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trip through Portugal, from lively Lisbon to uninhabited beaches

By SANDY CADIZ-SMITH

Lisbon, Portugal’s vibrant, picturesque capital, is uniquely made up of seven hillsides overlooking the magnificent River Tagus. They stand guard over the city’s winding cobbled alleyways and are topped by terraces known as miradouros which provide the perfect viewpoints to get your bearings. As Europe’s second oldest capital (after Athens), Lisbon has a rich and somewhat dramatic history, including being decimated by earthquake, tsunami, and fire in 1755. It prides itself on its resilience and being home to some of the world’s greatest explorers, including Vasco Da Gama and Ferdinand Magellan.

The first stop in our two-centre villa stay is Prior Paradise in the stylishly peaceful Lapa neighbourhood, known as Lisbon’s embassy quarter. The elegant four-storey townhouse is surrounded by greenery, from its beautiful courtyard with a tinkling fountain to the terrace and plunge pool at the front. Blooming multihued bougainvillea cascades down the walls, and the sweet scent of jasmine fills the air. The villa has five bedrooms, four bathrooms and a high-ceilinged, light-filled interior with white polished wooden floors. There’s an on-site butler, and all other services can be organised on demand. It's a stylish urban sanctuary that makes the perfect base for exploration.

Lisbon is a great city to wander around, though you’ll need to be prepared for a healthy dose of exercise with all those hills. One enjoyable alternative was to explore by motorbike and sidecar with Bike My Side (bikemyside.com). We whizzed through the streets taking in the sights and stopping to learn about the city’s history and traditions. We felt like celebrities as people photographed us at every turn – these sidecars are a show-stopper. Full of Lisbon knowledge, we returned to the comfort of our villa, where pre-dinner cocktails and our private chef awaited with dinner. The perfect end to the day.

For our next destination, we took the short drive to Setubal and an even shorter ferry ride to Comporta, a stunning coastal town that is also a highly protected nature reserve. This is an unspoiled part of Portugal where we felt we were treading the road less travelled. The biggest rice paddies in Portugal criss-cross the landscape, nesting storks pepper the skies, and the most stunning of unspoiled (and uninhabited) beaches await backed by pine forests and dunes. We stayed at Herdade Da Comporta, a secluded 17-acre estate down a dusty road through rows of the flu est pampas grass. The ultimate dream beach house, with six separate bungalows decorated in muted shades and natural materials. We spent relaxing hours in the enormous garden (there are loungers, sofas, and chairs around every corner), taking long walks on the secluded beach, just five minutes away through the dunes and even galloping along the sands on horseback with the wind in our hair. Our private chef provided the most sumptuous breakfasts, with the large table covered in local treats, including delectable orange cake - yes, cake for breakfast. We also enjoyed a cookery course and ate delicious soup, seabass and traditional pastel de nata we helped to create. The villa has its own vegetable garden, and there’s also plenty of tasty local produce. Like the wine. We visited Adega da Herdade la Comporta for a tasting - so good we couldn’t resist taking some home. We also ate out at a couple of the local restaurants, one of them, Sublime, a short walk along the beach from our seaside sanctuary. Herdade da Comporta is a hidden gem of a discovery any explorer would be proud of…but don’t tell too many people.

Fact File

How to get there

We flew on TAP from London Heathrow to Lisbon. TAP offers daily connections from London Heathrow, London Gatwick and Manchester to Lisbon. The Luxury Travel Book offers a carefully selected collection of luxury holiday properties, unparalleled personal service, and personalised luxury experiences for customers looking for a home away from home. Their experts will tailor each holiday to the customer’s needs. They can provide everything from bespoke travel itineraries to personally-tested experiences and a number of in-home concierge services. The company prides itself on speaking directly to each customer to finalise the details for their perfect getaway. theluxurytravelbook.com

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Luxury Holiday Rentals at Glenmor

Make yourselves at home in the heart of Gleneagles

The Gleneagles experience is oneof a kind – you can now enjoy it from the comfort of a Glenmor luxury holiday home, located in the heart of Gleneagles. On your stay you can enjoy complimentary golf for one person, plus access to all of the leisure, dining and pursuits of the 5 star estate. We have 2, 3 and 4 bedroom properties available, perfect for all the family. With prices starting from £3,680 for a 2 bed, £4,630 for a 3 bed and £5,080 for a 4 bed for 7 nights.

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