We left Lisbon for Zambujeiro do Mar with our highly valued GPS. It was a pleasant trip of about 2.5 hours most of it on toll roads, again sparsely populated.

We were welcomed by our friendly host and shown our room #4 in the main house. Very comfortable bed, lovely large tiled bathroom, private patio that overlooked the lovely grounds and pool. Pastures covered with wildflowers and in the distance, the blue of the Atlantic. We loved this place and you can read more on TR review of mine if interested.

We spent 3 nights there and walked portions of the Fisherman's Trail each day. What a gorgeous coast. We spent hours alternating between walking, only meeting the occasional hiker. It is a place to soak in the grandeur of the coast in relative solitude. Many of the guests at the Herade were walking large portions of the trail, staying at inns along the way with pre-arranged transport of luggage. The Pousada had dinners for these folks that were also prearranged. (a very well thought out system for hikers). Breakfasts were jolly as hikers traded information and shared trail stories. And breakfasts were very good with staff refreshing items as needed.

We ate twice in Zamburjeiro, a town that is dressing itself up quite nicely with new construction of roads and public places.

I Cervejaria is on the main square. A busy place with locals, no frills kind of place. The food was ok, not great, not bad. Service was hurried but not rude. Fair price.

Marisqueira Costa Alentejo is also on the main square. It was also busy with tourists and locals. English speaking, helpful and though they were busy, we did not feel rushed. Very good food. We ate there on Easter Sunday night and were told there was no fish as the boats did not go out. A good sign. We did have a seafood rice dish that was delicious. Would recommend reservations as the busy season is beginning.

I have to say that when looking back on this trip, I think this 3 days will be a highlight.

Yesterday we had our very first taste of Pastels at Manteigaria Fabrica de Pasteis de Nata on Largo de Canoes. I had not even researched this since we are not big on sweets, but we walked by and saw the line forming outside and chanced it. The pastels were still warm. WOW. Contrary to what I expected, they were not cloyingly sweet and the pastry was airy. Loved them. It will be a tough act to follow.

cindyjo - Great trip report. We are headed to Portugal in mid May and spending time in many of the places you mention. Your reviews are very helpful.

Sintra - we were happy we stayed 3 nights there. Driving from Zamburjeira do Mar after staying until the last possible minute in that lovely place, took about 3 hours. So we reached Sintra in late afternoon. We settled in at Chalet Saudade (another knock it out of the park small hotel) and dropped in to their cafe to have a light dinner.

Pena Palace and the Moor's Castle were on our agenda for the next day. We normally follow a "1 tourist activity a day" routine but the close proximity of the 2 sites gave us the incentive to stretch the rule a bit.
We bought our tickets online (senior rate) and caught the 434 bus in front of Chalet Saudade which took us to the entrance gate of the Pena Palace where tickets were scanned on our iphone. We spent about 2 hours there before walking to the Castle of the Moors where we spent another couple of hours. It was a blustery day, very atmospheric kind of day for the Castle of the Moors. Crowds were minimal. I still wonder at the European and American differences in childrearing. Sheer drop offs, steep stone walls to walk, etc and there are very few "Be carefuls" or Don't go up theres". I think we as Americans are too "helicopterish", myself included.

We walked down to Sintra through the forested stone path (to the left as you exit the Castle of the Moors), thoroughly enjoying the winding trails. This was the 2nd time we had walked through the National Palace part of town and it reinforced our happiness with staying near the train station instead. If you prefer being in the thick of things, stay there. If you don't enjoy the hoardes and tour buses, stay nearer the train station - much quieter but still easy walking.

Our last day we reserved for enjoying the Quinta da Regaleira, again walking distance from Sintra main. What a gem of a place with an interesting history and fabulous plantings. Lots of nooks and crannies for kids to explore. I was impressed with the landscaping possibilities the cooler weather of Sintra afforded - Palms and Bird of Paradise alongside rhododendrons and magnolias.

