I know that many of you enjoy getting away from the hustle and bustle of cities to explore picturesque villages and I’ve shared many of my favourite villages in Portugal with you over the years. In anticipation of a public vote on the best villages in Portugal, I decided to roundRead More →
Castro Marim salt pans don’t only produce sea salt and flor de sal the traditional way; they’ve also turned a salt water pond into an outdoor spa experience. Here, you can soak in salt while being covered in gooey clay, one of the more unusual things to do in theRead More →
I’d heard good things about Quinta do Sanguinhal and was not disappointed when we finally got the chance to visit this winery on a recent trip to the Silver Coast. The traditional wine estate is just outside the small town of Bombarral and has been in the same family sinceRead More →
Having spent years sailing around the world, Sam and Rich Malone found the ideal place to drop anchor in Portugal’s Silver Coast. After 11 years of hard work and significant investment, they have achieved what many Brits dream of and transformed a ruined Portuguese farmhouse and outbuildings into a delightfulRead More →
Vinho verde is often badly translated as ‘green wine’ but it really just means young wine; light, fresh, slightly effervescent and best drunk within a year of bottling. Within this overall category of Portuguese wines, there’s a surprising variety of flavours, as I discovered when I visited Quinta de SantaRead More →
Wondering how to experience some of the best of the Douro Valley on a budget? If you’re keen to visit the Douro wine region, taste its wines, see its landscapes and take a boat trip on the Douro River and can’t stretch to an organised one day tour with transport,Read More →
I don’t know whether it’s an age-related thing or a by-product of blogging about Portugal but my appreciation of skilled craftsmanship has certainly increased in recent years. Among the many Portuguese arts and crafts that I have come to admire are the Arraiolos tapestry rugs. These beautiful, hard-wearing woolen carpetsRead More →
When I’m feeling stressed and long to retreat from the world for a while, the place my mind transports me to São Jorge island in the Azores. I’ll admit, I haven’t been to all of the Azores islands yet so there is a chance that São Jorge’s position as my favourite mayRead More →
Long before Shakespeare created Romeo and Juliet, Portugal had its own real life romantic tragedy within the royal family in the shape of Pedro and Inês. Their love story has become legend and inspiration for poets and artists throughout the ages. With each telling of the tale, it becomes harderRead More →
