We had the most amazing stay with Martin!
We felt genuinely lucky to be able to share the little patch of heaven he has created!
We stayed for 4 night and 5 days, and we were so gutted to have to leave...
Martins land is located in the middle of forest, mountains and beach, all within walking distance! We toyed with the idea of renting a car for weeks before flying, and over nothing other than instinct, decided not to, we couldn’t have been happier with the decision!
Martin so kindly picked us up from the airport for a small fee, made us supper and gave us the warmest welcome.. after that, we spent the days walking to the beaches, Praia de Adraga and Praia de Ursa, and exploring the hikes all through the mountains, through the Castle on the Mores and Pena palace gardens etc, everything in Martins description of his house is perfectly accurate and I’d highly recommend finding the time to do the activities he has suggested!
One thing I’d personally note, is that as Martin points out in his description, don’t bother waiting for busses, they’re unpredictable and difficult to navigate/guess when they’re coming! It’s super easy to just jump in a cab or ask Martin for a lift to Sintra to catch the train to Lisbon (or wherever else you need to get to), we managed to get from our room to Lisbon Rossio in an hour on the Saturday!
As for Martin and the place it’s self, it’s genuinely so charming, rough and ready that you instantly feel as if the place is your own, we cooked our own meals every night we were there and ate them outside on our little private patio; it was perfect ( the local super market is only a 15 minute walk away in Colares).
Martin is a unique character, with 100 stories and all the knowledge of anything you could ask for, an extremely intelligent, friendly, creative and knowledgeable guy with the best chilli oil in all of Portugal!
We’d highly recommend Martins place, it’s one of a kind and brilliant in every way!
Amelia + Oliver