We ate one night at Incomum, across the street from our hotel. Very nice meal and service. If you are a risotta fan, their mushroom risotta was delish. We ate 2 meals at Cafe Saudade, cafe owned by the folks who own our hotel. Simple, good, healthy food for a good price and great coffee. We noticed that at closing one night they brought out a plate of food to the fellow who regularly stands near there asking for money. Nice people there.

We did drive into Sintra in our rental car. Our host at the Chalet gave us good instructions for parking overnight for free and we had no problems even though this was one of the things we were worried about. This might be more of a problem later in the season.

We enjoyed our visit to Sintra and were glad that we had the luxury of spending some nights there and breaking up our tourist visits. If your schedule allows, we would recommend staying at least one night as the town really does empty out at night and allows for some nice strolls and early start to the sights.

Next stop the Upper Beira with one disappointment and one smiley face.

Your report makes me want to go to Portugal now.

Thanks!

We had originally planned to explore the Upper Beira and its' fortress towns with a multi night stay in Belmonte at the pousada. Our plans twisted a bit in the wind and by the time I finalized our dates, the Belmonte Pousada was booked for a wedding. We ended up with only one night there. Although from there we had a perfectly great trip to Monsanto for a quiet and cold walk around the amazing town and a dinner on the upper terrace of Taverna Lusitana to watch the sunset in our puffy coats and gloves, the Pousada itself was a disappointment and we were grateful for the enforced 1 night stand. Although the location has amazing views, the Pousada seemed tired as did the people who worked there. We felt an impersonality and disinterestedness by the staff. Our room was dark and needed updates in furnishing. The balcony had beautiful views but we had to spend some time cleaning the table and chairs of dirt and debris. Lunch and breakfast were disappointing with pastry that had an "expired taste". You might think I am a complainer but really I am pretty easily pleased. This place just had a bad vibe for us. I know there are others on this forum who liked this Pousada very much so perhaps they were just having a bad day...we wouldn't go back.

Because of the wedding situation we booked the next night in the Pousada da Serra da Estrela. What a difference. Gorgeous new pousada on top of the world,incredible location, beautiful indoor pool, great bar. All rooms with views and large bathrooms. If you don't like being around kids, don't come on the weekend as families enjoy this hotel, especially when there is snow at the Torre. But we loved being in a place with the energy of families especially after the dreary Belmonte experience. I have to say the breakfast was not as good as our other hotel experiences but I think because it is a large hotel catering to large numbers of families, the food would tend to be a little institutional. On the weekend dinners are buffet style with a set price. We had a sandwich and drinks in the bar instead. Not a fan of buffets.

The 2 pousadas were less than an hour from each other, so we dropped our luggage and headed out for a road trip through the Serra. What a great day. We thought the scenery was amazing, other worldly almost, with huge plateaus of rock. And what a surprise to drive up to the Torre on almost empty roads and find: Sleds, snowmen, snowboarders, hundreds of laughing Portuguese enjoying the still considerable snow. Snow in Portugal? What a trip! And yes, it was cold up there. Definitely snow gear weather. In fact, the next day before leaving the Pousada, I looked out the window of our room and it was snowing. Another smiley face moment.

We left the Torre and headed across the moonscape to Sabugueiro where we had a delightful lunch at Restaurante Miralva, after which we drove to Manteigas and then along the Zezere on N338 back to the Pousada. Beautiful and interesting drive, twisting, largely empty. Highly recommended road trip. We left the Upper Beira with big smiles and headed west to the Douro.

cindyjo: Love following you along. We are getting excited now about our upcoming trip. Looking forward to your next installation.

Ahh, Manteigaria Fabrica de Pasteis de Nata on Largo de Camoes, we were staying a half-block from this bakery last Nov. and I must have gained 5 lbs. just from eating this pastry. Had them for breakfast with bica for 5 days and sometimes for snack and after dinner dessert. IMO they're best in Lisbon or Belem.