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Cross purpose: opposite, the Dom Luís I bridge across the River Douro. This page, the opulent dining room at the luxurious Hotel Infante Sagres; You want: A second-city thrill simple chic at the MyhomeinPorto So try: Making a pit stop in Porto boutique hotel; two-Michelin- starred fare at the ith its cheerful vibe and you’ll get expert, unbiased advice and Yeatman hotel second-city modesty, try ports from different houses. W historic Porto makes for For a posh lunch, book the superb a buzzy, but laid-back, weekend city Euskalduna Studio restaurant, an break. You’ll only need one morning to intimate affair run by chef-of-the- take in the main sights. Start at Igreja moment Vasco Coelho Santos (00 351 Need a break from the city bustle? Discover… dos Clérigos (torredosclerigos.pt; 935 335301, euskaldunastudio.pt; Hire a bike and head south along the tomar £4.30), the 18th-century church at the tasting menu £80), or splash out at the wild Atlantic coast (Verlub, Rua de Because: The Gothic highest point of the Old Town, with a Yeatman hotel’s two-Michelin-starred Fernandes Tomás 259; £10 a day); scale Knights Templar 75-metre tower that reveals Porto in restaurant (00 351 220 133100, the- the Arrábida Bridge (portobridgeclimb. abbey towers over this riverside town a superb panorama. Over the road in yeatman-hotel.com; tasting menu com; £14); or take a 10-minute taxi to the 90-minute drive the city’s imposing former prison, the £145), with its fine wine list. wonderful contemporary art museum from — its Portuguese Centre of Photography (cpf. But you can eat brilliantly and at Serralves (serralves.pt; £10). lavish chapel is said pt; free) has intriguing exhibitions — and affordably round here, too. Follow Hotel choice is nowhere near as to be full of Templars' secrets more views from the top-floor single locals to the Casa Guedes diner (Praça limited as in the bad old days, especially and symbols. And cells once reserved for VIP prisoners. dos Poveiros 130; 00 351 222 002874) in the downtown districts of Ribeira, Fátima, scene A meandering stroll down the and spend a couple of quid on a pulled- Baixa and Vitória. The Hotel Infante of Virgin Mary narrow, sometimes precipitous, streets pork sandwich or a cachorro (spicy Sagres sets the bar for luxury in the visitations, is down the road. of Porto’s historic centre will tick off sausage) at Gazela (Travessa Cimo centre (infantesagres.com; doubles Travel’s tip: Entry is your other must-sees: the blue-tiled de Vila 4; 00 351 222 054869). Try from £210, B&B). The best boutique is £5, but buy a £13 azulejo murals of São Bento railway the local speciality, francesinha. This MyhomeinPorto (myhomeinporto.com; World Heritage ticket and you can station, the hilltop cathedral and the meat-packed sandwich, smothered in from £87, B&B, two-night minimum stop off at the iconic double-decker Dom Luís I cheese sauce, looks like a heart attack stay). Don’t turn in too early: Porto has equally gorgeous bridge across the River Douro. on a plate, but the locals swear by it. a small, late-night bar and club scene Batalha and You can’t come to Porto and not try Fancy something sweet? If you’ve had around Rua de Cândido dos Reis. For Alcobaça monasteries, too its eponymous wine, and down on the enough pastéis de nata, drop into the a nightcap, stop at the Café Candelabro river’s southern bank is where you’ll 100-year-old Leitaria da Quinta do Paço (Rua da Conceição 3), a relaxed bar- find the action. All the major port houses for one of its cream-filled chocolate bookshop popular with the boho crowd. — Taylor’s, Sandeman, Graham’s — eclairs (leitariadaquintadopaco.com). offer tours (about £13), but they’re all And, for an introduction to the people Get me there: Porto’s airport is 30 much of a muchness. Your better bet is and flavours of the city’s culinary scene, minutes away by metro from the centre a visit to the understated boutique wine try Porto’s half-day Vintage Food Tour, (£2.20) or a 15-minute taxi (£20). store, Touriga (Rua da Fábrica 32). Here (tasteporto.com; £62). Oliver Balch>

