Portugal - São Martinho do Porto

São Martinho do Porto is a small town located in the Oeste region of Portugal, about 110 kilometers north of Lisbon. It is known for its beautiful bay, which is shaped like a scallop and has calm waters and fine white sand. The beach was very popular with the locals on weekends.

What did we do?

Explored São Martinho do Porto Beach & Bay area.

São Martinho do Porto Bay

São Martinho do Porto Beach

Walkways of the Bay of São Martinho do Porto

Should I go and run down the
Dune? The regions where those
little specks of sand will end
up are only a figment of
my imagination.

São Martinho do Porto dune

We hiked to São Martinho do Porto Viewpoint.

She made it to the top

São Martinho do Porto
Lighthouse

There was a Crow here

Túnel para o Atlântico or Tunnel to the Atlantic

She's gonna get wet

Atlantic videos

We took an elevator at the tourist center in the Bay area up to Old Town.  We could also get to Old Town from our AirBnb with just going up one hill.  

Church of São Martinho do Porto

We went to the market in Caldas da Rainha to get cheese, meat, bread, olive oil, fruit and vegetables. The market had a great selection of fruits and veggies. We found D. Quitéria Produtos Regionais that sold cheese and oil. We had no clue what we were ordering so Sharon just pointed and we hoped for the best. As we were leaving we spotted another meat and cheese shop. So wish we would have stopped there first. The gentleman that worked there instantly realized we spoke English and described everything in the shop in perfect English. I could have sworn I detected a New England accent but thought... nah. He's Portuguese. Turns out he was from Boston 30 years ago.

 D. Quitéria Produtos Regionais 

This guy (originally from Boston)
 was good. He explained the 
sausages and at least 2 of the cheeses
Sharon had already bought 

Our treasures.
That nice big bag of olives cost €1. 

Sunsets

Where did we eat?

Gelato in Nazare

Pesca no Prato was a recommendation from our AirBnb host and they were highly rated on Google. Not to mention they were one of the closest restaurants to where we were staying. We were celebrating 🍾 several October birthdays so we went all out. The service was phenomenal. We had a fish guy and we had a drink guy. Our fish guy gave us the option to go and pick out our fish or allow him to make a selection.

We chose to him the select the fish.
One was prepared grilled and the
other fried.

Bread and baked cheese

Happy Birthday to all our
October babies

We chose the grilled Seabass 

Fileted tableside

Veggies

Would you like the head?
Sure! WTH do I do with this? Just sayin'.

A great meal!

Since we went shopping, we had to have a grazing board.

A Nova Gaivota was another recommendation by our Airbnb host. If you visit this town you must try this restaurant. The service and food were phenomenal 😋. The owner/chef was very patient with us and tried his best to explain the dish while speaking very little English. It was a small cozy restaurant.

She's starting already 😳 😩 🤦‍♂️

Bread, cheese & olives

Monkfish and prawn pasta 
for two

Our host said go to Pastelaria e Snack - Bar and try the Bolas de Berlim. Ohh... What is that? We must find out.

Bolas de Berlim
Sweet-fried dough filled with an
egg-yolk-based cream.

Pastel de Nata

Not sure what this was called
but it went well with coffee

Where did we stay? AirBnB 'Filip's Place'. Another place with an excellent view and the sounds of the ocean. The host informed us after booking that the lift was out of order but we would be refunded $15. No worries.  

His & her sofas

Her sofa with a view

Bedroom 1

Bedroom 2

Oh yes! Another Bidet 

Another great view

Outdoor grill

Great book of information 

Best one yet

WELL! let me tell you Sharon paid a price for the amazing view. This was our walk home after going into town.

First hill

Second hill

Third hill

Fourth hill

Fifth hill

Stairs

Lift that doesn't work

We only had four floors to walk
up

How did we get there? Drove from Vagueira with a short stop at Nazare. A 2 1/2 drive about 80 miles.

Edgar Cardoso Bridge

Ponte da Gala
Gala Bridge

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Nazareth

Nazaré Beach

A funicular that was out-of-order

One of many roundabouts.
Each had their own unique 
markings

When did we visit? 7 Oct - 10 Oct 2023

São Martinho do Porto was another coastal town that we thoroughly enjoyed. It's one of those villages where either one or two full days is enough or you could spend a month or more. The views are amazing!

"Cuisiner est une facon d'aimer, prend son temps!  (French)

  Cozinhar e uma forma de amar, leva o seu tempo! (Portuguese)

  Cooking is a way of love, takes time!"