Affordable lodging with free parking is hard to find in Lisbon, especially during the Lisbon Festival. Finding Casa Shanti is never easy. We decided to stay at this 300 year-old farm in Mafra and commute to Sintra, Belem and Lisbon. It’s charming and comfortable and so hidden in the windblown hills on a narrow track that even with our GPS and directions (in Portuguese) from villagers we were stymied. When we finally arrived I mentioned to the owner that there were no signs. “Everyone says that!” Carolina replied. It was well worth the effort; comfortable bed, full kitchen and living room, good wifi and a full array of English satellite channels.
Casa Shanti, worth searching for
The World Heritage town of Sintra was a bit of a letdown, mostly due to the weather. We should have known, as it was rainy and windy when we visited Cabo da Roca, the western-most place on the continent. Clouds all but obscured the Moorish Castle and we could hardly see the Palace. But we did have a wonderful Chinese lunch in town.
