majestic sintra and cascais

> honeymoon:
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majestic
PORTUGAL
sintra and cascais
Azenhas do
Mar Sintra, Portugal
Photography: Camara Municipal de Sintra
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hilltop town of Sintra, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site,
enchants visitors with its old-world charm, while the coastal town
of Cascais provides cosmopolitan verve.
For convenience and luxury while touring the area, base yourself at Tivoli Palacio de Seteais, a five-star castle hotel tucked into
the mountainside of Sintra, approximately an hour by car from
Lisbon Airport. A haven for such luminaries as Brad Pitt, Kylie
Minogue, and Johnny Depp, the hotel and its thirty rooms and
suites is sumptuously outfitted with 18th century-style furnishings,
including rare tapestries, frescos, paintings, and porcelain. The
Seteais restaurant, overlooking gardens filled with camellias and
lemon trees, tantalizes guests with refined Portuguese and interna-
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Photography: Camara Municipal de Sintra
A favorite summer retreat for the kings of
Portugal, Sintra and nearby Cascais make a
dreamy honeymoon destination any time of year. The
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Quinta de
la Regaleira Sintra,
Portugal
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Queluz
Palace Sintra,
Portugal
Photography: Jose Manuel
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Photography: Estoril Tourism Board
Pena
National Palace Sintra, Portugal
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Photography: Jose Manuel
Photography: António Sacchetti
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Tivoli Palacio de
Seteais Sintra, Portugal
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tional cuisine. For couples it can arrange a candlelit dinner with
live harp or piano music.
To fortify your explorations around Sintra, duck into Piriquita
café famous for its tender, flaky Portuguese sweets, including
queijadas (tiny, cinnamon sugar-glazed custard tarts), and travesseiro (pastry pillows filled with almond cream). Then, it’s onto
the area’s glorious palaces, beginning with the pink and yellow
Palácio Nacional da Pena, set in a park and featuring a ballroom
with four life-sized turbaned men holding giant candelabra and an
Arab Room with trompe-l’oeil frescos.
The Palácio Nacional de Sintra, dating back to the 10th century,
shows strong Moorish architectural influences—horseshoe-shaped
arches, courtyards, and decorative tile work—as does Castelo dos
Mouros built in the 8th century with views over the old town.
Quinta da Regaleira and Palácio Nacional de Queluz are two
more lovely palaces. The former is a fairytale-like structure built
in 1904 with gorgeous gardens and sculptures; the latter is a 17th
century, pink, Rococo confection filled with mirrored ballrooms,
crystal chandeliers, and stunning murals.
Beyond palaces, Sintra has numerous cafes, boutiques, and pottery shops tucked along little cobbled lanes to explore on foot. It
also has the Sintra Museum of Modern Art housing works from
artists such as Andy Warhol and Jackson Pollock.
For a more urban adventure, head to Cascais only fifteen miles
from Sintra. This former fishing village soared to fame when the
royal family began to retreat there in the early 20th century. Now,
it attracts wealthy Lisbon residents and visitors eager to sample
its charming beaches, shops and many restaurants tucked in and
around the historic center, such as Restaurante Casa Velha, known
for its just-caught seafood, like grilled bass. Porto de Santa Maria
also specializes in seafood dishes, including grilled sole and shrimp
with rice.
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Café a Piriquita
Sintra, Portugal;
below: Travesseiros
Banyan Tree Koh Samui
Koh Samui, Thailand
left:
above and opposite page:
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Photography: Camara Municipal de Sintra
Photography: Camara Municipal de Sintra
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Photography: Camara Municipal de Sintra
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Sintra,
Portugal
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Cascais,
Portugal
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Photography: Estoril Tourism Board
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Cascais also appeals to golfers, since there are almost a dozen golf
courses in the area. Yachters appreciate the town’s spacious harbor,
while high rollers relish Casino Estoril, one of Europe’s largest casinos near Palácio Estoril, a five-star hotel, where scenes for the James
Bond film, “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” were shot.
For honeymooners eager to visit a romantic Portuguese resort,
quaint Sintra and modern Cascais offer double the pleasure,
double the romance and double the fun.
> Written by Victoria Abbott Riccardi
For more articles on honeymoons and resources visit
WeddingStyleMagazine.com
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Porto de Santa Maria
Cascais, Portugal
left:
Praia da
Adraga Sintra,
Portugal
Photography: Estoril Tourism Board
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Cascais Sailing Cascais, Portugal
Praia dos Pescadores Cascais, Portugal
Photography: Estoril Tourism Board
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