2.5 acres of land later and an itialian architect by his side, Antonio Augusto Carvalho Monteiro set out to build a place that would show and express his interests and ideologies. Almost six years went by and eventually enigmatic buildings rose from the ground. But from atop the hill, he wasn’t able to see the surrounding green mountains and the suns reflection in the ocean set far off in the distance. Instead, all he could see were the tall trees and overgrown vines that seemed to be internally attached to his estate, living and breathing as one. Nestled in that hill was a world of its own. He couldn’t have been happier.

There was a palace. There were towers, chapels, and fountains. There was also a park which  hid tunnels below, away from the viewers eye. The architecture was conceived of many different styles from Roman to Gothic, Renaissance, and Manueline. Antonio Augusto Carvalho Monteiro had created an UNESCO world heritage site without knowing what he was doing. All he knew was that he had wished for something so great and bewildering that he could call his own; that represented him. Now, as a “Cultural Landscape of Sintra” you’re able to visit Quinta da Regaleira and maybe feel a soft resonation of that great first owner, see how his cultural interests influenced the way he created, and uncover the symbols embodying the grounds of a small Portuguese town.

Tunnels all around the property pop out at various hidden places!

The Palace reminds me of Fantasyland at Disney

This is the subterranean tower he built that goes 5 levels deep!

We have tried to post pics and videos of our more interesting accommodations but some folks have asked for details so we thought we should award a “BEST” to each place and also send direct links in case anyone wants to bookmark them.

Our goal on this trip has been to stay at least a week but preferably 2-3 weeks in each place. Our philosophy on accommodations has been to try and stay in apartments or houses when possible. It is more affordable and gives us a better feel for the culture and community. We can cook for ourselves, seek out the best bakery and grocery shop and tackle laundry like the locals

 *****

Florence, Italy

AWARD: Most Colorful Neighbor

View from our balcony in Florence.

We wrote about “cranky lady” in our blog but this really was a great neighborhood apartment. Three bedrooms, great proximity to all the sites and good value! https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/933558

 *****

Oia, Santorini, Greece

AWARD: Best Sea View

When we got up in the morning for coffee, this was the view from the table!

It is hard for me to be objective, because Oia is still one of my favorite places on earth. Staying in a cave house was a dream of mine, so Lydia House was a dream come true! Definitely one of our splurge accommodations but worth every cent and comfortably fit all of us! Plus Manos, the owner, is so gracious and made our stay unforgettable! http://www.vrbo.com/357131

 *****

Athens, Greece

AWARD: Best Amenities For Free

We had a peek-a-boo view of the Acropolis from our balcony!

We picked AVA Hotel from TripAdvisor and we weren’t disappointed! Great location and great service.  Free breakfast, free candy, free movies, free slippers, etc. Definitely a good value for Athens. http://www.avahotel.gr

 *****

Pitsidia, Crete

AWARD: Best Place For Insanity

Wescott rates all accommodations on whether or not it has enough room to do the Insanity Workout indoors…our Villa Potamis in Pitsidia was very spacious and perfect….it also had a pool! Great kitchen too. It was a little too far from Matala but if you want to be off the beaten path, it is a great house for your $$! http://www.vacation-apartments.com/11533.htm

 *****

Barcelona, Spain

AWARD: Best Location

Tons of cool street art in our neighborhood in Barcelona!

Our Barcelona 4th floor walk up apt in the Barri Gotic district was so ubercool we felt like hipper humans simply walking in the front door. The neighborhood was unbeatable with El Salon, one of the best restaurants we have discovered on the whole trip, right across the alleyway…Laura Kelso, you would love it!! http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p970965?flspusage=fl

 *****

Seville, Spain

AWARD: Best Piazza & Worst Wifi

Tuck in courtyard of our apartment, eating a donut and looking for the resident Turtle (Tortuga)

We don’t want to make a habit out of awarding “worsts” but we had to do it here. The apartment was dynamite with a terrific roof deck and adjacent to a quaint piazza with several good restaurants. But the Santa Cruz neighborhood, while ground zero cool in terms of its location next to the cathedral, was also the worst part of the city for wifi. It was so bad we had to get an extra room 10 blocks away at a hostel just to do email and Skype calls….!!! http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p1004734

*****

Lisbon, Portugal

AWARD: Best Interior Decor

A machine gun box is in the hallway…the twins used it as a shoe holder

Our apartment in Lisbon was a three bedroom centrally located in the city.  But the best part was the decor! Frederico, the owner, is an interior designer and has created a uniquely eclectic vibe with use of local artists pieces mixed with antiques. It is awesome! We actually had the pleasure of staying in 2 of Frederico’s apartments because our stay in a Lisbon was extended and they were both amazing! Apt1:  https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/991682 Apt2: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/823181

 *****

Marrakech, Morocco

AWARD: Best Urban Oasis

Killer lighting in the Riad!

