Our Route:
Bilbao, San Sebastian, Logrono, Vila Real and Duoro Valley, Porto, Nazare, Peniche, Ericeira, Vila Nova de Milfontes, Conil de la Frontera, Ronda, Cordoba, Madrid, Zamora, Santander.
Like California this was a bit of a monster trip to organise. Six weeks in the August school holidays so high season in Europe which meant booking pretty much everything in advance. We left one week free incase we really liked somewhere and wanted to stay longer and ended up booking a mixture of apartments, hotels, B&B’s, campsites, a villa and even threw in a hostel.
We got the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Bilbao which was probably the biggest surprise of the trip for me. My expectations were low. I really wasn’t looking forward to it. My daughter gets really sea-sick and I had heard stories of rough crossings even in August but I was pleasantly surprised. Thanks to a packet of Kwells and really calm crossing all was good. We went to the cinema, ate a really nice dinner and slept well (but that may have just been the Kwells!).
The Guggenheim in Bilbao was on my bucket list. The building is impressive even when you’ve seen it in hundreds of pictures before. I also did my dissertation on Jeff Koons so was keen to see his Puppy and Balloon Dog We took a long walk along the recently redeveloped riverbank which takes you past some impressive buildings and beautiful churches. We stopped for lunch at the excellent Mercado de la Ribera – the largest indoor food market in Europe and tried incredible pintxos.
Next stop was San Sebastian. One of my favourite spots staying in an apartment overlooking the famous Playa de la Concha – a gorgeous crescent shaped golden beach. I loved walking through the busy cobbled streets in the evening, eating delicious pintxos and drinking wine while people watching. This is a food lovers paradise and a perfect city break.
We decided to drive through the Rioja wine region and spend a night near Logrono in the very lovely Hotel Viura and I would really recommend a stop here. It is a beautifully designed hotel hidden away in the rolling hills with a fantastic tasting menu (and with great wine pairings too!)
We then made the long drive to the Douro Valley. One of the oldest wine regions in the world. This is an incredible trip with beautiful scenery and stunning views. I can’t tell you the number of times we had to pull over to take photos. The Douro River itself is very impressive when it finally comes into view and the water really does shimmer in the summer sunlight. We stayed at Quinta de Terrincha with wonderful views of the valley and huge vineyards. We explored lovely little bays to swim in and a few of the local villages. Even though it was August I loved the fact that the only other tourists apart from us were Portuguese.
Porto was my favourite city of the whole trip. We spent three days here in a fantastic LoftPuzzle apartment. Although Lisbon seems to be the more popular city I thought Porto was a lot cooler and more vibrant. Lots of quirky bars and restaurants, lots of regeneration happening and of course the stunning port itself. We had the most amazing dinner at a tiny restaurant called Casa Aleixo tucked behind the beautiful train station, walked around the stunning Livraria Lello book shop, went for a ride in a cable car of course took the six bridge cruise.
Peniche and Ericeria further down the coast are paradise for surfers and both of these bustling beach towns are the prefect place to learn to surf. Peniche has a gentle sloping bay with great waves and my two spent a whole week here loving the surf. Ericeira has a prettier town to wander through and the campsite here is the cleanest I think I’ve ever seen! The surfing here is much better but it doesn’t have the child friendly sandy bays of Peniche.
Conil de la Frontera is exactly the kind of beach resort you conjure up in your head when you think of Portugal. Huge expanses of golden sand, warm seas, incredible sunsets and excellent seafood restaurants lining the beach. I would definitely recommend this little gem for a summer beach break.
Our next destination was a hidden oasis we called The Palace a really lovely moorish villa tucked away in the hills in gaucin. A great location to spend the week with easy trips to Seville and Ronda (a must see). It has a stunning infinity pool with amazing views over the surrounding hills and many lovely shaded spots to sit and contemplate just how lovely it is there.
After Cordoba (amazing and I will do a separate post on this) and Madrid, our last stop was pretty Toro on the route back to Santander. We booked this hotel as we were driving home and what a find it was. Valbusenda Hotel Bodega and Spa is a very modern hotel and spa with its own winery and vineyards. It sits strikingly against the rural backdrop and we had the most relaxing two days here sitting by the pool, lounging in the spa and eating and drinking amazing food and wine – not a bad way to end the trip.
THE LUST FOR WONDER 