On Friday, 08/18/2023, we decided to spend the weekend away and we thought it would be interesting to get to know the region of Caldas da Rainha, Foz do Arelho and Porto. As we live in Cascais, the trip there is very short, ideal for those who have little time and small children who cannot stand to be on the road for too long.

Hosting

After lunch, still in Cascais, we went on Booking.com and booked a local accommodation that had a pool, breakfast and a rating above 8, Monastery Winery House. I didn't fall in love with the place, especially because I found my room to be small and smelled old, and the air conditioning in my mother-in-law's room didn't work the 2 nights we were there. The pool's edges could be cleaner, the garden could be a little bigger and the decor could be lighter, but the fact is that we enjoyed the pool, the inflatables – yes, that's right! – and the table football (or foosball in Portugal). It was worth the stay!

Friday – 08/18/2023

We left Cascais in the afternoon and drove for 1h20 to our accommodation, which is on the outskirts of Caldas da Rainha. We left our things in the two rooms, stretched our legs and since Celo still had to work, I went with the kids to the pool to enjoy the remaining sunshine there.

Dining in Salir de Matos

Then we took a shower and got ready to go out for dinner. I called some well-recommended restaurants in the area, but they were all full, so we decided to go to a simpler one called The Cruise.

We were well attended to and ate very well, but the atmosphere was not the best. The good thing was that there were some tables with noisy children, so we were able to relax as it was a family environment. We returned to the hotel satisfied and exhausted.

Saturday - 08/19/2023

We woke up early with the kids and got ready for breakfast, but since it was still half an hour before they would serve us, we went to enjoy the inflatable that is available for guests to use at any time. The kids had a blast and so did I! We arrived at breakfast exhausted and hungry…lol

They served a very tasty coffee at our table, with a few options of fruit, cakes, bread, eggs and juice. We left very satisfied.

We got ready to spend the whole day out and off we went!

Getting to know Caldas da Rainha

We parked the car in a private parking lot under Praça 25 de Abril and went for a walk with the children in the stroller through the city.

We passed in front of the Church of Our Lady of Conception, where a wedding was taking place, and then we walked slowly to the famous Fruit Square in Caldas da Rainha. We walked through super cute streets, some of which were pedestrian-only, and I loved the houses with their different tiles and the live Celtic music that was playing near the Bordallo Pinheiro statue on Rua das Montras.

Fruit Square in Caldas da Rainha

When we arrived at the fruit market, I was amazed at how many people were there. It had nothing to do with the rest of the city… it was just a hustle and bustle. There were countless stands selling fruits, vegetables, flowers and crafts, and lots of locals and tourists were enjoying the explosion of colors, flavors and smells. They gave us some delicious pears to try and for a moment I felt like I wanted to live in this city that has this incredible market every day, from 8am to 3:30pm.

Dom Carlos I Park

From there we went down Rua da Liberdade to Parque Dom Carlos I. On this street is the famous Ca**lho! store, which has several objects in the shape of the aforementioned person. The window display is interesting, but I had no desire to go in…lol

We found the entrance to the park and for a while I was confused as to whether that was really where we should go. Look at this special place:

We went in and I was impressed by its beauty. I felt so peaceful there. Leaving such a busy and chaotic place like the fruit square to enter this serene and beautiful place felt so good… I recommend it to everyone!

We turned left, passing in front of an abandoned mansion (I don't understand why?), and then we went to rent a boat on the little lake there. I had already read about it on the blog Travel with me about this tour and I thought the kids would love it. We paid 3 euros to go for a 30-minute ride and everyone loved it! The beginning was a bit tense with Marcelo just rowing and trying to get the hang of it, but soon he started sharing the rowing with Paddy and then even with Ju. My mother-in-law and I stayed outside, enjoying the animals, the landscape and taking pictures of the moment. It was totally worth it!

Having lunch in the park

We finished the tour and went straight to look for a good restaurant nearby to have lunch, and we found it. Park Pier, which was right inside the park. Want something even more convenient? I was able to reserve a table over the phone and in 5 minutes we were seated and ordering our starters.

We ate extremely well and I loved the decor of the restaurant, so I definitely recommend it! We ordered shrimp, meat and soup dishes and enjoyed them. The good thing is that when the kids got tired of sitting around, I was able to go out with them to explore the park again. It's worth it for those with kids.

More walks in the park

Celo went for a walk with Ju in the stroller so she could take a nap and I went with Patrick to the playground right next to the restaurant. What a nice playground! We loved it.