Right in the heart of the old Medina, Riad Sekkat is a wonderfully zen escape in the heart of the Marrakesh chaos. And everyone who takes care of you at the Riad is amazing! We definitely had some of our best meals in Marrakesh at the Riad, and the cook, Raja, taught us some cooking techniques! Siham, the house manager, went above and beyond to make our stay unforgettable. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g293734-d1389183-Reviews-Riad_Sekkat-Marrakech_Marrakech_Tensift_El_Haouz_Region.html

 *****

Bwejuu Beach, Zanzibar, Tanzania

AWARD: Best Unspoiled Beach To Get Away From It All

Bwejuu is definitely the most “off the beaten path” we have been so far on this trip. Most tourists go to the northern coast of Zanzibar rather than the east. We stayed for 3 weeks in two different hut-type accommodations. The first was Crazy Mzungos which was exactly what it sounds like…. A funky backpacker type place with a great sand floor bar and a good chef! http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g616019-d1942330-Reviews-Crazy_Mzungo_s_Flashpackers-Bwejuu_Zanzibar_Zanzibar_Archipelago.html

This is the beach in front of Crazy Mzungos during Christmas week!!

The second was Pakacha run by a local man who has integrated the village into his establishment. More likely to see cows walking by on the beach than people  http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g616019-d2374032-Reviews-Pakacha_Bungalows-Bwejuu_Zanzibar_Zanzibar_Archipelago.html

View from the bungalows at Pakacha

Both were fun and funky!

 *****

Arusha, Tanzania (on safari)

AWARD: Most Luxurious Tent & Best Organic Farm

We used safaris.com to book our entire expedition and were lucky enough to get matched up with Kibo…a very cool Tanzanian company! They owned both lodges we stayed in during our safari, Kitela and Lake Masek Tented Camp. Kitela has a gigantic organic farm on the property that grows food, not only for Kitela guests, but many other Kibo lodges. For those of you obsessed with gardening, it is worth the trip to Tanzania just to take a tour of the Kitela organic farm. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g790144-d3421174-Reviews-Kitela_Lodge-Karatu_Arusha_Region.html

Lake Masek is a tented camp right in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area on the edge of the Serengeti. The tents are the most luxurious tents known to mankind with footed bathtubs, flushing toilets and amazing outside showers. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g317085-d1547561-Reviews-Masek_Tented_Camp-Ngorongoro_Conservation_Area_Arusha_Region.html

 *****

Arusha, Tanzania (rental house)

AWARD: Best Mountain View

Mom and Cliff hang in gout in the Arusha House garden

With a sunset view of Mount Kilamanjaro from the swimming pool, dining room, and master bedroom, this house can not be beat on the Mountain View! Add monkeys swinging in the trees on most nights for an added bonus! Such a cool house and great place to chill after safari! https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1669725?guests=7&s=h4cq

 *****

Bagamoyo, Tanzania

AWARD: Best Body Surfing

We changed places in Bagamoyo because the first place we stayed at was a nightmare. The Bagamoyo Country Club is probably the nicest place in Bagamoyo. It is on a spectacular stretch of beach and has a decent restaurant. But all in all, you should not travel to Bagamoyo if you want an outstanding beach experience. There are a ton of awesome reasons to visit Bagamoyo, but a great hotel is not on the list. If we had to do it over again, we would have tried a small guesthouse and skipped trying to be on the beach.  http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g678704-d1758132-Reviews-Bagamoyo_Country_Club-Bagamoyo_Pwani_Region.html

 *****

Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

AWARD: Best hotel room with dining table for 8!

View of Dar Es Salaan from our hotel room balcony

We picked our hotel in Dar based on TripAdvisor reviews and we weren’t disappointed. Tanzanite Suites isn’t the most awesome hotel but it is a good value.  Plus we were able to get a 3 bedroom suite that had a dining room table for 8 which was an awesome hang out for all of us as we regrouped before headings to Asia. We visited some of the more expensive hotels in Dar but decided they weren’t worth the money. http://www.tanzaniteexecutivesuites.com

 *****

Hanoi, Vietnam

AWARD: Best, Best, Best! Value!! Service!!!

