Poppin in Portugal
Hey there, Belles! Because this is my very first travel post (squeals with excitement), I’ll give you the lay of the land. First, I’ll start by giving you a rating of the city from a scale of 1 to 10. Then, we’ll go through my itinerary including restaurants, hotel and activities. Lastly, I’ll give you the run down of my experience of the culture from a Southern Belle’s perspective. Now let’s get in to it!
Portugal is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. Not only is it beautiful but there’s plenty to do and see. The food was impeccable and hilly streets made for a great workout. I’d give Portugal a 9 out 10.
DAY ONE
We flew to JFK (my least favorite airport) from ATL early in the day only to wait around the airport for about 4 hours. By the way, the Buffalo Wild Wings in JFK is arguably the worst restaurant I’ve ever been to. Takeoff for our flight from JFK to LIS was at 8 PM. We arrived bright and early the next morning at 8 AM. I booked a personal driver via Welcome Pickups and it made our travels from the airport to the hotel completely stress free. I’m a Marriott girl so we chose to stay at the Moxy Lisbon City. It’s located in heart of Lisbon but was very quiet and we felt safe. The room is minimal but comfortable and the staff was friendly. I’d definitely stay there again. I give the hotel a 8 out of 10. If the breakfast was complimentary, I would’ve given it a 10.
I wanted to make the most of our day by booking a walking food tour with Airbnb Experiences at 10 AM and I’m so glad I did. After dropping off our bags at the hotel we met our host Sareena and a couple from Germany at Parque Infantil Jardim Teófilo Braga. It’s a local park where the elders in the community parlayed at bench tables while playing card games and roaring laughter escaped the bellies of children at the playground. It was truly a scene out of a movie. We saw so many beautiful things between each restaurant stop. My favorite memory was peaking in at a church service in a grand cathedral. It was a warm day so the doors were left open to let in the breeze. We stopped at four different restaurants but the best was A Padaria do Povo. It is an event hall combined with an outdoor restaurant. We tried traditional Portuguese food while trading stories about our careers, life in our countries and places to see while on stay.
After our last stop we headed back to the hotel to take a nap because we were exhausted. Of course, we were ravenous when we woke up so dinner at Leonetta was the only thing that could hit the spot. Leonetta is a small but pleasantly cozy, Italian and Mediterranean restaurant in the alleyway of R. da Rosa. This place oozed romance. My partner and I ordered two different pastas and it was some of the best pasta I ever tasted. Although the food and ambiance was top tier, the out of town travelers almost ruined our experience. Leonetta is a popular restaurant so naturally there was a line. My partner, who is masculine presenting, and I are two brown skinned women who clearly were visiting so I’m assuming it triggered the entitlement of some non-melanated individuals. Once it was our turn to speak with the hostess, several different non-melanated individuals tried to rudely interrupt our conversation. The hostess was also annoyed, put her foot down and sternly sent them away. She stood up for us in the moment and sat us immediately. She was real for that so I will most definitely be back. Leonetta gets a 10 out of 10.
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DAY TWO
We began our day by heading downstairs for breakfast at the hotel’s basic buffet. It wasn’t the best but it got the wrinkle out. I booked a tour on Viator for us to spend the entire day in Sintra. Our tour guide picked us up at around 8 AM and started our 30 minute drive to Sintra. There were threats of wildfires at the Sintra Palace so our exploration of downtown Sintra was extended. Although the narrow roads had me fearing for my life, the views of homes nestled in the hills near the ocean were unforgettable. After downtown Sintra, we made a 30 minute stop at Azenhas do Mar which is the most western point of Europe. We gazed at the panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean and took several photos to savor the moment. Next up was lunch at a family owned restaurant called Restaurante A Toca do Julio in Colares where the wine flowed. Conversing with the diverse group of people who joined us on the tour brought me so much joy. Fun fact, Portugal is known for their cork trees and there’s an estimated 500 cork factories there. On the way to Cascais, our tour guide stopped the van to break off a few pieces of cork from a tree as a keepsake. I actually keep it in my jewelry box. When we arrived to our final stop in Cascais, we got a chance to walk down the beach area and our tour guide told us about Cristiano Ronaldo building his house there. I’m not surprised because building a house in Cascais is a literal dream. We were dropped off at the hotel at 5 pm and rested for a few hours.