60 Sunday Times Travel july 2019 july 2019 Sunday Times Travel 61 TotalGuide I Portugal century summer holiday home unexpected silent squares and sorbet- priced Portuguese lace, jewellery and Rock on: You want: The easy-to-reach beach overlooking the creek — surprisingly coloured buildings bedecked with thick-wool cardigan-jackets. the picture- postcard few people venture inside. Crouch balconies and plants. Come evening, Dinner is in Rua das Flores, a street of Rainha Beach So try: Staying near Lisbon in Cascais down in the dining-room — the the pace changes subtly as bars and seafood restaurants. Try the fish platter windows were designed so seated restaurants spill into the narrow at O Pescador (00 351 214 832054, beach resort with charm and and Conceição, segue into one and are guests’ views were of the sea only. streets. Try octopus at tiny Polvo Vadio restaurantepescador.com; mains culture? Welcome to Cascais, family-friendly with inflatables and Equally eye-catching is the tomato- (Rua Afonso Sanches 47; 00 351 214 about £15) and its excellent wine list. A 40 minutes west of Lisbon. paddleboards. Tiny, pretty Rainha is red Modernist monolith with pyramidal 830968; mains about £12). Family-friendly Hotel Baia (hotel This former fishing village became the cupped by rocky promontories (go towers that houses Portuguese artist Lisbon is day-trippable from here, baia.com; doubles from £70, B&B), playground of Portuguese royalty in early to bag a spot), while Ribeira, in Paula Rego’s figurative art (casadas about 40 minutes on the train (£4). overlooking the central beach, is 1870, attracting court followers and fine the centre, is under the gaze of historiapaularego.com; £4.30). Her Or hire a bike (aquastart.pt; £13 a day) modern with a rooftop bar. More tucked buildings. But the beaches are neither promenaders. Be warned: while the air work can be unsettling (brutal fairy and go west to discover wilder beaches, away, the 19th-century Villa Vasco butler-service-posh nor package- is sunbathing-hot, the water, fed direct tales using contemporary-dressed such as the sweeping Praia do Guincho, da Gama (villavascodagama.com; holiday-deckchaired. Instead, they from the Atlantic, can be chilly except figures), but lunch will sort you out. with its Atlantic rollers. On the way doubles from £99, B&B) is an Old have an old-fashioned jolliness, with in high summer (tops about 21C). At the retro food trucks on the Ribeira back, pause at impressive-but-touristy Town guesthouse with a Scandi feel. locals pouring off trains at weekends. For more peace, pick a flat rock in the Beach promenade, a slice of pizza Boca do Inferno — a ‘Hell’s Mouth’ of It’s all happy families, volleyball and creek to the west of the marina, where or a couple of tacos cost about £5. foaming waters, where a cave Get me there: From Lisbon airport, take a refreshing lack of hawkers. there’s only a scrap of sand. Visit the Afterwards, slip away into the Old collapsed in the cliffs. But press on to the metro to Cais do Sodré station; First things first: choose your sandy turreted Casa de Santa Maria (cascais. Town. Within five minutes you can be Cascais’s tiny market in Largo Cidade trains take about 30 minutes (£2.20). stretch. The main beaches, Duquesa pt; free), a grand, turn-of-the-20th- lost in a sleepy maze of paved alleys, de Vitória, where you’ll find modestly Helen Pickles >

62 Sunday Times Travel july 2019 july 2019 Sunday Times Travel 63 TotalGuide I Portugal Step lightly: styled many of the local super-villas (Estrada Nacional 253 the beach at Tróia ; KM2; martamantero.com). right, from top, the new boutique Travelling without a villa gang? Comporta has just got a new Quinta da Comporta; boutique hotel, Quinta da Comporta, in Carvalhal village Beach House at (quintadacomporta.com; doubles from £219, B&B). For now, the Tróia Resort the rooms and suites are a perfect taster of Comporta’s shabby-chic aesthetic, but, in time, villas will open on site, too.

Get me there: Comporta village is 75 minutes’ drive from Lisbon airport. Hire a car — you'll need it anyway. Follow the inland route after dark, but in daylight, you should drive to Setubal and take the vehicle ferry to Tróia (atlanticferries.pt; £15, one-way; 30min) — no quicker, but a picturesque journey. Katie Bowman > You want: A chic villa break So try: Going swanky in Comporta

