São Martinho do Porto
I really adore this seaside town. With the aid of a pin and a map my family chose this location as our embarkation point to launch our European adventure to find a place to live. We intended to journey through Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Greece in our quest for the ideal venue. We never got any further than the town and surrounding areas because, well, make a visit and you will find out why.
This is a truly unique beach resort in Portugal. The style here is very laid back cosmopolitan and the town is a welcoming place and a pleasing mix of antique and modern. It is famed as a family friendly destination not least because of the safe bathing it offers thanks to the protective and encompassing sea shell shape of the bay. I can never resist the bayside atmosphere here especially the sunrises so often infused with watery linen lemons and sunsets of burnished chromium copper.
In the past, the resort was a traditional thriving fishing and shipbuilding port but today it’s more tourist focused with pretty much everything the family could need.
Local fish is a particular culinary speciality, however, if maritime fare is not on the menu for you, there are other options always available and there’s something for everyone, especially the kids.
Many charming events are held throughout the year including book fairs, monthly antique events with stalls strung along the beach front but our favourite is dancing on the sand on New Year’s Eve under a canopy of stars and spectacular fireworks.
If I belong anywhere then I am happy to tell anyone, in my heart São Martinho do Porto is about a close as I can get.
