We decided last year that we wanted to show the kids the snow for the first time and started thinking about cool and inexpensive destinations to go to. We thought about taking advantage of the Carnival holiday, but since it was very close to our return from Brazil, we thought another plane trip would be too tiring. So we opted for drive from Cascais to Sierra Nevada, in Spain, because snow was guaranteed – unlike Serra da Estrela, in Portugal – , and off we went. How exciting to see the little ones playing in the snow! 🙂

From Cascais to Sierra Nevada by car

If you want to go straight to Sierra Nevada from Cascais, it will take about 8 hours by car because it is almost 800km away. For us, with two children aged 6 and almost 3, it would be extremely tiring and stressful to go straight there, so the solution was to create an itinerary with stops along the way and different attractions that would please everyone.

8-Day Summary Itinerary

Our planning spreadsheet:

Now the map with the route taken:

The summary of the road trip numbers:

Now a written summary of what we did each day:

• We left Cascais on Sunday late morning and arrived at the water park Aquashow Indoor in Quarteira, Algarve, in the middle of the afternoon. We spent 3 delightful hours there and then had dinner close to our hotel nearby.
• On Monday we drove from Quarteira to Setenil of Las Bodegas, the city built under a rock that is super famous on lists of the most beautiful places in Spain. We stopped on the way to get to know the charming Royal Village of Santo Antonio, we took a ferry to cross to Ayamonte, in Spain, we had lunch there and then went to Setenil. We had dinner and slept in this cute city in Andalusia.
• Tuesday: day of finally see the snow! We left Setenil late in the morning and drove towards Sierra Nevada. We got stuck in traffic on the road because of a protest by Spanish farmers and we had to take a detour and have lunch in Antequera. We then continued on with the children sleeping in the car and arrived in Sierra Nevada late in the afternoon. We had time to at least play a little in the snow and it was pure joy! 🙂
• On Wednesday we woke up in the Sierra Nevada and stayed in Pradollano enjoying the snow without any rush. We had dinner at our hotel which was on the road to SN and then went straight to rest.
• On Thursday, we explored other places in the Sierra Nevada that had snow and then we rested and had dinner at the hotel. It was a calm but tiring day after playing so much in the cold.
• On Friday morning we went to the medical center in Pradollano because Ju fell in the hotel and opened his jaw. Then we drove to Frigiliana, a charming Spanish village located on the Costa del Sol. We had lunch there, did the tour by train, we had ice cream and then drove to another super nice village called Nerja. There is the Balcony of Europe, a viewpoint with a spectacular view, and some caves with the oldest drawings in the world, but unfortunately we were unable to see these. We then drove to our hotel in Estepona and had a simple macaroni and cheese dinner in the comfort of our apartment.
• On Saturday, we left our hotel for Gibraltar, but unfortunately we were stopped at the entrance because we forgot to bring my passport and went only with my AR (residence permit). The children and Celo are Portuguese and only had their citizen's card and could enter, but since I am only Brazilian, I needed to have my passport. That's a lesson learned. We continued on to Cadiz, where we had lunch, and then we hit the road to our last hotel in the city of Zafra.
• On the last day of the trip, we left Zafra after breakfast and we went to explore the region of Alqueva, passing in Mourão and in Monsaraz River Beach. Already we knew Monsaraz from another trip, but if we weren't so tired, we would go back there. We had lunch nearby and then went straight home.

Our Accommodations

• Quarteira, Algarve (PT): Dom Jose Beach Hotel (Plus) (note 8.4)

We booked a standard room, but when we arrived we could smell paint – it had just been renovated – and the water in the bathtub was dirty. After we complained to reception, they decided to upgrade us to a room with a sea view and we were very happy to sleep listening to the waves. The breakfast was very complete, but I didn't like that the hotel didn't have a parking lot and we had to drive around a bit to find a spot for our car.

• Setenil de Las Bodegas (ES): The Balcony of the Rock (note 9.4)

This apartment right in the center of the cute village of Setenil is quite spacious and has a spectacular view of the village. It has one bedroom, a large bathroom, a living room/kitchen and a terrace on the upper floor that must be wonderful in the warmer months. It is not very accessible because you have to climb a flight of stairs in the building and we have to park the car a little way away, but it is a very quiet neighborhood and the apartment is lovely. The only thing I think they could improve – and I gave feedback – is to put a powerful heater in the bathroom because we went in the winter and I found it veeeery cold.

• Sierra Nevada (ES): Hotel Sulayr

We booked through Booking, but when I went to get the hotel link now, it said they were offline. A small, cozy hotel with a restaurant below the rooms, a large parking lot, a playroom for the kids, and a common room with sofas, TV, and fireplace. It's on the road between Granada and the ski resort and has rooms of various sizes. We got a room that I thought was too small for the four of us and we were unlucky that our shower head had a broken bracket, but other than that, we liked the place.

• Estepona (ES): Ona Valle Romano Golf & Resort (note 8.4)

After spending 3 nights in a cramped hotel room with less than modern facilities, we were able to relax for one night in this gigantic resort in our modern 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom apartment with a great view. We felt like a rich person and paid less than 70 euros per night. The entire complex is a big maze, but within it you will find a swimming pool, market, gym, restaurants and other facilities that make your stay more pleasant. I really liked the breakfast, as it had a lot of variety and the restaurant had a really nice terrace.

• Zafra (ES): Hotel La Muralla (note 8.5)

Our last hotel on the trip was chosen because of its price (75 euros) and its location halfway between Estepona and Cascais. We wanted to stay in Aracena, but we thought we would have to drive a lot on the last day of our trip, so we ended up staying in Zafra. Our hotel was in the city center, right next to the 15th century wall, and it looked like it had been recently renovated, as it was well decorated and well maintained. Our apartment was large, with a kitchen, sofa, bed and private bathroom, and we had dinner and breakfast in the hotel restaurant.

Detailed Itinerary

Want to know all the details of our trip? Click on the link below to read everything:

Our trip in photos

Now a little about our memories there: