CASA DO VALLE

Summer has finally arrived, with temperatures over 30ºC in the afternoons! The temperature rise coincides with the holiday period of the southern Europeans, which means that crowds will be thicker. We have many suggestions for you to make your visit in Sintra more enjoyable! Here are some of them.  Remember that more will appear, and we will keep you posted through Facebook, and of course the information board at the reception. First of all, Sintra is full of fabulous historically and culturally important monuments and most of them are well visited.  There are also some that are less famous but equally interesting.  Do you really want to see them all? Is Pena Palace really what you want to see is its fairy-tale park what you were imagining? Are you more interested in walking in the nature than seeing art? Choose well where you want to go and let us help you if you are not sure what Sintra has to offer - believe me, it's a wide variety of things.  That is one of...

While our site is being translated into one more language, it is experiencing some growing pains - sorry for that. It seems my browser (Netscape) is tougher to get it right than the more common ones. Anyway, while the web-guys are working on that, a new special package has been created. It seems especially appropriate now to get ready for the busy holiday season - and maybe even after it to unwind. It is called: SPOIL YOURS ELF from head to toe ! The feet and the head are places that when massaged can relax the whole body. That is the idea. The package has two different massages combined, one to the head, the other to the feet, totaling about an hour of bliss. The massage on the feet is reflexology , a therapy that consists of massaging, stimulating and pressing points of our feet where our different organs have their counterpoints, producing not only a deep effect of relaxation but also a relief of symptoms of an illness. This massage can be either combined with a facial mass...

This is the frustrating time of the winter season - the rain has stopped and we have had a week of cool, clear days with a variable amount of sun. As I walk around the grounds, I do notice on the winter flowers: the lavender is starting to have long purple flowers, the calla is still going strong and the old rose tree has an odd pink rose as well. Also it seems that all that we planted last fall/winter have taken to their new places and have started well. However, it seems that the walls that need painting, the moss that needs to be scraped and stairs that need washing - all seem to scream louder than the flowers. The gardeners started pruning the trees last week, and will continue for a few more weeks. As they advance, I keep seeing lots of other things that need to be done - we still have to wait about ten days for the painter. The electrician is supposed to arrive any day to fix a few odd things. The carpenter is still to fix odds and ends as well - it seems everyone in town ...

Today was a beautiful day in Sintra - and lots of people filled the streets as they visited Sintra on the first day of this year 2010. I watched the traditional New Year's Strauss concert in TV, and will see it again on the 10th of January - live here in Sintra, as the Strauss Festival Orchestra & Ballet Ensemble perform at the great auditorium of Centro Cultural Olga Cadaval. The Cultural Center has a very nice and varied program in its 2 auditoriums (300 and 1000 seats). The pages of the center are http://www.ccolgacadaval.pt/ if you want to check out the programs. Plan ahead and check out the program for the June Sintra Festival! We have had quite a lot of reservations recently from A Vida é Bela - the experience-gifts for getaways. It seems that after these holidays people really need a break, with massages in the beautiful Sintra. Welcome to all of you to relax here!

Now that the holidays are over, autumn is really here with rain and wind - and Christmas is around the corner with all the busyness that comes along with it. To help prepare you for the season, we suggest a way to relax at Casa do Valle - a massage with Hot Stones. The heat of the stones has two objectives: deep - relaxing the muscles and reestablishing the body's energies. This massage uses techniques of both classical relaxation massage AND Reiki to absorb and drain the body from tired energy. 45 euros for an hour + session in the privacy of your room. Or if you prefer, you can book a classical 50 minute full-body relaxation massage for a special price of 35 euros or a session of Chinese Tui Na or Japanese Seitai also for 45 euros. Advanced booking is necessary for any of these massages. You can contact us for more information through our email info@casadovalle.com

It has been exceptionally warm in Portugal this autumn and every day we hear stories about how dry it is and how we need rain. In the Guest House we still have been quite busy and with the people around the pool in the afternoons, at first glance, it does look like summer. So how do you know, when it's 28º in the afternoon that autumn is coming anyway? The people in the pool actually SWIM, not just lull around, as the water is cooler The hydrangeas are beautifully spotted The fruit trees are all losing their leaves Olives are falling off the trees The only fruit waiting to ripen are the citrus fruit The bougainvillea on the front lawn is losing its red petals and the lawn (and the pool) are full of red petals in the mornings - the natural spa-look There is actually place to park your car everywhere The monuments, especially during the week days, are much less crowded It is dark in the mornings when I start to ride the bike in the garden And it still is delicious in the garden - e...

