| Maria |
Jan 20th, 2000 11:58 PM |
I visited Portugal three years ago, in May, and Cascais was one of my favorite places. I stayed at the Hotel Baia in Cascais and was fairly happy with it. There is a smaller hotel called the Estalagem do Faro (my spelling may be off here) along the Cascais coast that looked very quaint—when someday I go back to Cascais, I will book there, as it's smaller and more intimate than the Baia. It's a place I'd recommend you check out. Unlike Cheryl Z., I didn't notice any English and German tourists in Cascais (but summer may be a very different story), and found the restaurants good but, compared to other places I went to in Portugal, a bit on the expensive side. (They really filled up on Friday and Saturday night.) The water didn't look polluted at the little beach in Cascais, but recently a marina was built at the mouth the beach's cove, so this doesn't suggest to me that you'd want to swim there. It seems to me that beachgoers would have better luck in Estoril. Estoril itself, however, is a casino/resort town, and is quite built up and fairly busy; I'm not sure how this translates into water cleanliness (you might want to take a look at The Rough Guide to Portugal, for RGs tend to get into the nitty-gritty of things like polluted beaches). Estoril itself didn't appeal to me. There's a lot more to the area, though. Sintra is beautiful, with castle ruins high up overlooking the city, and, as Cheryl K. mentioned, the Palace. However, you'll need to watch your kids closely if you trek around the high walls of the castle ruins. Gorgeous views, but not too much in the way of safety railings and the like. (Handholding is the simple solution here.) I would've loved Sintra when I was a kid. There are also small, charming towns between Sintra and Cabo do Roca, the western-most point in Europe; for instance, the town of Colares is nice—has a great little pasteleria too (coffee shop with ultra-yummy pastries). <BR>As for things to do with kids there . . . it depends on what your kids find fun. If they want big water sports, I don't think this is the place for them, though maybe Estoril has offerings I don't know about. If your children like parks, there's a small park in Cascais with peacocks and pretty greenery. If they simply like being by the sea—enjoy beach strolling and cliffs and crashing waves and such—then you're in business. <BR>Also, Lisbon is close by—a short train ride away. There's a castle there too. Just getting around on the trams and funiculars can be fun. (If you decide to spend any overnights in Lisbon, the Senhora do Monte is a great place to stay.) <BR>Also, the beaches up along the northwest coast are worth checking out (as Cheryl said); but they are not safe for swimming, from what I've read. Riptides can be a problem. The beaches are great for lolling on, though. <BR>I haven't been to the Algave, because my Portuguese cousin told me that "it's no longer really Portuguese." So I can't compare this area to the Algave. My impression, though, is that it isn't as "swimmer-friendly" as the Algave. <BR>In general, you should do very well with children wherever you go in Portugal: from my observations, Portuguese people LOVE kids. The grouchiest-looking person will brighten up at the sight of a child (though I didn't find too many grouchy people in Portugal—most people are very friendly!). So wherever you go, you can be pretty sure your kids will be more than welcome. <BR>Hope this was helpful.
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