They call it the ‘low season’ It’s true that temperatures drop, there’s some cold involved and raindrops have things to say. In Cascais, also known as the ‘portuguese Riviera, winter is a time of comfort and a of different sense of joy. In Sintra, mistery rules among mountains, fog, hidden palaces and treacherous roads. Cascais and Sintra both have their beaches and their charms, the museums, the hotels and spas and the sense that life is all about high standards. Time for you to try them all out.
Places to visit and things to do
Palácio da Pena, a colorful, odd, majestic and Disney-like treasure. There’s hardly a better offer to face the winter and come out of the duel smiling. And the park (Parque da Pena) is for the visitor to find himself by getting lost among the fog. Sintra has no lack of sumptuous palaces, like the Palácio Nacional de Queluz or the Convento de Mafra, built in a time when big was beautiful. Back to Sintra, history claims that you climb the Moors Castle (Castelo dos Mouros). From the walls you spot all the wonders of the place: Monserrate, Seteais and… the Atlantic ocean. The mist may turn you away from reality and for that there’s a solution in sight, the NewsMuseum, or how the press and journalism alike remind you constantly about the planet you live in… Speaking of history, you can always try a firsthand travel on the Elétrico de Sintra (streetcar), all year long taking you back and forth to Praia das Maçãs with some happy wine cellars along the way playing the part of mandatory stops.
Cascais is an entirely different ball game. Visit the Casa das Histórias Paula Rego, dedicated to the most unpredictably amazing portuguese-born painter, or the Centro Cultural de Cascais, filled with great exhibits all year round. It’s winter, again we have to remember you of that, but the weather seems to enjoy bicycles. From the beautiful Parque Palmela and the pleasures of the arboreous Pedaços de Aventura, all the way to Boca do Inferno and Guincho, living entirely for pleasure appears to be a family business. Cascais insists.
Between Sintra and Lisbon, in the city of Amadora, lies restless the KidZania, a perfect refuge and getaway for children where ‘what do you want to be when you grow up’ is the question at hand. Nearby, in Carnaxide, the trampoline park Bounce is not to be missed. After all, winter tells children to save their energies. And they must come out, play and get tired, as we all know too well.
To sleep
The furious sound of the ocean works like a charm while trying to sleep away. The winter asks for great hotels and Cascais have plenty of those. The perfect winter experience can start with a stay at the Farol Hotel, including great meals courtesy of The Mix or the Sushi Design, plus the mandatory cocktail at the Bar Farol. The Atlantic insists on dictating the rules, as in the Grande Real Villa Itália, former residence of exiled monarchs, a pleasure dome of Spa ‘fanatici’. Other joys await by the modern Cascais Miragem and its SPA & Health Club, allowing you to forget any glimpse of cold weather. In Estoril the classic Hotel Palácio keeps the elegance and glamour of old times, when the place was a refuge of spies (where Ian Fleming invented 007…) during World War II, with one upgrade on superlatives: the Banyan Tree Spa.
On the way to Sintra, the Penha Longa Resort is not to be missed, plus the handful of outstanding restaurants (Lab by Sergi Arola, Arola, Il Mercato, Midori e Spices), an invitation to the most exhilarating winters. At the city’s center (UNESCO’s world heritage site), a night spent at Sintra Boutique Hotel is an experience of a lifetime.
To eat
Along the coast, towards Guincho, the glories of fish and all the seafood you can eat awaits you. Among the stars shines Fortaleza do Guincho, even more glamorous and irresistible on a rainy winter day. And it has a great hotel to go with the meal… On the clear sand, the restaurant & bar Praia do Guincho has always an inviting fireplace waiting for you. Back to the center of Cascais there are some bars and restaurants not to be missed: the 5 Sentidos – Casa do Largo, a ‘gastropub’ inspired by the best things good old London can provide, or the new Villa Saboia restaurant, sushi & gin bar. There are, of course, some winter classics like the always reliable Visconde da Luz, serving tradition and gourmet-like portuguese cuisine for more than 40 years, the Baía, in the charming hotel of the same name by the bay (hence the name) or the Grill Four Seasons, an exquisite mood of a place. All of them are safe and cozy choices for a winter meal. Inevitably, the cold (virtual or real) asks for some sort of relaxation. The Palm Tree stills guarantees the joys of sport channels with friends and ‘foes’, while the restaurant Somos um Regalo (with ‘consulates’ both in Cascais and Sintra), salutes with cheers any cold day with the delicious aromas of their famous Franguinho da Guia. A ‘must’ among the many splendours of the place.