Tuck and Jones hanging out with Viet and his son at the front desk playing games on the iPad

Finnegan’s was so outstanding, we can’t decide on only one “BEST.” For $45/ night, we had a great room in a great location with an awesome breakfast included. But the best part was the service! Viet and his whole family took care of us and helped us get the most out of our 2 weeks in Hanoi! He even called Tuck and Jones orphanage on our behalf and set up our visit!!! Thank you Viet and everyone at Finnegan’s for making our visit unforgettable!! http://hanoifinneganshotel.com

 *****

Hoi An, Vietnam

AWARD: Best Home Base

At the Ha An they even put rose petals on your bed for check-in

What does “home base” mean? As we talked about it, we decided it meant a place that makes you feel at home! Ha An had a killer breakfast (included!) free bicycles, a pool table, a fruit basket in your room…everything! The bed and pillows were super comfy too! http://www.haanhotel.com

 *****

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

AWARD: Best Host…laundry room gets honorable mention

View from our HCMC apartment!

Our apartment in HCMC was gorgeous! Well decorated and had a killer view.  But it was our host who made our stay there so spectacular. Bach is so thoughtful and accommodating, he makes you want to stay and stay!!! He read our blog before our arrival and moved a Wii into the apartment just for our stay. He kept our baggage for us for 5 days while we went to the beach. He put extra toothbrushes, toothpaste, Oreos, coffee, snacks, water, laundry soap, everything in the apartment for us to use. This is the type of service you expect from a good hotel but you never get pampered like that in a rental apartment! It was awesome!!!! https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1980685

 *****

Mui Ne, Vietnam

AWARD: Best Pool for Kids

Even though Mui Ne is on the beach in Vietnam, we didn’t spend anytime at the beach…that is because our pool was KILLER! It had a slide that was so fun, I spent as much time on it as the kids Roaming Jones kids and Sharples kids agree that what we will all remember about Mui Ne will be the epic Sea Links pool!!!  The house was decent.  In a golf resort where all the houses look exactly the same but the pool was unforgettable! http://www.agoda.com/sea-links-beach-resort-golf/hotel/phan-thiet-vn.html

*****

In the spirit of trying to keep a journal of accomodatons, restaurants, sites, etc. I have become an uber-reviewer on TripAdvisor.  Feel free to check out my profile and follow along on further details if you want  http://www.tripadvisor.com/members/misopiso88

Picking a location is a great starting point, but believe it or not, writing a blog post actually requires a slightly less equivocal topic. As I scroll through my family’s past Portugal blog posts, it would seem that you, as the reader, may have not yet gotten a true taste of the flavorful Portuguese lifestyle. Well, open wide my fellow country connoisseurs, because here comes the main course of information (topped off with loads more enriching metaphors.) I am going to briefly take you through a day in the life of, what used to be, Portuguese Wescott.

8:30am – Wake up and shower

If you haven’t already seen “A tor of our apartmint in Pochecol” by audacious author, Tuck, then I am here to tell you that the bathrooms were awesome!

Usually, every new shower that I seem to encounter, turning on the hot water is like tampering with alien technology, you turn random nozzles, press alluring buttons, and, occasionally, you get burned. However, not in this bathroom. The shower was very straight forward and, for once, I got that satisfaction of getting that perfect balance between hot and cold on the first try. It felt good.

9:00am – Do the daily rounds for groceries with Yve

Our “conveniently” placed apartment resided a  several blocks away from the nearest fruit stand, but on the flip side, if you were in the market for hash or cocaine, either one could be found right outside the front door.  I have to say, the American version of grocery shopping is pretty lame, when compared to the European strategy: wake up and buy warm, freshly baked rolls from the baker, thinly sliced salami from the butcher, and ripe fruit from the fruit people. I don’t recall much about the actual walks, besides the marvelous, marble, cobblestone streets, Yve and I stopping to gape at a quaint little art supplies store, and a gregarious, drunk, homeless man making my day when he leaned over us and bellowed, “Get the **** out of my office.” Good times.

We also stopped for fresh squeezed carrot and ginger juice every morning

10:00am – Eat breakfast

Gathering groceries may have been a long and toilsome task, but eating all of those fresh, whole foods every morning made the journey very much worthwhile. Even though I could go on and on about breakfast, I doubt anyone wants to read another superfluous paragraph about food, so, what would be a long story short: oatmeal, fruit, juice, toast, and that’s it.

