First and foremost my partner and I have to thank Christina and her family for their hospitality, humor and support. They live in the house that the apartment is attached to. Christina is so full of positive energy. She also greeted us with her homemade cake (Which she kindly gave us the recipe for before we left). We arrived late after an arduous journey (missed flight etc). We were hungry and mash (tired) so she offered to drive us to the local village shop to pick up groceries and something quick to eat (Oven Pizza). I must point out that although very attentive she and her husband Antonio respected our privacy and we didn't feel awkwardly obligated to be sociable.
The views are great, very rustic, suburban. Driving is recommended as public transport did not seem to be much of an option (as advised by Luis).
Once you are driving, getting to Sintra is straight forward. We used Hertz by the way. They were hassle free and we got a sweet ride (Four door Mini Cooper) excellent for getting about and spacious enough even for me (6ft 4").
Apartment was a little cold for us at one point so Christina gave us a little electric heater and job done!
The apartment was clean (obviously well maintained in general). We only used one of the two bedrooms. Although tempting, it was too cold to take advantage of the little pool outside (Shame really. They even had a music system out there). Christina was setting up a barbecue the morning we were leaving so we were unable to attend and get to meet more of her friends and family.
So as you can see we had a great time and will certainly be back. Thanks again Luis and especially to Christina, Antonio, Alexandra, Margarida and last but absolutely not least, our translating life saver young Ruben.
Ives and Christine