I am outside a tiny bar in Lisbon at 9.30 on a Saturday morning when it strikes me that it’s too early to be sampling the local fire water — our guide’s suggestion. “I be here since yesterday. Is birthday,” says the swaying Portuguese man. “Fifty-two year before, my mammy screw my daddy, and here I.” Definitely too early. This is my first experience of what happens if you drink too much ginjinha (cherry liqueur).
For years, Portugal has been the holiday destination of my dad and his golfing cronies, and that’s how I thought of the place: sunny, golfy, middle-aged. Until I went. It may be steeped in history and tradition, but Lisbon is a fun, young city, with great nightlife and fantastic food.
Even though I don’t golf, I wanted to stay at Penha Longa Hotel and Golf Resort on the edge of Sintra, a small town about 30 minutes’ drive from Lisbon. It’s nestled between wooded hills and a landscaped garden leading down to a sprawling 16th-century monastery. You can breakfast on the club-lounge balcony and watch the sun rise, with the golf course stretching out to the west.
The dining is reason enough to go in itself. On our first night we ate wafer-thin presunto ham, a gooey, fondue-like cheese called queijo de Azeitao, and, of course, bacalhau (salt cod), Portugal’s national dish.
We explored Sintra, a rickety old town full of cobbled streets that climb into the cliffs, topped by a picturesque castle. Everywhere, buildings are decorated with hand-painted tiles. We discover another speciality, pasteis de nata (custard tarts). Too long spent in Portugal’s charming cafes would result in a waistline catastrophe.
And there’s lunch waiting for us back at Penha Longa. A huge seabass is brought to the table, cased in a shell of salt, which is bashed off in one hard crust. The fish is soft and mouth-watering — not salty in the least — with earthy potatoes and a little caperberry sauce. We eat on the lawn outside the monastery.
It’s warm and the sky is cloudless — and there’s time for a swim in the outdoor pool. There’s plenty to do at Penha Longa: relaxing at the Six Senses spa; cookery classes in the old monastery kitchen.
The best parts of Lisbon are the older, traditional quarters: the Belem district, home of the Jeronimos monastery; the beautiful squares overlooking the Tagus; the labyrinthine Alfama region. Here, locals gossip on shady steps, children help hang washing on communal lines, people carry towels to communal bathrooms.
This is the place to hear fado by candlelight. Whether in a tiny cafe or at the Clube de Fado, it’s hard not to be moved by the melancholic songs of love, war and family. Often love songs are sung for Portugal herself. It’s easy to see why.
