TESTIMONIALS! TESTIMONIALS!

Thank you everyone that sent us photos and testimonials troughout the summer of your vacations in Setúbal we have it all here:

Click on the button on the left

Special Promotion: Weekend 17-19 September

Stay at the stunning Quinta de S. Filipe, a luxury hotel in the Arrábida Mountain, for a very special price.

Follow the link: Quinta de S. Filipe

Hans Christian Andersen's visit to Setúbal

Hans Christian Andersen visited Setúbal in 1834 and described it as a "terrestrial paradise".

A keen traveller, he was already 61 years old when he came to Portugal to visit his two childhood friends, who had the beautiful house "Quinta dos Bonecos" near Palmela in the region of Setúbal.

He used to write travelogues and his visit to Setúbal inspired him to write the book "A Visit to Portugal" as wonderful as his fairy tales, which to this day continue to delight children and adults all over the world.


Some extracts:


The region at the foot of the Serra da Palmela is more picturesque. Soon ahead is Setúbal, the St Ubes of the English, where endless orange groves cover the whole valley between Palmela, São Luís and the Serra da Arrábida out towards the sea.”

"“(…) The carriage in Setúbal was waiting for us, and so too were the newspapers, which we started reading with great interest in order to find out what was happening in the world. (…) While blood was being shed and death rattles were being heard in other countries, peace reigned over Portugal, a country far from those dangers. And I felt and enjoyed that tranquility, that beauty and peace.”

"Lights shone in the white houses of Setúbal. (…) All this beauty could never be reproduced in a painting or described in words.”

“ (..) after breakfast it was time to say goodbye. Jorge O’Neill joked and smiled but I felt sad. I wondered if we would ever meet again and I was sure that I would never visit this faraway and beautiful country again, where I had felt so well and at home.”

“When, God willing, I am once again walking

Among the beech trees in my homeland,

My thoughts will often return

To the beautiful country that is Portugal.”

Visit our website to know more about Setúbal:

Portugal Dream Coast

Join us on Facebook

We work hard to promote the beautiful location of Setúbal in Portugal to the world and to bring you the best the region has to offer.

Join us on our new Facebook page and share it with your friends, we'll appreciate that. :)

Just click the link below or the image on the left:

Portugal Dream Coast - Yours in Setúbal

World Tourism Day in Palmela

The World Tourism Day happens each year on September 27 and this year it will commemorate its 30th anniversary.

Palmela is the chosen location in the region of Setúbal to commemorate this day and revitalize all the local traditions of the region. Focusing on the Moscatel of Setúbal, on this year’s event you’ll have the chance to taste and buy this wonderful wine as well as interacting with the many wine experts of the region.

Know more about this event here: World Tourism Day

Alvalade Medieval Fair

Held annually, this event in Alvalade, south of the district of Setúbal near Sines, relives the Middle Ages with arts and crafts, food, games, jousting tournaments,costume contests, and more.

There could hardly be a more perfect setting for a truly authentic historical event that will capture adults and children’s’ imagination of life in medieval times. The entire town will be dressed to look like medievel times really incorporating the spirit of the event.

Know more here: Alvalade Medieval Fair

Loving Setúbal, Loving Golf

Each year more and more people around the world come to Portugal and to the Setúbal region to play Golf and this happens for a reason. With some stunning Golf courses and breathtaking views, it has everything you need for the perfect Golf holidays, including one course designed by the famous Robert Trent Jones.

Know more about it here: Golf in Tróia

WIN A WEEKEND IN SETÚBAL WITH OUR WEBSITE!

We're happy to announce today the launch of the new website Portugal Dream Coast!

To commemorate we're offering you a wonderful weekend for two in a romantic windmill in the Arrábida mountain. All you need to do is visit the site Portugal Dream Coast, answer the question and enter the prize draw. :)

If you wish to give us feedback about the website, ask questions, give suggestions or just say Hi!, we would like to hear from you, please contact us.

Tróia International Golf Cup 2010 - in August!

Between the 26th and 28th August it will take place in the region of Setúbal the Tróia International Golf Cup, one of the most important Golf events taking place in the summer time in Portugal.

If you're a Golf lover you simply cannot afford to miss this event. It will take place at the Tróia Golf Championship Course, considered amongst Golf players to be one of the best top golf courses of the world and was considered by “Golf World” magazine to be one of the best 100 Golf courses of Europe. Robert Trent Jones Senior designed the course and it opened for play in 1980.

The 368-metre par four 3rd is one of the finest sea holes in Portugal but there are more stunning holes in this course. The holes are laid out on the dunes whilst magnificent pinewoods line most of the fairways on the inland side. The course is challenging but whilst playing the player has charming views across the sand to the magnificent blue Atlantic.

