I found this beach by accident, mostly. I had departed in a rental car from Lisbon bound for Parque…read moreNatural da Arrábida. That ended up being (mostly a dud - added a review for that also, check it out if interested: http://www.yelp.com/biz/parque-natural-da-arr%C3%A1bida-portinho-da-arr%C3%A1bida?hrid=CWvmPJ07nDpQl0ykHx4dYg). But! The good news is that I saw a friendly looking gentleman and asked him for help; what he gave me was info on the park and a map for nearby Sesimbra. Boy, am I glad he did! Sesimbra is a small, touristy town with a long public beach that's really quite nice. A few things to note: - There's less English spoken here than in Lisbon, so, expect a few challenges, but not many! - There is a lot of public parking available within a walk from the beach for 1,5 EUR until 11PM - You can either buy an umbrella (~5EUR) or rent a setup from the folks working on the beach; I don't know the cost of renting the setup from them, but it was more than 5EUR - There are a ton of shops along the waterfront--shops for food, for souvenirs, flipflops, etc. - A lot of the places/shops don't accept credit cards; be sure to get EUR notes before coming! - There were ATMs around, but some wouldn't accept foreign cards The beach is lovely. Lots of smooth sand and space to put up an umbrella. Overall, I was surprised with how few people there were (on a Thursday afternoon, 1 September). The other beach goers were totally tolerable too. In the US, this isn't always the case. :) I needed WiFi and was fortunate to find the public library en route the beach. I ended up popping in (because I also wanted to see what a Portuguese public library was like) and it was really nice! There were nice, clean public restrooms, nice chairs/tables, and a little cafe. The WiFi was good too. If you're here and need any of these things, I'd recommend popping by the library too.

This is a beautiful beach in Sesimbra. With a name like "California Beach", how could one not fall…read morein love with it? ;) Beautiful clear blue water, fairly clean, not crowded at all in early June, perfect for sunbathing, and small waves that were good for swimming in. We stayed at the Sana hotel right on the beach and had a lovely view of the beach all day long from our room, too. :)

This is one of my favourite beaches in Portugal. Unfortunately now is getting too crowded and that…read moreis the only reason why I didn't gave it the highest score. The beach is not that long and it is located in the bottom of the Arrábida National Park. This is one of many beaches that you can find there and its sand is peral white with cristal clear water! You can even see the fishes swimming around doing their business. Boats on the Sado river are scarce since they need permits to be there which makes this beach experience even better. The waves are non-existing, which makes it really nice and calm. The only bad part of it is that the water is damn cold! The way to get there is either coming from the bigger beach named Galapos on the West side of Galapinhos or just park your car on a curve of the road that stretches from Setúbal to Vila Nogueira de Azeitão and go downhill through the natural bush of this beautiful national park. Galapinhos beach offers Sports Fishing, a Bar, a Restaurant, Body Guard and Snorkeling.

Its a wonderful beach to visit if you are in The The area. Make sure you arrive early, parking can…read morebe a problem. Be extra careful on your way down, you Will find rocky paths and they are steap at times. But its worth it, the beach is Clean, as well as The pool like ocean. Theres also a small coffee shop located on the beach.

The kite school is very well located, on the long beach of Copa da Caparica, where its not crowded…read moreat all and very easy to reach. Tiago is a super patient and passionate teacher and he takes really care of his kite students - great gear and stuff to lend as well. The beginners course was just perfect and I would 100% recommend him and the kite school and will come for a visit again for sure, its a great kite spot in Portugal.

It was a destination wedding, 54 people from the United States. The hotel is on a vineyard…read morecomplete with stable, swimming pool and trails through the woods. It was large enough to have all the amenities yet small enough to receive personal attention. The food was exceptional featuring local cuisine. I tried the salmon tartar and the venison on a bed of risotto. The venison was tender and cooked to perfection. It is hot during the day but cools off at night. I slept with the window open which I can't do in the city. I would return but I would be prepared for cooler evenings.

I can recommend going in Summer. Less crowded that other places and the water is beautiful! Had a…read morebeer and shrimp for a quick bite at the many little cafes set up along the beach.

I can only recommend going surfing in winter in one of those beaches! it was a great expirience…read morewith almost no people!

Lovely beach in Sesimbra where you can see a pretty lighthouse at the far end.read more

I came here based on a thinly written blog post I found online that had been posted years ago. That…read moreis probably my first mistake. :) I'll start with the "Know Before You Go" (somewhat negatives): - There is no Welcome Center - There is no English-language information available - There are only a few pull-off places and many have DEEP pot holes, watch out - In the summer, the loop road becomes, partially, one-way (check out the map) - If you're going to Portinho da Arrabida, it is 1,5EUR to park far away and 3EUR to park closer To the positives: - Getting into the park is free - The park is gorgeous - The beaches are lovely - It's only about an hour from Lisbon and is the only unsettled land I saw while in Portugal If you want to see beautiful coastline, this is a great place to do it. There's also a convent there (I couldn't find any information about it), which is beautiful to photograph (from afar). I've included a map with details about the one-way road situation. Hopefully this will save you some heartburn--and a problem with the law. :) I ended up getting help from a nice man I saw hiking. He directed me to Sesimbra, which was about 35 minutes away. It was a good suggestion. I wrote a review for the beach there which you should check out (Praia da Califórnia: http://www.yelp.com/biz/praia-da-calif%C3%B3rnia-sesimbra?hrid=3Hg0ianYc40NsXBqPdQ3kQ). I did see what appeared to be parking areas for hikes/trails. I was unable to find any sure information about them though. Because I was traveling solo, I opted for caution and didn't give it ago.

This is a review for Sublime Comporta's restaurant at Carvalhal beach (Sublime Beach Club)…read more We had a wonderful time at this restaurant. The prices reflected it being a beach restaurant but the food met/exceeded our expectations and the service really sealed the deal with professional yet personable staff. We had such a great meal that we came back for dinner on our last night too! I had their lobster caesar salad (not a very Portugese choice but still) and it was great with good portions, quality cheese, and plated beautifully. The couvert was also a great selection (though beware it comes with a small cost). We enjoyed a drink from their bar which was pretty and this was a great spot to watch a shoreside sunset. Highly recommend for a splurge!

Amazing hotel, grounds, staff, hospitality. We were there for a wedding and it was gorgeous…read more Fantastic place.