We'll be announcing the winner of the competition on the 24th August on Facebook

The 23rd August is the last day of the competition "Win a weekend in Setúbal" and on the 24th we'll be announcing the winning entry on our Facebook group.

You still have time to enter the competition and win a weekend on a romantic lighthouse in the Arrábida Mountain in Setúbal. Click here to participate: Travel to Portugal

And join us on Facebook to know the winner: Portugal Dream Coast Facebook

“Golden Age” at Palmela’s Castle

On the 21st August it will take place at Palmela’s Castle (Castelo de Palmela) the theatre play “The Golden Age”.

The title of this play is the same as the play that took place at Théâtre du Soleil (France) by its director Ariane Mnouchkine, winner of the Golden Lion of the Venice Biennale. The particularity of this play is that it takes place trough a certain path of the castle and the audience has to follow the actors throughout the location.

Know more about it here: Golden Age

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Did you know that Portugal Dream Coast' Blog is on 4th on TRAVEL category on Facebook, 4th on PHOTOS and 1st on LIFESTYLE!

A big huge THANK YOU to everyone that made this possible, after all this Blog is for you. Don't forget to share it with your friends! :)

Pretty soon the website Portugal Dream Coast will be live and to commemorate it we'll be offering a weekend on a romantic hotel in the Arrábida Mountain. Stay tuned! :)

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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:

Setúbal Guide in Portugal: Travel to Tróia

Reachable by a 10 min. ferry ride from Setúbal, this narrow sand-strip south of Lisbon is one of Portugal's best-kept secrets. Boasting 18 km of white sandy uninterrupted beaches and some of the cleanest bathing conditions in the country, Tróia is a true holiday paradise for couples and young families alike. It also has a range of moderately-priced apartment complexes, a tennis centre, several swimming pools and the well-known 18-hole championship golf course.

What to do in Tróia?

• Beach, beach, beach! 18km of white sandy beaches with clear blue water. Here we promise you won't find the heavy crowds of the Algarve. If you're in need of a relaxing beach break, this is the place to be.
  
• Water sports: Beach volley, kitesurf, swimming, sailing, windsurfing, scuba. There is a sailing school and a scuba-diving school where you can rent a sailing boat and equipment and also have lessons , with a range of classes for varying abilities.
  If you chose scuba diving, a popular activity, there is many diverse types of fish and underwater sea life to see. Water sports here are a truly unique experience since is where the river meets the sea.
• Golf: The Troia Golf course is 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. There are also Golf lessons available.
• Tennis: There is a tennis academy in Troia with 10 green courts for you to play day and night. They also offer tennis lessons if you want to learn a new sport while on holidays!
• Roman ruins: If you want to know a bit of history as well, you can also visit the 16th Century Roman ruins in Troia. Some very important finds have been made since excavations began in 1850. The main visible features are fish-salting tanks as large as 3 metres square, port buildings, tombs and baths with traces of mosaic and marble lining.
• Luxury resorts: In Tróia there are several luxury resorts with plenty to offer like spa treatments and shows, if you want to take advantage of the best Tróia has to offer.
  
• Restaurants: In Tróia there are several beach restaurants and snack bars where you can taste the famous fish dishes and seafood of the region of Setúbal whilst enjoying a stunning view of the Setúbal bay and Arrábida mountain, in a really relaxing environment.

Staying in Tróia is a good option if you visit the region of Setúbal, combining relaxation, stunning views and also easy access to the city of Setúbal and the other locations around.

Join us on Facebook and see lots of photos of Tróia.

150 years that Setúbal was elevated to a city

On the 19th April 2010 Setúbal commemorates 150 years that was elevated to a city.

Setúbal was born from the river and the sea and became one of Portugal's most important commercial and industrial centres in the 19th century. It was elevated to a city in 1860 by King Pedro V of Portugal.

Many events and celebrations are taking place, celebrating not only being elevated to a city but also all the years of history that runs trough Setubal streets. In fact, if you go for a walk here, you're able to breathe and feel its history.

Amongst other places you can visit the main historical monument of the city of Setúbal that is the Monastery of Jesus, with a 15th-16th century church that represents one of the first buildings in the Portuguese late Gothic style known as Manueline.

Also of interest are the São Julião Church, also with Manueline portals and The Castelo de São Filipe, a 16th-17th century fortress on the north bank of the Sado river, overseeing the city. More recent, you can also see in Setúbal the Escola Superior de Educação, a great building of Architecture designed by the world-renowned Portuguese Architect Siza Vieira.

Notable residents of the city of Setúbal are Bocage, a satirical poet, Luisa Todi, a classical singer, and José Mourinho, world famous football coach, currently coaching the team F.C. Internazionale Milano in Italy.

Watch the video in a tribute from Portugal Dream Coast to Setúbal:

Comporta chosen to receive Golf Ryder Cup 2018

Amongst several locations applying in Portugal, Herdade da Comporta with its project Comporta Dunes in the Setúbal region was chosen to host the Ryder Cup in 2018.

An invitation to submit an application was addressed to the Portuguese Golf Federation for over a year, and Comporta will be competing with Spain, France, Germany, Holland and Sweden. The European Tour and the final decision will be taken in the first quarter of 2011.

The Ryder Cup is the third largest sports event worldwide media coverage, with 1.1 billion (tele) spectators, after the Olympic Games 3.7 and 3.4 of the World Cup.

Just for 2018, the Ryder Cup Europe has embarked on a process of applying highly professional and demanding, like other big events like the Olympics, the FIFA World Cup or America.

This is a wonderful event for this region since Golf is one of its main attractions and this comes to emphasize the professional and high level of Golf courses in the Setúbal region.

The good news is you don't have to wait until 2018 to enjoy it. Many other Golf events take place in this region, so why not come and play as well?

Take a look at the video below with stunning Golf images of the region:

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.