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You really don’t have to travel far from Lisbon to find some amazing beaches. In fact, some of these Sintra beaches are among my all time favourite beaches in Portugal

These days it’s hard to imagine the Algarve without golf, yet a ball was not struck on this sunshine coast until 1966, when the first of many Algarve golf courses was laid out at the newly-emerging Penina resort near Portimão in the west of the region. The Algarve is the southernmost region of mainland Portugal, and more than half of the country’s courses decorate the 150 kilometres of coastline, which also boasts spectacular beaches, pretty rocky coves, small fishing villages and a rich cultural heritage. The region is typically sub divided into the Western Algarve, Central Algarve and Eastern Algarve. The Pestana Group, Portugal’s  largest hotel and leisure operator has four of its six golf courses in the Western Algarve and is noted for its mid-range value for money accommodation and golf.

You can opt for shaded forest paths in the Sintra Mountains near several UNESCO World Heritage monuments or explore the park’s fascinating rugged coastline and sandy coves to discover some of the best Sintra beaches. With Teresa’s help, I climbed to the top of the dolmen for 360º views of the Sintra Mountains, Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle and the coastline of the Sintra Cascais Natural Park. Our plan was to walk along the clifftops from the lovely Praia da Adraga, one of the best Sintra beaches, to the clifftop village of Azenhas do Mar then take a cab back to the car park at Adraga if we couldn’t face the return journey after lunch. The lower entrance is at the top of Estrada da Pena, just next to the picnic area (Parque das Merendas).The trail downhill starts at the end of the car park opposite the Lakes Entrance to Pena Park.