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Just sharing details of my latest trip - somewhere I’ve never been before but now heartily recommend, the lovely Lisbon Coast

To get there, we took advantage of the brand new Easy Jet service direct from Edinburgh to Lisbon which was quick and simple.

On our arrival, we hired a car and headed off west of Lisbon to the lovely picturesque seaside resort of Cascais. We stayed at the Villa Albatroz an annex of the larger Hotel Albatroz but we could still use all the facilities of the hotel. The villa was lovely, clean and spacious; with lots of old world charm and our room had a wonderful view of the sea front. The hotel itself sits on a rocky outcrop above the sea and the beach.

Cascais is a lovely old style fishing town with many cobbled streets (comfortable shoes recommended)! It has some great restaurants too,so were out sampling the local cuisine, especially tapas and absolutely delicious fish. Half an hour stroll along the seaside promenade and you are in the resort of Estoril which is well worth a visit to see its own quaint streets and cafes and the famous Casino.

After a couple of days in Cascais, we headed north up the coast to the lovely fishing village of Ericiera. There were lots of modern holiday flats (some still being built) along the coast and its obviously a growing resort, but the old town is still intact and very nice. We stayed in a villa about a mile North of town.

The golden sandy beaches all along the coast were stunning with big breaking wave, fabulous for surfing. Sadly, the weather wasn’t great during our stay but this gave us a great opportunity to explore Lisbon and its surrounding towns.

Lisbon itself is a wonderful compact city and so easy to get around via tram or the underground system - Get the day ticket and you get to use the buses trams and the lifts. A must see is the Naval Museum and also the Castelo de Sao Jorge, an ancient castle full of local history.

We also spent a day in Sintra which has its own Palace and Moorish Castle. Sintra is well worth a visit but to take it all in I would recommend at least a couple of days there. Be prepared to walk round the hills and gardens and if you get bored with that, try the toy museum. Our villa owner recommended we go to Obidos a really pretty walled medieval town which transports you right back to the Middle Ages. Well worth a visit.

The Lisbon coast is a great area, a real find and I would highly recommend a holiday there. It offers loads of possibilities from great beaches to fabulous restaurants and plenty of sights to see. Please don't hesitate to get in touch for more details.