11:00am – Get in the Van and Drive to Ericeira

The twenty minute drive from our awesome apartment to the beautiful beach was nothing when compared to the drive from Marrakech to the Sahara Desert. See…if I hadn’t procrastinated on writing this, we would never have been able to enjoy that great comparison. Morocco’s two-day tour of twisty, rugged, life-threatening, cliff side roads has every drive I have ever taken, and probably ever will, beat, bar none. However, I have learned to treat long car rides as good things, because that mentality alone makes them slightly less excruciating. In reality, they aren’t all that bad; they give you time to think, and, most importantly, time to observe, soak it all in, make memories. I like to think that this trip is like one big car ride, because while my parents do  all of the planning and driving, I can sit back, relax, and enjoy the scenery.

Around 12:00pm – We would enjoy a hasty lunch wherever we could.

Beachfront lunch spot

1:00pm to 4:00pm – Surfs up!

Surfing is always a blast, and if I were to craft a metaphor off of that predicate, Portugal is the atom bomb. “Ready to go?” Our guide excitedly asked in his extrinsic Portuguese accent, which, for those of you who don’t know, sounds a little bit like Dr. Doofenshmirtz from Phineas and Ferb. Like agile penguins, we plopped into the water one by one, gliding above exotic coral and rock formations. Although, paddling out in a synchronized diamond formation made me feel pretty cool, the real fun began when we started catching waves. Ride after ride, a steady stream of adrenaline would fuel my system and force me to keep coming back for more. I had a couple of close encounters, when the waves spat me out on top of the sharp, shallow reef, but that just made everything all the more interesting! In the midst of a perfect moment, when the golden sun struck the horizon and turned the whole sky red (also known as the sunset,) just bobbing up and down with the waves, I reflected on life in Portugal and quickly came to the conclusion: I have to come back here someday and enjoy this day all over again.

At our favorite board shop, Board Culture

Then, after booking our flights we realized that the only way to get from Seville to Morocco on a plane was via Lisbon so we happily added it back at the last minute. It was criminal to just go through the airport so we allotted 3 days. Then, the forces of nature decided we needed to be there longer and canceled our flight, rebooking it two days later. Happily we obliged again!

So a destination that was sadly cut got put back for close to a week and we are so glad it did! Here’s why and our learnings:

1) PORTUGAL IS NOT A SIDE TRIP! It is a mistake to think of Portugal as a side trip before/after Spain and we are as guilty as anyone in thinking this way. The country has so much to offer! Beautiful beaches, incredibly cool historic hill towns and ridiculously good food and modern art. Portugal needs to be its own destination. We want to go back, rent a car and drive around for a month next time (without kids!)

Ericeira, Portugal…a coastal town for surfing that is just gorgeous!

2) GET OUT OF THE CITIES! After Barcelona and Seville we had our fill of big cities. Lisbon beckoned us with its hypnotic art scene but we forced ourselves out of the city and it was amazing! We spent 3 days surfing on the coast and 1 full day in … An amazing town in the hillside about 1 hour outside of Lisbon. We had such a blast we almost convinced ourselves to sell the MI house and move to the Lisbon coast

Yve in the sub-terranian tower in Sintra, Portugal at Quinta da Regaleira…such a cool place!

3) DESIGN EVERYWHERE! All cities have vibes and the vibe of Lisbon is DESIGN EVERYWHERE! Everyone has an eye for design and even the simplest home has a killer garden or interesting tiles entrance…super cool!

Red hot pokers blooming everywhere in Nov…the gardens must be killer in full bloom during the summer!

4) FOODIES GET YOUR PASSPORTS! Portugal is a country for foodies! We had amazing food everywhere we went. I couldn’t help but think of all my buddies at Allrecipes working their butts off during the crazy Thanksgiving traffic days and not feel slightly guilty as I causally sat and dined in uber-hip Lisbon restaurants. You will be happy to know that I did drink some port and toast you guys

Oodles and oodles of Port

We also found out that the world record was set for the worlds largest wave ever surfed one month ago, and it was on the Portugal coast. Here’s an awesome video of it!

He decerad with a brihgt couche and funciy art. Three was a blue medle rooster in the kichin. Three was a pes of art that looked like gigantic sock money snake. Moms favrit part was the cristol shanalirer in the bathroom.

Me in a cool red wingback with sock monkey art on the wall behind me!

Uber-hip kitchen with dishwasher…yippee!

Antique machine gun box in the hallway that Jones and I put our shoes on