Our aim was to find a quiet hotel within walking distance of a pretty small town or village, preferably with sea views. We liked Portugal and had been several times previously but had never been to Cascais, a small town a short train trip from Lisbon. The area offered everything we were looking for and seemed perfect.
We decided on the Pestana Hotel and booked a sea view room on a half board basis with Saga. On arrival we knew we had made the right choice, the staff were friendly and helpful, our room was very spacious with a beautiful view of the gardens below and a wide view of the Atlantic. The room had a small kitchen area, complete with a fridge and basic cooking facilities, we only used it for making early morning tea and sometimes a sandwich for lunch with lovely fresh bread rolls from the bakery opposite the hotel, it was very useful. We also had a lovely big balcony. The dining room was pleasant enough and served a decent breakfast and evening meal which was more than adequate. The main swimming pool was really pleasant to sit by during the afternoon after a morning exploring the area, there was also a good size indoor pool too.
The Pestana isn't a big hotel but that was part of its charm, I wouldn't say it was suitable for famililies as although it overlooked the sea, there were no beaches unless you walked or took the local bus into Cascais. The hotel also had a very efficient free shuttle bus with a lovely driver who was really friendly. It was possible to walk from the Pestana into Cascais along the sea front, it took about 25 minutes, if you were fit it is also possible to walk as far as Estoril, we did this a couple of times. We loved Cascais and often stopped for a coffee at one of the many cafes in the town, all very reasonable. We were told that there were also lots of very good restaurants in the town.
Days out included a day in Lisbon, we went by train which only took about half an hour, the city was very hot though, we took the tram trip which was interesting and saved our legs in the heat. Would like to go back there another time as there was lots we didnt see. We went twice to Sintra on the local bus, the first time to Pena Palace which is like a magical fairy princess castle perched high on the hill, the views are spectacular. The second time we explored the Historic Centre of Sintra and its delightful back streets.
We would love to go back to the Pestana Cascais sometime, it was a very relaxing holiday, unfortunately it no longer features in the Saga brochure.
