Words cannot express how much we loved Margarida’s house. Sintra itself is a magical, authentic piece of Portugal, but Margardia’s house may be the most magical part of it all. Our long planned trip from the US (all 16 of us) to celebrate my parents 50th anniversary to Sintra didn’t go exactly as planned - stomach bugs, tonsillitis, cars breaking down, wallet stolen - but the magic of this house and this part of Portugal still made it an experience of a lifetime and practically erased all the memories of everything else. Margarida and her son Alfonso were very communicative and did an above-and-beyond amazing job of responding to our many questions and helping us track down a doctor, schedule surfing lessons, and coordinate with the Ana their chef. Ana was a gift. Her roasted chicken with vegetables and her traditional Portuguese seafood stew were dishes even our pickiest eaters liked (especially that chicken!) and will he talked about for ages. But beyond that, everyone we interacted with were just nice and kind people who we enjoyed being around. Our tips for future travelers - please book this house. Please experience the magic. And while you are there know that - the market at the bottom of the hill gets fresh bread and pastries and has delicious coffee every morning, that three of the best restaurants in all of Sintra are within walking distance, that the local beach at high tide is among the most amazing and incredible things you will ever see (go there and watch the waves hit against the man-made pool), sunset at that same beach is worth seeing, that you should only Uber to old Sintra - not worth the hours of finding parking otherwise, At Surf does an amazing job with surf lessons and experiences and we can’t say enough good things about them, and you should absolutely have Ana cook for you at least once (bonus is to go shopping with her - what an experience)! And if you are lucky enough to have a local carnival in town when you are, go. Even if no one speaks to English. And go to the local Saints procession if one is being held - incredible. Finally, if you need a doctor like we did, know that the doctor Margarida has come to the house is kind, smart, and very efficient. I hope our travels bring us back to this magical place again someday!