Hello there, my husband and I are planing a short holiday (4-5 days) to Portugal and we don’t know what is the best place to go because it all looks so nice in the pictures… so please, if you have been there and can recomend a coastal city your suggestion will be much apreciated!!! Thanks a lot!

The Lisbon Coast line (Costa de Lisboa) is often referred as the Portuguese Riviera and includes some of the chicest seaside resorts in Portugal.

This is a cosmopolitan area with a long tradition of warm hospitality. Since the 1920s, it has been a favoured haunt of Europes aristocracy and royal families (many of the exiled or deposed have made this their home) and in the 21st century, it is now a hot spot for major international personalities from the world of fashion, sport and entertainment.

This region has a unique atmosphere, removed from the bustle of the city but with easy access to all the culture that Lisbon offers. With a good road network, most venues on the Estoril Coast are within half-an-hours drive from Lisbon and its international airport.

Setubal, which is this regions most southerly town, is about 50 minutes. The railway system is excellent. Portuguese trains are generally very modern and clean and invariably run exactly on time, so you can leave your car and hop on a train to get into the city.

Many overseas visitors and investors consider the climate in the Lisbon Coast as perfect, it is never too hot or too cold and the sea breezes ensure that is it never too humid allowing the enjoyment of sports and other outdoor activities throughout the year.

Here you will find:

Long flat sandy beaches or wilder beaches with craggy rocks, caves and pirate coves

Lighthouses, cliff top fortresses, and windmills

Forests and dramatic mountains, the Serra Sintra lie to the north and west, and the Serra da Arrabida is situated to the south

Gentle hillsides, green valleys and farmland

Sophisticated towns with avenues of palm trees

Traditional fishing harbours

Castles, Palaces and Mansions

Prehistoric sites and medieval ruins

Museums, monuments and one of the largest sacred buildings in the world at Mafra

Vineyards and Wine cellars

The Estoril race track (a Mecca for car-racing enthusiasts)

Even though Lisbon is on the doorstep, this region has its own cultural traditions which include Music and Dance Festivals, equine displays at the Queluz Advanced Riding School, as well as the traditional Portuguese annual town Festas.

For the sporty, this region offers:

An excellent choice of golf courses

Swimming

Surfing and Windsurfing

Water skiing

Fishing

Sailing

Tennis clubs

Horse Riding and many sports complexes

Alternatively if you are looking for the thrill of something a bit more extreme, the Costa de Lisboa (Lisbon Coastline) offers:

Parachuting

Para-gliding

Rock climbing

Mountain biking

Flying

Speed boating

For children, this region offers schools in:

Surfing

Yachting

Horse Riding

Tennis

Alternatively if you want to shop, lunch and shop some more, this region is a must for you.

And there is no shortage of Nightlife which includes:

The Casino in Estoril

Restaurants

Bars

Nightclubs

LISBON COAST GOLF CLUBS

Belas Clube de Campo

Golf do Estoril

Lisbon Sports Club

Oitavos Golf

Penha Longa Atlantico

Quinta da Beloura

Quinta da Marinha

Hope to meet you soon along the Lisbon Coastline!

Countless traces such as those at Melides and Lousal bear witness to the occupation of the land that includes Grandola during prehistoric times.

The Roman era has left us the Grandola spas or baths, a dam two kilometres from the town and, above all, the ruins of what was one of the most important industrial complexes of the Western Mediterranean; the Troia fish preserving and salting centre.

Along about a kilometre of the left bank of the river Sado, once can admire the salting tanks, a dock, washrooms, cemeteries and the ruins of a basilica with its Palreo-Christian frescoes. In 1527, at about the time of the general census of the population of the kingdom, Grmdola had a population of 45, plus another 200 in the surrounding area.

In 1544, king Joao III granted it a Town Charter at the request of D. Jorge de Lencastre, duke of Coimbra, a fact that contributed to the development of the settlement. An interesting initiative marked 1679, the foundation of a communal granary, set up to lend wheat to the poorer farmers.

