CASA DO VALLE

What a show it was - the lighting of the tallest European Christmas tree in Lisbon tonight, at the Parque Eduardo Vll. Nearly a million and a half micro lights, all synchronized for special effects. Really flashy. In Sintra there are also Christmas Lights - luckily less flashy but really, really nice. The huge tree in front of the National Palace, 'icicles' hanging from the trees in the Historical Center, the lit wall on the Volta do Duche .... All of Sintra is lit and beautiful, perfect for an evening walk. At our Bed and Breakfast we started decorating today, too. Some, but not all the lights are up, the Christmas wreaths are decorating the doors, and the lanterns are lighting the steps. It felt strange putting up Christmas decorations as the weather is still so warm during the days - sunny and crisp. The nights are cool, though, but we are missing the rain of the season. Our guests have enjoyed hiking the mountain and turned in early. A few commented on a perfect lun...

...and what a wonderful time it is to visit Sintra! The weather is still perfect for the season: sunny afternoons and cool, crisp nights. With the full moon it is easy to get lost in the magic of Sintra and the mountain. Visiting the monuments during the day is easy - less traffic, easy parking, hardly any waiting anywhere. It is easy to book a guided tour at the Quinta da Regaleira - the number one place to visit according to our guests. In the internet house of our B&B, we have a book that is called 'Guest to Guest' where previous guests have written to the future ones what they found most exciting, different, wonderful etc. about Sintra and its surroundings. Regaleira right now seems to be more popular than even Pena Palace: 'Just like Harry Potter world' or 'Better than Disney World' and 'An absolut must, we definitely recommend booking a guided tour!' are just some of the comments. And now, with less tourists around, it is more or le...

This has truly been a wonderful day in Sintra. The mountain and the Historical Center are a pool of colors: the traditional green has gotten its autumn foliage of yellow and the colorful buildings look so pretty in the midst of this! Our Bed and Breakfast is bathing in the sun, it is nearly 20 degrees and there is hardly any wind. I had my afternoon coffee on the sofa outside. This is a wonderful time to visit Sintra, taking advantage of our winter specials with local businesses. It is magical to ride in a horse-drawn carriage through all these colors, sipping hot chocolate. With a significant discount that our Guest House visitors have, it is almost a must! Today our guests commented that they really appreciated the complimentary port wine when they entered yesterday, it was a chilly night and it warmed them up nicely. I am glad, as we want to make sure that our guests have a memorable stay. You can check out the details of our specials on our site www.casadovalle.com