CASA DO VALLE

Quinta da Regaleira main palace Regaleira is on the opposite side of the valley   (Updated in January, 2021) One of the most visited places of Sintra, Quinta da Regaleira is opposite of our pool, on the other side of the valley.  It is our guests'  favourite monument to visit in Sintra, maybe because it is easily reachable on foot,  because it is so mysterious  - or just because it is greatly entertaining to the whole family. SHORT HISTORY Quinta da Regaleira never was a royal anything.  A private house, used as a summer residence,  of Carvalho Monteiro, who bought it in 1892 from the barons of Regaleira.  He transformed it to its glory with the famous architect Luigi Manini, known for his theatrical works.  There is a lot to be said about Quinta da Regaleira, or Palácio dos Milhões, as it is also called.  It is beautifully built in neo-manueline style with strong ties to the discoveries - the 4 hectar grounds are beautifully landscaped, going from very groomed and formal to

Praia da Ursa (Updated in January 2021)  Sintra is not primarily a beach destination, but it does have some great beaches.  Golden sand, beautiful round stones, and magnificent cliffs.  Surfing, tanning, walking.  Great restaurants, dinosaur footprints, paragliding, and fishing. Attention though - the beaches are Atlantic beaches, so the water is not as warm as the Mediterranean ones in the Algarve - and the waves are stronger and more dangerous as well. The long Atlantic Walk (GR11)   passes on the cliffs over all of these beaches.   I will start from the Southern most beaches and work my way up.  Here is a short 2-minute introduction video to the beaches: Praia da Ursa - (Our cover  foto) The double arches resembled  a bear, giving the beach its name (Ursa=Bear) The southernmost of Sintra beaches got its name from a double arch that used be on the beach resembling a bear sculpted by a giant. The beach is accessible by foot only, on a accentuated footpath (good shoes are advisabl

We've been trimming a lot of trees this winter As the winter and spring do their normal match of sun and rain, warmth and cool weather, we play along and try to execute all planned tasks according to the weather. We try to be ecofriendly, and compost and use the tree trimmings for firewood.  So in the dry days we have cleaned the garden, trimming trees, powerwashing patios and lawnchairs.  One particular day the old iron of various origins was taken to recycling and the non-composted and non-choppable garden waste was taken away.  It is amazing the space it seemed we gained! And it is amazing the things you accumulate. Collecting things for recycling near the guest dog kennel So now we have more space and more firewood, which we unfortunately still need (I am ready for spring). And we have more space for our planned parking area.  We normally park our cars in the street, but some times in the summer we need  more space, so we have dedicated the end of the property for tha