The year 1727 saw the construction of a hospice for the Discalced Augustinian Friars. The Town of Grandola was under the feudal protection of the dukes of Aveiro and then of the marquises of Ferreira and of the dukes of Cadaval.

The 19th century marked a time of frank progress. Though farming was prevalent, small manufacturing industries sprang up, involved in cork and in mining in the regions of Caveira (1863) and Lousal (1900).

Following the April25th revolution in 1974, Grandola acquired a very special symbolic status thanks to Jose Monso’s song, “Grandola Vila Morena”, which became the hymn of the “Carnation Revolution” that put an end to four decades of dictatorship in Portugal.

MUNICIPALITY

The municipality of Grandola is blessed with unique riches in its environment and landscape, where ecosystems of great value subsist -the Troia Dunes Botanical Reserve that forms part of the Sado Estuary Nature Reserve, and the Grandola Hills.

These hills are very valuable for their botany, biology and landscape, and this is the reason why they constitute a biotype classified under the Corine programme.

Today, Grandola’s Atlantic coast is one of Europe’s best examples of a coastline that has seen little development. It stretches from the tip of the Troia peninsula to Melides beach over a distance of 45 km.

It features a low coastline of sandy beaches often formed by the reddish sediments of recent escarpments. In addition to Grandola, the municipality comprises the parishes of Azinheira de Barros, Melides, Carvalhal and Santa Margarida da Serra, all of which have the typical characteristics of the Alentejo -white, pretty and peaceful.

MELIDES

A small but charming village which, to be fully appreciated, warrants a visit to the square in front of the church of Saint Peter. Neolithic remains are to be found near the village.

VALE FIGUEIRA

In this village you can find weavers who produce pretty wool and rag rugs on handlooms. There are also archaeological remains (the Casas Velhas necropolis and the Pedra Branca dolmen).

SANTA MARGARIDA DA SERRA

A pleasant village where you can admire the features of tra- d~ional Alentejan architecture Church of Our Lady of Saude, r dating from the 15th century.

SERRA DE GRANDOLA

Hills with their picturesque nooks overlooking the Alentejan plain. Don’t miss the Senhora da Penha mirador about 3 km from Grandola.The chapel dates from 1700 and stands at an altitude of 800 feet. Various trails are marked should you want to take a walk.

The ‘Rota da Serra” is Portugal’s most-used trail it is 15 km long and takes about 4 to 5 hours to walk. Ask for a route map at the Tourism Office.

LOUSAL – HANDICRAFTS AND INDUSTRIAL ARCHEOLOGY CENTRE

This village grew up around the pyrite mines, now shut down and being transformed into a museum. II has a Handicraft Centre that is intended to bring back traditional skills, with various areas devoted to the manufacture and sale of the regional handicrafts. There is also a restaurant.

AZINHEIRA DE BARROS

A village of traditional Alentejan characteristics, with its church of Our Lady of Viso dating from the 15th century. Nearby stands the megalithic monument of Pata do Cavalo -Monte das Boias -consisting of a chamber sis metres in diameter and a gallery, covered by an artificial mound of earth.

TROIA

A spectacular peninsula some 18 kilometres in length, Troia is known for its vast Atlantic beach with its white sands and calm sea, mostly free of waves to satisfy the more demanding swimmers.

A major tourism centre, the northern tip, facing Setubal and the Arrabida Hills, has the necessary infrastructures for quality tourism.

Excellent hotels, apartments and bars, allied to varied sports facilities, provide peace- full weekends and unforgettable holidays.

GOLF

Golf is starting to be enjoyed by numerous Portuguese. Here at Troia, the golf links have gained a considerable reputation. For golf enthusiasts, playing the game against a background formed by the surrounding sea is yet another cause of enjoyment.

THE BEACHES

The beaches are yet another part of the beauty of the Portuguese south. Troia, Comporta, Carvalhal, Gale, Aberta Nova and Melides add the beauty of the ocean to the refreshing landscape of the Arrabida Hills that can be seen in the distance.

Forty-five kilometres of sand, sun and freedom. Several beach facilities can be found on these beaches, and camping grounds lie near the beaches of Melides and Gale.