We began to hear our stomachs growl so we decided to grab a bite to eat at Time Out Market. It’s your usual food hall with several options to choose from. I tried a Bifana which is Portugal’s signature sandwich made with thin slices of pork between two pieces of fluffy bread. I actually hated it but I ate it any way.
DAY THREE
Our final full day in Portugal was a treat! On this day we opted out of the hotel buffet breakfast and tried a restaurant called Manifest Lisbon. I had the potato pancakes with smoked salmon and it was *chefs kiss*. This place gets an 8 out of 10 from me. We were in the mood to do a little shopping so we stopped by the Féria da Ladra (flea market). It only happens on Tuesday and Saturday so we couldn’t miss it. This flea market was so cool. There was a wide variety of products for sale like antiques, souvenirs, art and jewelry. I bought a handmade orange, suede handbag that I just couldn’t resist. We also purchased a few souvenirs for family and friends. Pro tip, take out a good amount of cash because most vendors don’t accept cards (everything is reasonably priced). Once we spent all of our cash, we walked half a mile to Humana Vintage thrift shop. I didn’t buy anything here but I definitely recommend saving some cash for this place. They had tons of unique pieces.
We were still in the shopping mood so we headed over to Next Memory to create custom perfume to commemorate our trip. This was such a luxurious experience. There’s a velvet rope at the entrance for guests to form a line outside the boutique. I didn't mind it because it was clear there was only one associate on the sales floor and they wanted to ensure each guest had their undivided attention. Once it was our turn, the sales associate walked us through the process of customizing the packaging that would hold our solid perfume. She then brought out the perfume options for us to choose. After selecting our fragrance option, we waited about 30 minutes for them to be done. I absolutely LOVE my solid fragrance. It’s perfect to freshen up on the go and the packaging makes it easy to travel with. Next stop on our adventure was Seen Sky Bar for a few drinks. This rooftop bar is located inside a hotel called Tivoli Avenida Liberdade. The view was absolutely stunning and the apple martini was so good that I made them for a week straight when we got home. We decided not to order food because the small bites menu was very limited. I give this place a 7 out of 10.
Of course we were still hungry so we got an Uber to Koppu Ramen Izakaya. We shared an order of chicken dumplings, edamame and fried chicken. The food was magnificent. This restaurant was a bit small but I loved that it was intimate with a date night vibe. I give this place a 7.5 out of 10. Stuffed doesn’t even begin to describe how we felt. The only option was to go back to the hotel for a quick nap before the grand finale of our trip. I booked a sunset and wine sailing tour on Viator (clearly I love Viator). We met our tour guides at the loading dock and boarded the sailboat with our group on time. As soon as we got comfortable, the wine began to flow. The weather was perfect for an evening on the water and our view of the sunset was unforgettable. We sailed pass the Belém Tower, the neoclassical Ajuda National Palace, Ponte 25 de Abril (25th of April Bridge) and more. We instantly bonded with the people who joined us on the tour. They even sang my partner happy birthday before we reached the dock which was the cherry on top to our trip.
We were so sad to leave but quickly began planning our next visit. I HIGHLY suggest visiting Portugal and purchasing my editable itinerary if you’d like to enjoy exactly what I did while I was there. Don’t want to purchase my specific itinerary? No problem. I also have a blank itinerary you can edit in Canva with three different formats for your smartphone, iPad or 8.5x11” for printing. Thank you so much for your support, Belles! Happy traveling!
PERSONAL Itinerary Template
Available in 3 different formats: Smartphone, iPad & 8.5x11”(Letter).
Blank Editable Template in Canva
Available in 3 different formats: Smartphone, iPad & 8.5x11”(Letter)
