A late evening arrival meant a night at a Lisbon airport hotel, giving us a straight run the next morning to Santa Cruz on the Atlantic Ocean, less than an hour from the countries main airport.

Our trip really started then at the magical Areias so Seixo, difficult enough to pronounce, even before you partake in the local wines! It’s elevated position and modern design are breathtaking in each of their own ways. With only 14 rooms, we opted for one of the further 10 villas, each able to accommodate 4-10 people, most with their own private pool. Santa Cruz is only a small town, but the hotel is an absolute oasis of calm & serenity, with the noise only broken with the crashing waves of the Atlantic on an easy beach walk.

Palpable excitement moving on, knowing that I was headed to the absolute world centre of Big Wave Tow-in surfing – Nazare.  Only gaining worldwide attention this last decade, its monstrous waves have been surpassing anything seen to date, up to & including the largest recorded wave surfed in history at 26m/86ft in 2020. I’m not, nor hold any reservations to be a big-wave surfer, but to be on the lighthouse promontory viewpoint looking out, is truly to put perspective on many things in your life…

Headed into the heart of the Dão wine region, a worthy stop was the Taboadella Wine Estate. Offering food & tours, it’s on a par with others visited around the world. A further revelation on this trip was the small village of Santar and a stay at the Valverde Santar. Managed by Relais & Châteaux it’s a stunning property, with an active effort (if you’re able…) to disconnect from the modern world. With a population of approx. 1000,  the village is known for its restored terraces (utilising the local granite) and manor house garden projects, gives an immersive cultural experience shaping the village’s identity.

Our final full day took us a short hop to the ‘Garden City’ of Viseu. With a long connection back to Roman times, it’s historic Old Town and Cathedral and surprisingly walkable centre, along with its high plateau weather, make this consistently one of Portugal’s most liveable cities.

A final excursion over to the canals of Alveiro and a short hop over to Portugal’s ‘Silver Coast’ at Costa Nova (‘New Coast’) – This village is split evenly between it’s Atlantic side, with family beaches and surf friendly waves and the Lagoon side with the historic striped wooden houses and walking promenade.

Only an hour from Porto, we ran out of time so that’s an adventure for another day…