This is a magnificent time of the year to visit Tróia not only to see this event but also because of the stunning climate and everything the region has to offer in terms of travel holidays.

Why not combine your Golf passion with a visit to the stunning Tróia white sandy beaches and enjoy the wonderful Portuguese food available? Contact us if you with to know more.

Curious? See for yourself:

Website Portugal Dream Coast

Em poucos dias estará no ar a versão beta 1.0 do site PORTUGAL DREAM COAST. Neste site haverá espaço para publicitar no MUNDO empresas de actividades, hotelaria, restauração, produtos e serviços únicos que temos na região de Setúbal.

Quem estiver interessado em ser publicitado entre em contacto connosco através do email joaolcabral@netcabo.pt

In a few days the 1.0 beta version of the Portugal Dream Coast website will be live. In this site there will be space to promote to the world companies related to activities, hotels, restaurants, retail, and unique products and services that we have in the region of Setúbal.

Everyone that is interested in being promoted please contact us through the email joaolcabral@netcabo.pt

My dream coast Newsletter

Soon we'll be having a Newsletter with tons of what-to-do-ideas, tips, news, quizzes and other fun stuff about the Setúbal region. Sign our newsletter now and be the first to receive the news straight into the confort of your email. :)

Send an email to info@portugaldreamcoast.com with your first and last name, email address, job title and country and you'll receive a confirmation email back.

Prada postcard sunglasses from Setubal

The luxury fashion house Prada is launching by the end of March a limited edition summer collection of sunglasses that represents 6 cities across the world that are a holiday resort and on Prada’s city trip list.

And one of the destinies is Setubal.

Part of the collection "Postcards Sunglasses" with 6 six different sunglasses, the Setubal ones are totally in mat black with a retro design and tinted lenses in vogue this season.

Prada explains why it choose Setubal:

"Setubal has one of the most beautiful bays in the world. And recently they found more then 200 sea species at Arrabida. Setubal is bright yellow facades and balconies jutting out, welcoming. The famous old Mosteiro de Jesus topped with lace patterned stone and the great, colored ships in the port look, from a distance, like bobbing toys.

To celebrate the new Postcards line, Prada unveils a new short audio-tale by long-time collaborator Steven Meisel accompanied by this delightfully quirky fashion prose:

"We were at the seaside

Water the color of a cloudy bottle.
Maybe Forte dei Marmi or Montauk,
Biarritz or Setùbal.
A faded postcard is my sacred relic.
In lavender ink and her loopy hand:

Wish we were here."

Bay of Setubal - One of The Most Beautiful in the World

The bay of Setubal was voted a member of the Most Beautiful Bays in the World Club. This cut out estuary is leaned with the buttresses of Serra da Arrábida and separates the Atlantic Ocean by the peninsula of Troia. 23000 ha are classified as natural reserve.

As the most important natural habitat for the conservation of the bottle-nosed dolphin, fulfilling one of the nature requirements demanded by UNESCO, The Bay of Setubal will benefit from added values, notably from the international projection of the city.

Its main aims are to link the city to the river and valorize the environment. In particular the Sado Estuary Nature Reserve and the Arrábida Natural Park, which has unique characteristics and contains species that can only be found in areas near the Mediterranean.

There are also excellent beaches, especially Figueirinha, Galapos and Portinho da Arrábida (a magnificent sheltered bay), And on the other side of the River Sado, within easy reach by ferry, there is the Tróia peninsula with about 18 kms of beaches and a golf course.

Setubal. Beautifully Yours

Roxette video recorded in Troia

Did you know that Roxette's music video "Anyone" was recorded in Troia?

The Galapos beach

One of the most amazingly beautiful beaches of the Setubal region is the Galapos beach in Arrabida. Relaxing on the white sand means that you have the bright blue sea ahead of you and behind the stunning Arrabida mountain, sheltered from strong winds by its delightful cliffs.

Very often known as the "caribbean" of Portugal, this beach is a quiet place to relax and enjoy your holidays. The sea is very quiet which makes it a fantastic place for scuba diving and snorkeling due to its stunning underwater scenery.

Facilities: restaurant, sun shades for rent, car parking, lifeguard during summer time, toilets

Join our Facebook group and see more photos of Galapos beach.

Who knows the Setubal region?

. People that love relaxing or having romantic holidays know that the Setubal region is not crowded as the Algarve and they can actually walk along the white sandy beaches at their own pace.

. Golf players know Troia in Setubal because is has one of the top and most challenging Golf courses in Europe as well as the most beautiful sea views from a Golf course in the country.