Then we walked a little further, bought ice cream at a snack bar and walked to the Bordallo Pinheiro ceramics factory outside the park. Biggest mistake of the trip. We walked up a hill in the considerable heat alongside the cars and after a good walk, we arrived at the factory and its store with more affordable prices.

Bordallo Pinheiro

A little history: Raphael Bordallo Pinheiro (1846/1905) He is one of the most important figures in Portuguese culture in the 19th century, with a notable production in the areas of humorous drawing, caricature and ceramic creation. In 1884 he began his ceramic production at the Fábrica de Faianças in Caldas, revealing pieces of great technical work, artistic and creative quality, developing: tiles, panels, pots, centerpieces, jugs, busts, basin fountains, jugs, plates, perfume bottles, large vases and giant animals, etc.

I didn't get to see if it was possible to visit the factory, because I thought it would be too much for the kids, but I really enjoyed the store with so many beautiful and unique pieces. I thought it was great that there is an outlet store on the second floor, and that's where I bought two pieces for my little house with a discount of over 50%. To this day I haven't found the defects that their quality control team said existed... lol

More park

Celo stayed with the kids in the park right in front, and it was at that moment that I realized that it was possible to have come to the store through it. Here's a tip. We walked around there a little longer, with Ju still taking a nap in the stroller, and then went straight to the car to go to the beach. It's a great thing!

Late afternoon in Foz do Arelho

In less than 20 minutes, we arrived at a place that had been on my mind for a long time. bucket list Portuguese: Mouth of Arelho.

This place reminds me a little Odeceixe, in the Algarve, because where the river meets the sea there are considerable sandbanks. This is great for those with children, because it is possible to bathe in the sea and river at the same time without worrying too much about the waves.

We continued driving along the little road that runs alongside the Óbidos Lagoon and loved the view.

Since it was late in the day, many cars were leaving the main parking lot and we were able to park our car without any major problems. But I'll tell you right away: the place was packed with people! We were lucky to arrive at the end of the day. If it had been in the middle of the afternoon, we would certainly have had trouble parking where we really wanted.

We spent about two hours enjoying the not-so-cold water of the Óbidos Lagoon, in a place very close to the entrance to the sea. There were practically no waves and it was possible to stay in the water all the time, without freezing. Everything I wanted!

Dining in Foz do Arelho

We left the beach super happy and hungry and went in search of a nice place with a table available. I even called a few, but many were already full. We ended up going to Seventh wave, which is right in front of the beach and has lighter foods, like snacks. We ate burgers, crepes and sandwiches and returned happily to the hotel. Afterwards my mother-in-law felt really sick, so we suspect it was the salmon sandwich from this restaurant.

Sunday – 08/20/2023

We woke up early, played on the inflatable again, had breakfast, played table football and since my mother-in-law was feeling sick, we thought it would be better to rest at the hotel. We enjoyed the pool calmly, packed our things and checked out at the deadline.

With her a little better, we went to explore the city of Saint Martin of Porto, which I had also already marked as an interesting place to visit because of the semicircular shape of the beach.

While still on the road, we called a few restaurants to book a table for lunch and many were already full. We ended up getting a table at the city's TripAdvisor #2, New Seagull, which is in the upper part of the city, and we went for a drive around the city to kill time. When it was time to make the reservation, we drove to the restaurant and found a very difficult parking spot nearby, but we parked anyway.

Having lunch in Sao Martinho do Porto

We entered the restaurant and I must admit that I was surprised by how small it was. We were quickly directed to our table and ordered starters. I thought the prices were a bit steep, similar to Cascais, but at least we ate incredibly well. We ordered grilled fish and shrimp dishes and had a great time. Very good!

Getting to know Sao Martinho do Porto

We left the restaurant and went to explore the city. We took the panoramic elevator that was very close by and a few minutes later, we were already walking along the promenade with a sea view.

My mother-in-law thought it would be better to rest in the shade and we went with the kids to enjoy the beach. It was quite windy and the waves were quite strong, so the water was choppy and not very clear, but you could see that the place is beautiful, you know? We had a great time and even went diving!

On the way back to the car, we stopped at a snack bar to buy ice cream and then we came across a man selling juice in an unusual way: With bicycles and blenders attached to them, the customer pedals to make his juice (or the seller). We all thought it was cool and had to stop to buy and pedal.

We got back in the car and drove for 1h30 to Cascais at the end of the day.

A quick but delicious trip. 🙂