EARTHENWARE AND RUGS

Grandola is home to varied, interesting handicrafts. At the Lousal Handicraft Centre you can find wrought iron, weaving, painted wood furniture and leatherwork.

There is in Grandola a proliferation of cork and leather goods (clothing and footwear), wrought-iron furniture and chair manufacture.

Santa Margarida da Serra is home to the manufacture of musical instruments, basket- work and trinkets made of local materials.

Canal Caveira is known for its wooden pipes carved with figures, and Carvalhal for its work using fish scales and painted pottery. The wool rugs of Vale Figueira and the earthen- ware of Melides are of very good quality.

GASTRONOMY

Two fundamental aspects live side by side in the traditional cooking of the municipality of Grandola.

On the one hand, there is the influence of the Alentejo of the interior, with a predominance of soups, bread paps and dishes based on pork or lamb -such as ‘jantarinho’ a pork, lamb and chickpea stew -local produce and game.

On the other hand, there is the cooking derived from the local fishing carried out along the coast and from the proximity to major fishing ports.

There is a great variety of fish dishes, including fish soups and pasta with fish, and eels prepared in various ways, stewed, fried or as ‘ensopado’ a sort of bouillabaisse with bread.

As far as the wines are concerned, mention must be made of Pinheiro da Cruz. Sweets include the ‘alcomonias’, a sweet made of honey and aniseed or cumin, and the pine kernel sweets of Melides.

GRANDOLA

In Grandola, the Parish Church stands out amid the whiteness of the houses, with its single nave and two side chapels with their good imagery.

The late 16th century Mannerist painting of Fernando Gomes dealing with the subject of the Pentecost, the neoclassical sanctuary retable, the excellent carving and the beautiful tiles, particularly those of the frontal of the altar of the souls, are just some of the marvels to be found in the church.

The well-tended municipal gardens are shaded by trees, a shade precious in these parts, and there is a bandstand that is certain to enliven the local festivals.

There is only one way to see Portugal and that is by Car. Only then can you really appreciate this wonderfully unique and diverse country in all its splendour. The whole country seems to transform in a second, one minute you’re in a lively vibrant city then seemingly only moment later you can be in the vast and beautiful countryside. As it sits proudly on the Western tip of Europe, you are never far from a gloriously sandy beach.

So what are the best places to go?

The Algarve is a must; this is the most picturesque area of the country and offers the most scenic driving routes. The area alters vastly in the off-season, a much more relaxing place with less hustle and bustle and leaving the road free to really open up. The towns become a tranquil haven and gives you a much better opportunity to appreciate the sun bleached white washed towns.

Driving gives you the flexibility to see the real Portugal, a visit to Faro is a must for any first time visitor to the Algarve. A visit to the Centrico Historico (The Old City) is a first on any agenda. It is a well kept area of the town, just off the harbour it is a throw back to 18th century Portugal. It is a peaceful look back at a simpler time, before the modernisation of the area, a look back into when the Country was poverty stricken but it still has a certain charm about it.

Alternatively, why not park up the car and take a boat trip along the Rio Formosa, a long stretch of nature reserve which goes from the top of Portugal into Spain. The trip also involves a stop over in a remote Island. This will give you chance to relax and take in some of the countries most scenic views.

Finally why not drive down the coast to the Praia de faro, a beautiful white sandy beach which sprawls along the coach line covering several miles. This beach is located only a few miles from the airport and is a popular location for holiday makers soaking up those last few hours of sun!

When we are speaking about buying a property in Portugal, we are speaking about our dream which took a long time before being finally realized, but we are speaking also about various dream features in the property which probably could be useless or which at least costs a lot of money or a lot of time in the maintenance.

Of course a basement waterfall and grotto is a practical and useful addition to any home, that is pretty much the only thing standing between you and the playboy lifestyle you have always dreamed about, right, but who is going to clean it?

It is easy to fall in love with certain features of a property, but to find out that those same features, in the long run, are your least favourite, here are a few common extras and a quick assessment of their relative values.