. Dolphin lovers know the Setubal bay because is the only place in Portugal where you can watch dolphins in the wild. And they can even call them by their names!

. Scuba divers know the Setubal bay is great because they regularly vote it as one of the top diving spots of Europe.

. Cuisine and wine lovers know Setubal because it has one of the tastiest cheeses in the country, the best fish dishes and the well-known Moscatel wine, as well as several desserts and cakes that make them always wanting to come back for more.

. People that love nature know Setubal because of the stunning Arrabida range (which soon will be considered world heritage) where you can have the desired relaxing contact with nature, playing sports, walking or just meditating.

. People that love Sailing love Setubal, not only for its wonderful conditions to practise this sport, but also because its one of the locations where the World Sailing Match takes place.

. People that love photography know that Setubal offers the most stunning landscapes in Portugal.

. People that love beautiful Resorts and Inns know that the Setubal region has the most exclusive and romantic ones.

. People that like to know about a country's culture love Setubal because of the many cultural events happening and also the many historic locations they can visit like the Roman ruins in Troia.

What are your reasons to know Setubal?

If we can make you feel even a small part of what you could feel here, this Blog has served its purpose. Our time here, we hope, will make it easy for you to travel to Setubal or even choose it for your next Portuguese vacations. We're always adding to the Blog so keep looking back to for more information about this beautiful spot.

If there are any items you'd like to see on the Blog, please just let us know, this Blog is for you. Any suggestions or questions: carlaccsilva@gmail.com

“I live in Algarve but holiday in the Sado region ... we just love it there.”

Sarah Sykes, British citizen and follower of this Blog

The "Queijo de Azeitão", gourmet cheese

One of the many delicacies you can taste in the Setubal region is the "Queijo de Azeitão", or Azeitão's cheese. It was named after the village where it was born and it is said that only experienced artisans have the know-how to produce this gourmet favorite.

Made for generations at the foot of the Arrabida Mountains, the Azeitão’s Cheese is produced from the raw sheep’s milk, the producers only add thistle and salt. The cheese is coagulated with cardoon thistle instead of traditional animal rennet and it has a buttery texture.

The cure has the duration of 20 days at least. During this time every day cheeses are turned, cleaned and washed, every time its needed, to keep the crust clean and smooth. The pastures where the sheep of Azeitão graze are lush and covered in herbaceous scrub, giving the milk its characteristically rich and unique flavor.

The end product is a thick, smooth, and soft cheese with a strong, earthy aroma. When left at room temperature, the cheese becomes almost a melty yellow cream and it is eaten by using a spoon to take it out and spread it on bread or crackers.

It weights about 100 gr. or 200 gr. a piece (approximately 8 ounces). Molded in cloth, Queijo de Azeitão has a rustic appearance that adds to its romance and tradition. All the cheese have a sequential number and an origin certificate. This cheese and a bottle of Moscatel make an outstanding and distinct souvenir.

If you never tasted Portuguese cheese before, we guarantee that this is a good place to start.

Commemorations of João Vaz's work in Setubal

On the 27th February at Casa da Baia is going to take place the exhibition and conference "João Vaz and Setubal", to commemorate the work of the deceased João Vaz, a well-known painting artist from Setubal.

If you're visiting Setubal and want to know more about this region this is an excellent opportunity, since the strong bond between this artist and Setubal is present in all of his works. Most of his beautiful paintings are landscapes of the region of Setubal: the salt marsh, the bay, Arrabida, but he also has some more urban paintings of the city as well.

João Vaz (1859-1931) had a very distinct technique and was one of the first painting artists using photographs. Surely an event not to miss.

Portugal Atlantic Tour 2010 - Equestrian Event

Herdade da Comporta near Setubal is helding from the 17th February and until the 22nd March the most important equestrian event in Portugal, named the "Atlantic Tour", on its 4th edition.

For five weeks this “equestrian city" brings together 350 riders from 26 countries, 750 horses and, all told, an estimated total of roughly 5000 visitors and participants. The 8 competitions being held will all count to the world ranking.

The region has been steadily attracting more and more horse riders and visitors from all over the world. This year’s event will also have two entirely new sections, Dressage and Horseball.

Amongst the world famous riders that have their participation confirmed, are Kevin Staut (France), Penelope Leprevost, winner of the 2009 edition, Michael Whitaker (UK) and the leader of the Portuguese ranking Luis Gonçalves.

Spectators can watch the events from close up or, if they prefer, from one of the two restaurants made available to visitors.

You still have time to visit this region and watch this fantastic event at Comporta! Let us know if you have any questions and/or need help with your stay. We can also inform you about daily results from the competitions. Just email us on joaolcabral@netcabo.pt. And don't forget to check our tips about Setubal! :)