Can I Tell You about ... Sintra
Rafe Totengco
After my first trip to Portugal several years ago I knew it wouldn't be long before I returned. Every local I had met in Lisbon said I must go to Sintra, so who was I to disagree. "Going to Sintra is like stepping into a fairy-tale!" my concierge exclaimed.
STAY
I stayed in a rented home on the outskirts of Sintra in a small town called Colares.
DO
The Pena Palace is definitely on top of my list. It's a fabulous pastiche of nineteenth century neo-moorish and neo-medieval styles; a great example of Portugese architecture during the Romantic period.
EAT
Buy food from the local farmers who set up roadside stalls selling produce fresh from their gardens. Everything tastes so good!
MUST SEE
Check out Boca do Inferno (literally Hell's Mouth). During high tide view the spectacle of the violent waves crashing on the rocks, you can see why this spot earned its name.
WHAT I LOVED MOST
The collection of magnificent palaces, grand homes and gardens coupled with the narrow and winding streets which lives up to Sintra's mysterious, fairytale reputation.