#26356 Premium
Ocean views an hour from Lisbon on Portugal's Silver Coast
Condominium • São Martinho do Porto Portugal
Exchange types accepted
Statistics
Listed December 2023
Views 292
General overview
Our apartment is on a quiet street a short walk from the center of town. It has views of the Atlantic from the front terrace and of the gorgeous bay of São Martinho do Porto from the back bedroom and terrace. Let the sound of the surf lull you to sleep!
Our town is about an hour north of Lisbon and 2.5 hours south of Porto. There are both train and bus service to most parts of Portugal.
The building has a communal pool (no lifeguard!), a small gym, and a rooftop terrace with amazing views.
Our place is perfect for long stays (which we prefer), as it makes a calm and comfortable home base while exploring central and northern Portugal.
The space
The two bedrooms are well-separated for privacy, and the ocean surf can be heard from both. Each bedroom opens onto a terrace, with wide-opening French doors so you can be completely open to the outside if you'd like.
One bedroom has a UK King (150cm x 190) and the other a UK Double (138cm x 190), both with new mattresses. There is also a foldout couch in the living room that could sleep two in a pinch.
One terrace faces north, with a view of the Atlantic, and one faces south, with a view of the bay of São Martinho do Porto. Opening the doors to both creates amazing airflow, so no AC is required. We do have a couple of fans, as well as central heating for winter. There is also a high-end dehumidifier with clothes-drying feature.
The single bathroom has a jetted tub (with shower), a bidet, and a towel warmer.
Our kitchen is small, but well-equipped, and has a pass-through to the living room. Gas stove, oven, coffee pod machine, Instant Pot, kettle, toaster, fridge, dishwasher, clothes washer (no dryer, which is typical for Portugal). As Lesa is a chef, there are plenty of pots, pans, dishes, utensils.
We have a brand new 65" OLED TV and Dolby Atmos surround soundbar, and you will have access to our Netflix guest account. There is also an Xbox One X with a few games and Blu-rays (it is a US console, so is coded for Region A Blu-ray and Region 1 DVDs). A second 32" TV is also available.
We are still waiting for high speed internet, and thus rely on a SIM card hotspot which averages 10 Mbps download. It's enough to stream HD movies or to videoconference, but not both at the same time. I work from home, and it hasn't been bad.
Guest access
Our condo building is divided into 6 smaller areas, each with 6 apartments and a secure outer door.
Unfortunately, the apartment is not wheelchair accessible. There are 4 small flights of stairs (24 total steps) to get to the apartment, and no elevator in the building. (The stairway tiles are very slick, so care should be taken when it is raining outside!)
Notes
We have an old, calm, and mostly invisible cat named (appropriately) Shadow. He is diabetic and needs to have an insulin shot twice each day. He's a loner, and tends to hang out under a bed most of the day. We can coordinate having someone come by once or twice a week so that you can spend a night away, but otherwise the daily grind will be to feed and shoot him twice a day.
We do not mind hosting children, though the terraces and pool make it a little scary for young ones. Also, our furniture is very heavy and has sharp corners, so cannot be considered baby-proof. We have fragile (if only sentimentally valuable) objects that we would rather not hide away during an exchange, but can coordinate that if necessary.
Features
Washer
Dishwasher
Oven
Microwave
Coffee machine
Fridge
Iron
Hair dryer
Heating
TV
WiFi
Bathtub
First aid kit
Smoke alarms
Fire extinguisher
Bed sheets
Towels
Home cinema
Gym
Pool
Balcony
Deck / patio / courtyard / terrace
Covered porch / verandah
Standup paddleboard
Travel Styles
Long term
Weekend
Budget
Family
Romantic
Sport and leisure
Foodie
Relaxing
Village
Beach
Water
Good public transport
House rules
Unsuitable for infants under 2
Suitable for children ages 2-12
Pets not allowed
No smoking
Allergens
Dog free
Smoke free
Dates of Availability
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Neighbourhood
While we are very close to town, we're on an out-of-the-way road, so have the benefit of very little traffic.
We are a 6-minute walk to the quay, which has restaurants and calm-water swimming. The train station is just a 17-minute walk, which will take you to Porto or Lisbon, or beyond. There is plenty of street parking, except in August, when things get a bit tight.
São Martinho do Porto itself has a large variety of restaurants, a daily fresh market (veggies and fish galore!), gorgeous views, and (of course) beaches. The bay offers a very calm swim, suitable for even tiny children. In the summer, the bathing tents come out and you can rent beach and water toys. I believe kayaks are available for rent year-round. We have one inflatable stand-up paddle board for your use, as well as a beach tent and other accessories.
Caldas da Rainha is a 10-minute train ride away, and has movie theaters, an indoor mall, large supermarkets, and even some American fast food for the homesick. Nazaré is a 20-minute drive or bus ride (just one stop away).
The greater area has multiple beaches, nature walks, viewpoints (you can see Nazaré from just up the hill), and even dinosaur tracks, all within 5km. For the kids, Lourinhã Dino Park is about 40 minutes away.
Lisbon is an hour away by car, 90 minutes by bus, or longer by train.
Other great towns to visit: Óbidos (24 minutes), Leiria (38 minutes), Peniche (38 minutes), Fatima (50 minutes), Tomar (65 minutes), Coimbra (80 minutes), Aveiro (90 minutes).
Getting to my home
You can get here by flying into Lisbon or Porto and taking bus and/or trains, or renting a car.
Nearest airport
Lisbon airport is approximately an hour away (depending on traffic), while Porto (a much smaller and easier to access airport) is approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes away.
Getting around
The closest restaurant is less than a 5 minute walk from us. We are on a bit of a hill (27m), so coming back up takes a bit longer. The main beach is about a 6 minute walk away, and the closest market and pharmacy is 11 minutes. We are a 17-minute walk from the train station, which will take you to Porto or Lisbon, or beyond. The buses to Nazaré or Lisbon are about a 20-minute walk from us. You can take the train into Caldas da Rainha (a 10 minute train ride), which has a mall, movie theaters, and large supermarkets.
São Martinho do Porto does have a taxi service, but Ubers and Bolt are usually very hard to find except in August. They will bring you here, but finding one already here is rare.
We have an old car (automatic) which you will be free to use, unless we drive it to the exchange. There is a garage for it, but no extra reserved parking.
Map of Approximate Location
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