazing pictures throughout this hotel. On arrival at Nazare beach home to the Big Wave Challenge in Praia do Norte you can take the cable car up the mountain to view the coast and visit Santuario de Nossa Senhora da Nazare. We were staying at the 5* Praia D'el Rey Marriott Golf and Beach resort which has a lovely outdoor pool and a very big indoor pool with Sauna & Jacuzzi.
For our last day heading back to Lisbon we stopped at Baleal Beach again another haven for surfers, we went through the village of Peniche before our boat trip back to Foz do Arelho. We spotted white flamingos on route and plenty of fisherman at work. We had lunch at Cais da Praia and then headed off for our final excursion to Quinta do Gradil Wine Tourism for a tour and some wine tasting. Some purchases were made in their shop before we left.
Our final night we stayed at the Melia Lisboa Airport hotel which is only 5 minutes’ walk from the terminal as our flight home was an early one.
I have to say having worked for the Portuguese airline for so long there are a lot of hidden gems off the beaten track in Portugal, and I would certainly recommend all of the beautiful villages and towns that we encountered and will be recommending them for their hidden charm and the spirit of Portugal. It was an amazing trip.
