I was lucky to be invited to the beautiful Portuguese town of Estoril which is 20 minutes from Lisbon. The weather in Portugal has been outstanding with the best winter for years but the downside being that they now have a drought. The weather whilst there was in the early 20s with sunshine and blues skies. The last day started with light cloud which quickly burnt off leaving just wispy cloud for the remainer of the day.
I flew with Easyjet with hand baggage only. Goodness knows how I was able to get so much in such a small case and I had to put it in the hold at the gate due to shortage of cabin space so, get there early to the departure gate or risk it being put in the hold. The flight was only £80 return so it is amazing the deals you can get with Easyjet if you book early enough.
Estoril is an upmarket and still fairly small resort with good quality hotels and apartments but it is regrettably dominated in the centre with the large Casino Estoril. There is a lovely promenade walk along beaches of rock and sand into Cascais. The seas can be very rough and the Atlantic undercurrents strong. The tide comes up very high at peak tides with the waves crashing against the rocks and reaching the elevated promenade.
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Almost into Estoril |
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| View towards Cascais |
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| View towards Estoril |
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| Cafe along the promenade between Estoril and Cascais |
Cascais is larger and busier with old cobbled streets and pleasant restaurants and cafes. The Portuguese are warm and friendly. It was a challenge for me as the person I was visiting had lost the use of their car and we had to use the public transport. Even more so as my GP had told me I should be resting a bakers cyst in my knee which had ruptured. Public transport is sometimes the best way to travel around so I am able to say that it is very efficient, on time (even early - especially when you dont want them to be!), and regular. I was able to sample Hungarian dancing ( as my host was Hungarian) and was invited to the Hungarian Embassy to commemorate the revolution of the Hungarians to attempt to gain independence from the Austrians.
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Cascais |
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| Restaurant on seafront at Cascais |
Due to increasing knee problems, I suggested hiring a car and, as an agent can obtain rates of £10 per day for our clients with at least 48 hours advance booking; cheaper than booking out there, the nearest prices to it being 25 euros for a smart car!!!! What a funny little car it is but you can park it just about anywhere!!! We took this little toy car to Cabo da Roca, the most westerly point in the whole of continental Europe with great views and dramatic scenery. A local cocktail I was able to enjoy on a few occasions was Kyperenia, very strong but very good!
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| Dramatic coastline at Cabo da Roca |
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| Cabo da Roca - most western point in continental Europe |
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| Restaurant bar at Cabo da Roca |
At the end of the trip I chose to stay overnight at Gatwick at the Menzies Chequers Hotel. The special cost of just £58 for a large room with super King size bed and extra bed with breakfast included if booked through us is cheaper than booking direct through the hotel. The transfer is by taxi booked by the hotel with Road Runners at a cost of £6 each way but make sure you get into the correct taxi as it appears that other taxis poach customers with deception tactics. Service was a bit slow and there were a couple of complaints about room service and the limited availability of choice. Breakfast was buffet style and a fair choice but the scrambled egg was a bit disappointing and the sausages a little overdone of the hot breakfast; additionally there was a choice of cereals and juices.
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| Gatwick Menzies Chequers Hotel |
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