[LISBON, PORTUGAL] — Way back in 2012, NY Times writer Frank Bruni got me with his game-changing article on Lisbon. “Lisbon??” I thought when I read the headline way back then. “Who goes to Lisbon?” At the time, everyone called Lisbon ‘the old grandmother of Europe.’ But his writing and insight was so fantastic, by the time I reached the end of his article I was like “I need to go to Lisbon!” and added it to my list. I finally booked a flight the next July. He was right. I fell in love. I was like, “Holy cow, I could live here.” How’s that for a turnaround? I came back to Portugal again a couple years later for a longer two weeks in 2015,
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[SINTRA, PORTUGAL] — An overview of Pena Palace in Sintra, the perfect daytrip from Lisbon. Pena Palace in Sintra is the main draw and also the perfect day trip from Cascais. Sintra is not just a single town, but an entire wooded (unusually so in these arid parts) nature preserve about an hour and a half outside of Lisbon. It’s the perfect daytrip from Lisbon or the perfect day trip from Cascais. Definitely well worth the drive and easy to find — all the roads and signs in Portugal are outstanding. Pena Palace is the center attraction. It’s a big riot of color and architecture, surrounded by hundreds of acres of gardens and forests. Plan a half a day, at least, or preferably a whole
[CASCAIS, PORTUGAL] — About a half-hour outside of Lisbon, Cascais is a great little beach town along the coast. Here’s my recap of how to spend the perfect long weekend in Cascais, a great base to explore the entire Lisbon coast. Here are best things to do Cascais Portugal. What to do in Cascais. Where to stay in Cascais. Where to eat in Cascais. It’s hard to picture such a cool little beach town as a suburb of Lisbon; it feels like a world away. Where Lisbon opens onto the Targus river, Cascais is further out on the peninsula, just past the Monaco-like wealth enclave of Estoril. Out here, you are more open to the blue waters of the Atlantic. Cascais is the perfect long
[CASCAIS, POTUGAL] — Only an hour or so outside of Lisbon and just 5km and 10 minutes from the sunny Lisbon beach suburb of Cascais, Praia do Guincho. Guincho Beach. Rated as one of the best beaches in Portugal and on top ten beaches in the world, it’s a dream. Strong winds, perfect sand — a contrast to the rocky beaches of France and Italy — large waves and incredible sunsets, it just all adds up. It’s easy to get to, with parking along the road and multiple coves (I’m actually not 100% if there is one single Guincho, or a bunch) you can just drive, park and burn. If you’re staying in Cascais, you can rent a bike and it’s an easy flat ride,
[LISBOA, PORTUGAL] — A review of Palacio Ramalhete in Lisbon Portugal. An affordable boutique hotel in Lisbon. In my opinion, Palacio Ramalhete one of the best boutique hotels Lisbon, full of character and charm and feels like staying in a villa. __________________________ In planning for a trip to Portugal with a bunch of friends last month, I was in charge of looking for a cool boutique hotel. Some in the group I knew, others were going to be New Friends. Some I assumed were wanting somewhere special, others (cough cough) were a little more “I’ll just use my points.”-type. The pressure was on… to find an affordable boutique hotel in Lisbon. Holy cow, it’s amazing how fast Lisbon changes. I remember the first time I
[LISBON, PORTUGAL] — Here’s a great boutique design hotel to stay in Lisbon. The Lisboans. A review of The Lisboans boutique apartment hotel in Lisbon. The Lisboans best boutique hotel in Lisbon, located in the center of Baixa. ________________________ When I got out of the taxi, I noticed the small, discrete sign out front, The Lisboans. I rang the doorbell and was buzzed in. A gregarious Mario welcomed me like a brother “You’re Dan?, we’ve been waiting for you, welcome to The Lisboans“. He brought me through a small door into a room full of six or so people at open desks, working on their computers. “Everyone, this is Dan.” “Hiiii Daaan.” they all replied in unision, with smiles. “Welcome to our Nerve Center where everything
[LISBON] — There are lots of great restaurants in Portugal, but I’m just going to talk about two must-visit restaurants in Lisbon that I recently went to. Restaurante Prado and Horta dos Brunos. Two fantastic and completely different experiences. When I was in the beach town of Comporta, Yasmine, a very tasteful Belgian Instagram friend direct-messaged me this tip: And then, when I was in the far rolling hills of Alentejo, my friends Neil & Lisa texted me: “We went to that Horta dos Brunos your friend recommended. Wow. Fantastic. So full. Can’t walk.” When I finally arrived in Lisbon, I knew I had to go and made reservations. When I got in my Uber and the non-English speaking driver saw the destination on his
[LISBON] — Coming back through Lisbon on the flipflop back to the airport, got to spend a night at the Lapa Palace, a fancy Old School hotel in the Lapa District, the Embassy quarter high above Lisbon. Lapa Palace Lisbon is one of the best luxury hotels in Lisbon. They were very friendly, even though I had to jostle rooms so I could stay an extra night on the cool coast. But still, they upgraded me to a suite for some reason, enormous and something my parents would have raved about. Definitely elegant Old School, especially is you like mauve. Nice balcony. There’s an old wing and a new one, the rooms in the new one feel like they’ve been around. It