We left Lisbon early by cab to the airport and eventually picked up a Nissan Pulsar a bigger car than we had reserved but the Audi we originally received was so small we could not fir more than 1 bag in the trunk area. The Pulsar is white and a diesel and very comfy.
We first missed the connection out of the airport to the 1 Norte expressway and ended up going across a huge bridge to the south side of the Tejo River . So we had to backtrack to the other side and finally started not he .....first to Ericeiera a pretty little white a blue cottage town hanging on the cliffs and beach. Of course on the other side of the hwy was all new condos and holiday rentals hut the surf was very rough and lots of big waves with a few hardy surfers.
We had a coffee at a little cafe and then found a lovely lookout where we sat in the sun and watched the waves.
Then we drove up the coast along the small country roads and villages. The surf and cliffs are quite lovely and there are many Surf Reserves which are large sand dunes with white sand beaches. We finally made it to Peniche and Baleal...both are quite commercial and ugly. Then through Caldes A Rainhas to the BnB.
The Quinte Verde BnB owners are Ronald and Margriet and they used to live between Dalfsen and Zwolle in the Netherlands....that is so funny that they know the area where Mama and Piet used to live. We arrived around 5:00 and had a nice glass of wine on the back patio....they have specially built the house and 5 BnB rooms into a hill so the rooms face south and have the morning sun ....the pool is also just below the main building. Each room is simply decorated but very comfy and has its own little patio.. Would be awesome in the summer. The back patio faces a huge retaining wall so has the afternoon sun and warmth and they have a bricked fireplace/BBQ that the do suppers on in the summer months.
There is a breakfast room and a living room for the guests which even has a Rummykub game...
We walked down the road on the owners recommendation for supper at Tabernacle de Manelvina....took us about 30 min to walk and it was a little hairy as the drivers are crazy along the country roads but the restaurant was typically Portuguese....like a country bar with unatmospheric lighting and old wooden slates from wine crates as wood paneling. For 20€ we both got a tomato salad, bread, a chorizo sausage, a blood sausage, strips of pork and steak strips...all the meat was grilled with a lemon and olive oil marinade...plus a . 5 L of red house wine and 2 little mini cakes and home made grappa plus coffee...then a 30 min walk home in the dark! The wait staff were really nice again...it was a great night...plus we had a port when we returned home !