Is it just me or is everybody heading to Portugal right now?
You’re totally right, Portugal is all over our feed at the moment. And it's a world away from grandads and golf courses. We’re talking tasteful custard tart shots, cool foodie joints, hipster bars and wilderness beaches.
What’s the big attraction?
Lisbon has a thriving food and drink scene, nearby Cascais has some of the best fish restaurants in Europe (thanks Rick Stein for tipping us off) as well as great surf-beaches, plus it's cheap and is super easy and quick to fly to.
It’s arty too, right?
The pottery in Portugal is insane. Check out the trend-obsessed Selfridges' interiors floor if you don’t believe us. We bought a ton of classic green leaf pasta bowls only to discover it was three times the price if you buy it in the UK. Plus there are so many designs to choose from. The galleries are wonderful in Cascais too, particularly the Paula Rego museum. Even the building (and café) is worth popping along to. But her sometimes surreal sometimes deeply disturbing, but consistently insightful, paintings and sculpture is fascinating.
Tell us about where you were staying?
At first glance we were rather overwhelmed by the Oitavos. It’s a tremendous modern building set on the ocean and flanked by landscaped gardens (on closer inspection we realised it was a golf course). There’s virtually nowhere in the hotel that doesn’t have a view and everywhere you walk there are floor-to-ceiling windows. The grey blue tones of the flooring and walls make you feel as if you are part of the gloriously wild landscape.
If you don’t like golf, it really doesn’t matter (just avoid the noisy groups of Brit males giving speeches over dinner in the evening). There’s a spectacular outdoor infinity pool that looks out through the pines and over to ocean (we had tapas and beer by the pool on our first day) and a smaller, and warmer, indoor one that is part of the enormous spa with rooms that seem to go on forever. Silent, serene and wonderfully calm is how we felt after our visit there.
What about the food?
According to Rick Stei, this stretch of coast is where you’ll find the best fish restaurants in the whole of Europe. It’s way less expensive than Italy or France but has completely nailed the combination of high end and authentic. At the Oitavos they push the boundaries as far as possible without disappearing into the disappointing and the frankly weird. There are several choices of places to eat. You can keep it simple poolside – tapas etc etc or move it up a level with the restaurant inside where we feasted on fresh fish. If you fancy a quick cycle (the hotel can provide the bikes) along the coast you will quickly come across the legendary Boca de Inferno which is packed with locals at all times of day and night tucking into local seafood delicacies. My travelling companion, rather strangely, opted for prawns in curried sauce. He told me they were the best he had ever had (and he eats them a lot).
Anything else to do apart from surfing, golf, cycling, culture and cramming your face?
For us, Oitavos had everything we needed but the Farol Design hotel – a quick cab journey away – is certainly worth visiting for pre dinner drinks. It has an arty vibe, with sculpture and furniture design classics furnishing its glossy Atlantic-facing deck.
What about the tile porn?
There’s a ton of that too. We cycled along the coastline into the town centre and wandered around for a couple of hours and fell in love with the black and white zig-zaggy tiles on the pavement and ancient looking shops and villas covered in patterned tiles in every shade of blue and green imaginable.
OK, I believe you, but when should I go?
The weather is pretty good anytime between the start of April and the end of October and there are numerous cheap flights to Lisbon. Uber works in the area and is very cheap.
Ok, I need to check this out, how do I book?
You can book a room from £119.56 a night on the Oitavos website and flights start from £74.65 on Expedia.