In-floor Heating

Also referred to as radiant heat, in-floor heating is a brand new invention. Well, except that the Romans did it a couple thousand years ago by channelling hot air under the floors of their homes and Frank Lloyd Wright did it in the thirties with hot water, but other than that.

What are the positive points: In-floor heat comes in two primary forms, as hot water heat or electric heat, and there are many advantages.

The dramatic energy savings promised should not prompt you to ask for a decrease in salary just yet, since the more popular hot water radiant heat usually requires a second hot water heater and will not shave too much off of your bill, but there are some notably appealing elements to in-floor heat in general.

Radiant heat is just that, even and consistent, without the up-and-down temperature shifts associated with most conventional heating systems. It is also silent and invisible, with no bulky radiators or even register vents ruining the feng of your shui. Radiant heat also will not dry the air, and will not have you hopping about looking for your slippers on a cold morning.

What are the points against it: In-floor heating systems are still considered a luxury, and can add a fair bit to the value of a home. They are new, and potential long-term issues have not been entirely worked out. A handful of people also are leery about the prospect of piping a significant amount of water throughout their cherished home for fear of potential leakage, all relatively minor concerns.

Assessment: Find someone with in-floor heating who does not love it. I dare you.

Backyard Pool

It is the quintessential luxury item that announces once and for all that you are a big dog, even in parts of the country like this one where it can only be used about ten minutes per year, it is the swimming pool.

From pools that are little more than big pits of standing water to jewel-encrusted infinity pools that usually adjoin large bodies of water, pools were once the thing, are they still?

What are the positive points: A recent study found that having a pool increased property values from 8 to 15 percent. The idea of kicking back all summer with a pina colada, sitting next to the lapping water with friends can be quite attractive and rightfully so.

What are the points against it: Safety issues have not been blown out of proportion by the media. Pool deaths happen all the time, there is no getting around that fact. Pools are expensive to maintain, even without hiring a pool cleaner, and are a lot of work, as beautiful as a pool can be when it is maintained properly, it can be an eyesore if it is not. A pool tends to negate having any significant usable space for a backyard, am I missing anything?

Assessment: The issues involved with owning a pool can be overcome, and many people enjoy having a pool very much. You just have to want one really badly for it to be worthwhile.

Dream Kitchen

Kitchens do cool things these days. Appliances panelled to look like cabinets, an extra tap above the stove for filling large pots of water and 460 different countertop materials.

What are the positive points: Kitchens are finally being designed with maximum utility in mind. When shopping for a home, focus on the kitchen, it is where you will likely spend a great deal of your time, and the room in which every party tends to congregate.

Before you fall in love with that Kohler faucet, however, analyze the kitchens layout from a purely utilitarian standpoint. Is the magic triangle of sink-stove-fridge arranged conveniently, are cabinets and other storage in logical places, is there sufficient light and most importantly, is this a space you will feel comfortable and happy in? Do not underestimate the importance of a functional and attractive kitchen.

What are the points against it: You have to be careful not to fall in love with the impermanent fixtures in a kitchen. While those glass-front, backlit uppers may brilliantly display the sellers Royal Daulton bone china, will your mixed collection of garage sale Melmac have the same effect? Likewise, if your idea of cooking is heating up last nights pizza, perhaps space would be better used elsewhere.

Assessment: The kitchen is the hub of virtually any home. Do not underestimate its importance.

Activity Rooms

This is an overly broad categorization, of course, but activity rooms like workshops, games rooms, and exercise rooms tend to hold common appeal and common drawbacks.

What are the positive points: Having the right setup for a particular activity can be inspiring. Having a single power tool in each room of your house and each corner of the garage and shed is not exactly the ideal situation for building that crib you started on for your daughter and are determined to finish before the birth of you granddaughter. Likewise, if you have the latest elliptical trainer and weight set in a room next to your bedroom with a 12 foot plasma TV facing it, perhaps you will find that six-pack after all.

What are the points against it: If you can not make a dovetail joint, all of the tools in the world will not give you that knowledge. If you have not lifted anything heavier than a handful of pork rinds in the last decade, a workout room will likely soon become just a TV room with uncomfortable seating. Unreasonable expectations usually develop into unreasonable decisions.

