Summer in Portugal

Last Summer I was so blessed to have booked a wedding just outside of Madrid, Spain, so Matt and I decided that adding a trip to Portugal on the front end of the trip made perfect sense! We flew into Lisbon rented a tiny car then zipped over to Sublime Comporta,which was a magical modern resort nestled into a 17 acre estate surrounded by sand dunes, rice fields and white sand beaches. This resort is only an hour South of Lisbon and I imagine provides a great getaway to city folk for weekend trips and beyond. My first thought was wow this really reminds me of being in Big Sur and a little similar to a resort we stayed at called Ventana which was by far MY FAVORITE hotel stay.We arrived mid-afternoon when Matt was instant on a little Siesta time after the long flight and I was so excited to hit the pool! The pool looked so relaxing surrounded by the most beautiful umbrellas and felt like we were essentially in a cooler desert. There weren't many people at the resort, so I felt like I had it to myself which I LOVE.My favorites parts of exploring Portugal was their affinity for gorgeous colorful telework, sardines, cork, and in Lisbon- tuk tuks!

• stone streets and sidewalks in old town area
• Steep and uneven sidewalks. Even the best heel wearer would not do well in heels here. Make sure to wear comfortable flats and if you feel real adventurous one night wear some wedges. 

Sublime comporta- reminded us of L.A./ Big Sur; guests were very cool and trendyConrad Algarve- Hilton luxury brand; gorgeous setting but not overlooking the ocean. 3 pools including the spa pool. Santiago Alfama- boutique, city penthouse apartmentWe didn't run into any Americans during our trip but mostly English especially on the beach. Everyone spoke English fairly well, so we tried to use Portuguese but only ended up learning how to say Thank you. Food in Portugal:Lots of fresh fish and bread! We ate at a incredibly fancy tasting menu that included the main course being a pigeon. Though when we received the pigeon the presentation made it look as if it had ran smack into a window and the plate was the window, so red colored flavoring all over the plate to look like blood.]