ive it another 10 years and the name Comporta will trip off travellers’ tongues in the same way as the G Hamptons, Saint-Tropez or Bondi. It’s one of those bohemian beach towns that is the perfect distance from a major city (Lisbon): close enough to attract urbane restaurants and curated homeware boutiques, but far enough to retain sandy pavements and grocery-store owners who couldn’t care less whether you’re a billionaire or a boat hand. Lisboetas love its gritty-glam appeal. There’s lots of space for everyone, too: Comporta is actually a collection of beaches that runs an epic 30km south from Tróia Mar Beach to Carvalhal. What all these city slickers bring to the area, of course, is gorgeous second homes — that, happily, you can rent. You might choose a converted grain store among rice paddies, which sleeps 14 in magazine-shoot splendour, or a sleek, glass cube with infinity pool in the dunes. But be aware: the coastline is so well protected here, no-one gets sea views (from the shore, the land looks wild and uninhabited). Tróia Resort is a contemporary development of ‘ocean’ houses and Grand Designs apartments that gives visitors a taste of villa living, while also having fashionable restaurants and loved-by-locals bars nearby (troiaresort.pt; a three-bed Discover… beach house starts at £317 a night). sagres Fill your time following a timetable of one day villa, one Because: Come to day beach. The swishest sands are Praia Comporta, Praia do Portugal’s most Pego and Praia do Carvalhal, each with a sensational seafood southwesterly town restaurant and terrace tables you’ll need to book as soon as and you'll find a you arrive in Portugal. A favourite is Restaurante Sal, on Pego, laid-back surfer’s vibe, rugged cliffs for salted turbot to share and a plate of percebes (barnacles), and deserted coves. the delicacy that costs a third of the price it would in Spain Travel’s tip: Hire (00 351 265 490129, restaurantesal.pt; mains about £14). a VW Campervan (siestacampers. Once the conta is paid, slope down to a stripey bed and com; from £259 for parasol (hire two loungers and an umbrella for £18), dig five days). Park for out a book, then promptly fall asleep reading it. free at Praia da Dusk means sundowners. Tróia Marina’s bars are lively, Ingrina, where grannies feed you or try Comporta Café (comportacafe.pt), which is laid-back freshly caught and loungey. Follow your cocktails with a pre-dinner shopping prawns at Sebastião trip — stores reopen at 4pm or 5pm. They stay open until restaurant (Rua Serpa Pinto 32, nightfall, too, so you can also buy kaftans and cooking utensils Raposeira) on your way back to your villa before bedtime. In Comporta village, Casa da Cultura hosts pop-up stores from Portuguese artisans in converted stables (Rua do Secador 8; casacultura comporta.pt), while RICE sells scruffy linens, woven baskets and kooky cushions chosen by Marta Mantero, who has

july 2019 Sunday Times Travel 65 TotalGuide I Portugal Moledo (butterflyspirit.pt; from £15 a You want: A simple family holiday day). Another family-friendly favourite is Praia de Moledo, with facilities à gogo, So try: Heading north to the Costa Verde soft sand and oodles of space. Stop on the way home for dinner in owhere in Portugal does undergrads practising with the family Moledo village, home to Hamilton, a hip bucket-and-spade with such home. Choose Minho River House frangaria (chicken restaurant) that does N style as the Costa Verde. This on the riverfront near Vila Nova de offbeat pizzas for kids and sangria de green coastline runs from Porto up Cerveiro, a Brutalist home with its own Discover… espumante for parents: sparkling vinho to the Spanish border and somehow boat slip and pool (sleeps eight, from ponte verde, dried fruit, rose syrup and Sprite carries off the rolled lawns and cut- £1,052 a week, with boutique-homes. de lima (Avenida Santana 395; 00 351 926 grass smell of Devon alongside new- com; its other houses include white 459125; mains about £12). Because: Few Brits wave beach houses and the sort of Cubist Casa em Afife near Afife Beach; have heard of Ponte Day-trips? The arty town of Vila Nova seaside eats you’d find in Ibiza. And sleeps six; from £1,416 a week). de Lima, but it’s a de Cerveira strikes the right balance unlike the surf-only stretches Head to the far north for the best lovely northern town between church spires and swings. to nose around, with southwards, its waters are calmer beaches. The one you’ll return to is Foz If it’s biennale year, expect stone its striking Plane and its sandy, shelving beaches perfect do Minho, where a wide strand of Tree Avenue and sculptures outside supermarkets and for kids, who love the pine-shaded blonde meanders down to crisp, clear ancient bridge. The string art installations pouring forth playgrounds and smooth cycling water through paddle-and-play Portuguese flock from medieval rampart windows here at weekends to paths that run straight up to the sand. shallows. A sandwich kiosk sells cold eat sarrabulho (pig’s (bienaldecerveira.pt). If not, O Crochet (Grown-ups love the fact they can beer and lollies. Most families unfurl blood rice — try it!). Sai à Ruia happens every summer: always find a parking space, too.) their towels here, but just five minutes Travel’s tip: Stay residents take the creative tradition A week in summer works, though further it’s empty, with a stunning view: until Monday for the outside with crochet storefronts, stairs fortnightly market; you won’t be bored with two, either. a slim band of navy, where the River the weekend buzz and plant pots. Eat alfresco on the Portuguese families holiday during Minho meets the Atlantic — then Spain. spills over church square: Café Central has the August, so travel late July or early Don’t skip the river beaches — there best views and most authentic menu September for extra space. Villas are are many sandy pockets along the (Praça da Liberdade; mains about £12). cheaper than in the , and more Minho. Praia da Lenta is a safe bet, with interesting because Porto University’s a lifeguard and contemporary cafe Get me there: The nearest airport is strong architecture school has meant serving up lunch. Reach it by car or via Porto. Rent a car — the drive to Moledo local commissions designed by the ‘Greenway’ bike path. Rent bikes takes about 50 minutes. everyone from Pritzker-winners to and kids' seats from Butterfly Spirit in Katie Bowman >

66 Sunday Times Travel july 2019