Assessment: Your home should inspire you and will, to a certain extent, dictate your lifestyle. You have to be rational in your decisions, however, and aim for versatility rather than rooms that are locked in to a particular use that may not be as useful in the future.

The Bottom Line

With all of your dream home features, try to let reason prevail (or at least get a word in edgewise). You may absolutely worship the tumbled marble rainforest shower with the heated towel rack, but it will be of little comfort every morning and night when you are cursing the homes lack of closet space. It is often the most boring attributes of a home that will give you the most pleasure.

Now, off to luxuriate in my rainforest shower. I had to take out the bedroom to install it, but that is okay, I do not mind sleeping in the kitchen.

It is telling of a destinations pulling power that based purely on chats with a local estate agent and a neighbour who could see the house from her garden, Helen and Mike Gosling bought “the most perfect home in the world” in the Portuguese region of Alentejo without setting foot near the place.

If that sounds slightly mad, the five-bedroom, 350,000 (GBP 240,000) house with seven acres of land near Beja, the hottest town in Portugal is not some buy-to-let investment they were about to farm out to strangers, but is the Goslings new home. And like many people, they had never even heard of Alentejo before.

“We saw the house advertised on the internet and did not have time to visit, as we had an African holiday booked the following day, but did not want to lose the property so we went for it, says Helen, 50, who runs a car breakdown recovery business with Mike, 59, in Worcestershire, England.

“We had visited the Algarve and the Silver Coast near Lisbon, but from our reading about the Alentejo we loved the sound of the tranquillity and sense of remoteness,” she explains.

Wedged between Portugals two best-known holiday spots, the Algarve and Lisbon, Alentejo has been slow at taking root in property buyers minds, hindered partly by the lack of an airport. That will be remedied if the proposed expansion of Beja military airport, set for 2009, goes ahead, undoubtedly sparking interest in this hidden corner. Until then, Lisbon or Faro are the nearest options, one to two hours drive to most parts of the region.

Even well-heeled Lisbonites, who are dismissive of their neighbouring region, are starting to take note, selling up in upmarket Cascais or Sintra in favour of a traffic jam-free commute into the capital from Alentejo.

It is an agricultural region rooted in traditional cork production, clam stew and polyphonic singing a random selection of its specialities but highlights such as the World Heritage city of Evora and medieval hilltop towns are overshadowed by the Algarves sought-after golf and beach resorts.

“It has taken me a decade to get people to know about Alentejo,” says the Goslings estate agent, Bert Snijder from Alentejo Home Tel. 0871 711 8992 from the UK or Tel. +351 269 441 717).

“Alentejo is the same size as the Netherlands but with 800,000 inhabitants compared with Hollands 16 million,” says Bert, who, incidentally, is Dutch. “It is the perfect place for people who want to get away from the stress in Northern Europe.

Even in August, you can lie on unspoilt beaches with no one else around for miles.”

You can build dream house for relatively little money especially inland, where you can even have your own vines and olive groves. Converting an old farm is ideal for those in search of tranquillity try Beja, Evora or Estromez.

And although you will pay more by the ocean, Comporta, Zambujeiro and Sagres are stunning and offer better value than comparable regions in Spain and France.

Alentejo may be the birthplace of legendary explorer Vasco de Gama, and home to swarthy footballing hero Luis Vigo who is rumoured to be building a golf course in Odemira but the vast region still retains an understated appeal.

The upside of anonymity is low property prices. Coastal properties cost around 50% of what you would pay on the Algarve, and rural renovation projects in various states of dilapidation can be cheap enough to buy with a credit card.

Bert Snijder reports that most of his clients want to be within 40km of the coast, which may only mean a 20-minute drive away, as the roads are empty. The further east you head, towards the Spanish border, the cheaper the properties. But the climate is extreme, with boiling summers and very cold winters.

One inland area predicted to become Portugals next major resort is Alqueva, near Europes largest man-made damn. Its 800km shoreline is a fishermens paradise, and the plans to build golf courses, luxury hotels and restore the nearby rural villages are luring property investors.

