I couldn't agree more. We stayed 5 days in Sintra of which we spent two and a half days seeing the palaces, gardens, etc. The other days we daytripped to Cascais and Cabo da Roca (we always rent a car).
In Coimbra we stayed at the Pousada.

Thank you again for your replies. I have decided to skip Cascais and go straight to Sintra from the airport. I am in need of a good place to stay in Sintra. Many of the hotels look like they are remote? I would want to be able to walk to a restaurant if possible. Any recommendations would be very much appreciate. We would like a hotel that had a balcony or an outdoor space. I put a lot of emphasis on the hotel...lol... so would like it to be nice and special. Any recommendations? Thank you

I stayed at the Hotel Sintra Jardim. It has a lovely garden (and pool in season) and it was within walking distance of what I wanted to do in Sintra (or to the bus for the outlying sites), though what you and I consider "walkable" could differ. Staff were very helpful! But to be honest, I thought the decor dated. That didn't matter to me; YMMV.

For restaurants:

• I had a delicious and beautifully served dinner at COMO Restaurante.
• For something more casual and just a bit outside Sintra (but near the Hotel Jardim), Tira-Tapas. I couldn't have been made more welcome!

Hope that helps!

Yes, many of the hotels / B&B's are remote. We stayed at Casa do Valle (I do not recommend) which was 500 meters from the 'centre'.
Lawrence's Hotel was pretty close as far as I remember and they had an excellent restaurant.
NH Sintra Centro or Sintra Boutique Hotel maybe? Check booking.com ... the distance to the centre is always mentioned.