As a short break destination from the UK, Porto takes some beating. Fly direct from Birmingham, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Bristol, Manchester, Luton, Gatwick and Stansted – phew, so many airports to choose from. With a...
A tale in three cities: literary delights in Porto, Coimbra and Lisbon
Porto This little pink slip of paper is like the golden ticket for Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. It gave me access to one of the world’s most beautiful bookshops, Livraria Lello in Porto....
The love story of Pedro and Inês in Coimbra, Portugal
The city of Coimbra in Portugal is known for its ancient university but it’s also the location for the tragic but true tale of devotion between Pedro and Inês, the Romeo and Juliet of Portugal....
On the Waterfront in Portugal with Inntravel
“Come on, just a few more steps,” Dougie encouraged me as we negotiated the narrow cobbled streets of the old Alfama district of Lisbon, heading for our hotel, Solar do Castelo. Positive words, the sort...
Mum’s Gone to Portugal – The Memorable Bits
I suppose it can’t get much more memorable than sharing the first week with a TV celebrity chef (see previous post) but there was a smattering of other bits I’d like to share with...
Mum’s Gone to Portugal – Having Dinner with John Torode
There are four pools in the Martinhal resort and this one pictured, the beach club pool, is by far the most popular. It never looks like this when it’s open – the Fat Boy...
Mum’s Gone to Portugal – Home from Home in Martinhal
Despite having packed two plastic boxes full of medical supplies, Dougie was still flailing about on the night before our trip to Portugal, having chopped his finger with a kitchen knife. It was more...
Mum’s Going to Portugal…very soon.
I don’t think I was ever cut out for budget travel, backpacking or slumming it. As you can see from previous posts I tend to choose hotels based on the thread count of the Egyptian cotton...