Currently, two-bedroom houses in the area cost from around Euro 162,600 (GBP 110,000). With coastal development limited to very low build density and nothing within 1km of the sea, Alentejos Atlantic coast remains untapped, with endless kilometres of white sands that become more rugged as you head south.

Troia on the Blue Coast, south of Lisbon, has been a Portuguese secret for a long time, but now it is being developed, they are building a new marina and golf courses, but they are avoiding dense high-rises.

Vila Nova de Milfontes, with stunning beaches and a cobbled old town, is another resort worshipped by the locals and some German villa owners but few visitors from further afield. There, a one-bedroom apartment will cost from around Euro 118,000 (GBP 80,000), while you can buy large family houses for GBP 150,000.

Prices are slightly higher, due to scarcity of supply, in nearby Zambujeira do Mar, an unassuming fishing village momentarily besieged by rock fans attending its festival each August.

Then it returns to typical Alentejo tranquillity, which is just how buyers like it. Even those who have not been there yet.

Top tips for buying in Portugal:

Alentejo is a huge region with three distinct areas the mountains, plains and beaches so take time to drive around and choose an area before you start looking for a property.

Do not underestimate the language problems. Unlike in the Algarve, English is not widely spoken so seek recommendations of good Portuguese lawyers from English-speaking agents who know the area well.

Buying a plot of land and building your own house works out cheaper than buying a ready-made villa, and means you can design it how you want it. Building costs are around Euro 700 per square metre.

Land prices are determined more by their access to utilities than by location, so a small plot with mains electricity and water can cost considerably more than a larger plot nearby without these services.

Don not assume that if you buy a ruin in the middle of nowhere, you can do what you like with it. Strict buildings regulations apply and vary depending on the local council.

Get a licensed builder. Otherwise you will have to obtain a license specific to your property, which could delay renovations by several months.

If you can not be there in person to oversee building work, recruit a project manager.

Use a Portuguese lawyer who can pick up on the nuances of the contractual jargon. A foreign lawyer may not have the same grasp.

Most people under budget for renovation work. A loose rule of thumb is to take the property price and double it.

Materials and labour are cheap, but re-roofing can be pricey.

The team of Portugal sealed its place in the Euro 2008 quarter finals by beating the Czech Republic 3 goals to 1 last Wednesday. The footballers Pepe and Raul Meireles did a good job in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Turkey, while Cristiano Ronaldo and replacement Ricardo Quaresma made the difference against the Czechs after Libor Sionko cancelled out Deco’s early opener.

Scolari said: “This squad is very well prepared in physical terms. They do what I tell them to do. They might have a few shortcomings but they are minor shortcomings, technical things I want to improve. The fitness team has been working well with these players and their strength levels have been very high”.

He  has not revealed the strategy or secret that is making him win the games, he just says that he feels very proud the players are following his instructions. He saysthey have learned to be very aggressive in the first half and struggle to prove the other team that they are good at what we do.

Scolari is very proud of his team, he said there are still some small details they have to improve but right now and with the kind of game they have been playing and the time they have, he can be able to organize his team for the match against Switzerland which is going to be very difficult. “When you build a new team you have to do things you didn’t do in qualifying. Now I have got a good, solid team and I am very satisfied because our team had a wonderful, spectacular, physical performance. I again pay tribute to our fitness staff. Our players, their eyes are shining. They are supporting each other”.

Sunday’s match with the Swiss in Basle will now have little at stake other than pride, with Turkey’s victory over the co-hosts on Wednesday’s late game seeing Kobi Kuhn’s side eliminated and assuring that Portugal will advance as pool winners.

But Scolari will not let his players be very confident since the Swiss team is a very aggressive squad. They have to get organized in a way to assure their victory. Chelsea’s defender Paulo Ferreira was not getting carried away either, and expects the Swiss to come out all guns blazing looking for their first points of the tournament on Sunday.

The 29-year-old right-back said: ‘We have to enjoy this victory. It was very important because it means we have already qualified for the next stage and we are very happy about that”. Scolari is getting prepared since he is leaving the Portugal squad to move to the coaching chair of the Chelsea next July the 1st.