Autumn has officially kicked in - and with better weather than July! Gone is the unpleasant wind, and the temperatures have risen to over 30 degrees every afternoon this week! It is true that leaves have started to fall, and the pool has to be vacuumed more often due to that - but wow what a goodbye we have for the summer. We still have an abundance of pears, still lots of flowers around the garden, but the sun IS lower and gives a nice, soft air about. The pool temperature is still 22 degrees, warm enough to swim. Inspired by the official start of autumn and plenty of guests asking what the weather is like in the winter or spring here, I placed an album on our facebook page called '4 seasons' with pictures of the surroundings from the last year. I also started a discussion on the facebook page regarding ideas for the getaway weekends we are planning to offer. If you have the time, please contribute and let us know YOUR opinions about what could and should be offered/includ...

The month of September has been for the last years the month with the most twin beds per room. We have chosen to have many rooms with the possibility of either twin beds or double beds - and this is really the time that it pays off. We have had several 'Girlfriend groups' recently 2-4 women taking an extended weekend holiday together - or even longer. This is the perfect time as the family holidays are over, and the weather is still lovely - and monuments don't have the summer crowds. This last weekend we had 4 ladies from Finland spend a couple days taking a break together. On Saturday they spent a 'cultural day'. Up the mountain with a horse and carriage to the Pena Park. They walked through the park to the Palace of Pena, then down to the Moorish castle and again back down to the historical Center for a lunch. And then they went to Regaleira and did some shopping. Topping it off in the pool and then a slow dinner at Tulha's in town. There was even an...

'Great - A wonderful massage in the breeze with the birds chirping away!' This is a comment of one of our clients after a massage at Casa do Valle. We have started to work together with different masseuse - one who does the classical muscle massage, a 50-minute full body massage or a hot-stone massage. Also, a place in Sintra (Art of Living) that does Tui Na, Seitai, Acupuncture, Yoga, Reiki, ... Many things for the well-being and relaxation of the clients. The massages can be done at the center in Sintra, in the guest-rooms or, when weather allows, in the garden. Prices are very accessible, 40-50 euros for 1 hour, and should be reserved in advance.

In the middle of the winter rains we had a day of brilliant sunshine yesterday. Perfect weather for being outside, I was weeding the garden in a t-shirt. In a sheltered area, the temperatures can rise to over 20 degrees in the early afternoon, even tricking a young tree: we have a young almond tree ready to bloom. A bit too early, but there's nothing one can do to avoid it. This week we installed a new router . Now there is a stronger WiFi signal all over and your own laptops should access the net from the rooms. We still do have the guest computer available, though, for those guests who do not want to carry their own computers to holidays. This week I posted new special deals for February on our site: a two-day weekend for 75 euros, or a 'third night free'-deal for during the week. Perfect getaway-gift for Valentine's or Carneval!

We have created a couple of getaway-packages for those in need of change in their routine: a 1-night and a 2-night getaway! All the prices are valid until the end of May/09 and are for two people. 1 night Sintra getaway includes 1 night in Casa do Valle with full breakfast for two, 1 Regaleira horse-and-carriage ride, coffee and 'travosseiros' for two at the famous pastelaria 'Piriquita' - all for 95 euros! 2 night Sintra getaway includes 2 nights in Casa do Valle with full breakfast for two, 1 São Pedro horse-and-carriage ride, coffee and 'travosseiros' for two at the famous pastelaria 'Piriquita' - all for 175 euros! And we are still continuing with the special welcome of free port wine and walnuts included in the room price until the end of January!

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...