Your questions answered by JOAN SCALES
How can our family discover hidden Portugal?
QWe are a family of five, with three children aged between 12 and seven. We would like to go to Portugal at the end of August – not to the Algarve but to the Alentejo area. We would like to be by the coast and are willing to hire a car to go exploring in the cool of the mornings. With regard to accommodation, an aparthotel or villa would suit best. Are there websites you could recommend? We would like to experience the hidden side of Portugal. We have a budget of about €3,000.
MB, Kildare
Alentejo is a lovely region of Portugal. It is south of Lisbon: drive for only an hour or so and you will be into the province. It has a coastline of about 100km, but the main part stretches south and east to the border with Spain. It is the main farming region of Portugal, with plenty of winding roads and olive-treed hills. It is a historical region with many fine towns and buildings to see.
The only airline flying from Ireland to Lisbon is Aer Lingus (aerlingus.com). Flights in the second half of August should cost about €1,200 for your family, plus baggage fees.
Car hire is quite pricey in Portugal, at up to €450 per week, depending on the type of vehicle you rent. Driving distances are not huge, so you may not need a large car. Book a car as soon as you know your dates, as prices will rise as the season approaches. Arguscarhire.com is quite reasonable, and Hertz gives a discount if you book and pay in advance. Try to book a diesel car, as fuel is more expensive in Portugal than here.
The coast is quite unspoiled by mass tourism, and most accommodation is in small independent properties. The Sinerama Aparthotel at Sines has apartments from €680 per week in August (tdhotels.pt/ sinerama). In the Cape
St Vicente area, Vicentina Aparthotel has two-bedroom apartments from €980 per week in August (vicentina- aparthotel.com).
Other towns to consider on the coast are Zambujeira do Mar, Santiago do Cacém and Vila Nova de Milfontes.
You will find a selection of self-catering properties on ownersdirect.co.uk and invitingportugal.com.
Inland, the city of Evora – the capital of Alentejo – is an interesting place to visit. It is a Unesco heritage city and has a wealth of architectural heritage from Roman times.
Close to Evora, there is rural tourism accommodation at Monte da Serralheira, a working farm and vineyard. A two-bed apartment to sleep up to five costs €120 per night in August. It also has a pool. (monteserralheira.com). This would be a good base for exploring the region and the towns of Estremoz, Monseraz and Alvito. You can see get more information from visitalentejo.pt.
QI am trying to organise a holiday in early June for my mother and aunt. They are active octogenarians but would like simple travel connections. One will be travelling from Ireland and the other from London. I thought that they could meet in northern England and perhaps join a coach tour, so they would be with a group.
FR, Dublin
This is quite a hard trip to co-ordinate for the ladies, and I can see why you have had difficulties. I think the best idea is for your mother to join a coach tour from Ireland and for your aunt to meet her at the hotel on the first night in the UK. The good news is that such trips are available on or around June 4th. Pabtours has trips to the Cotswolds; Heartbeat, York and Emmerdale country; or Bournemouth and the Isle of Wight. The trips last from four to seven days and cost between €299 and €569pps. You can get more details from 01-8733411 or pabtours.com.
QI intend to travel to the US soon. However, I have an underlying medical condition and will need to get insurance. I have a full medical card here and for the EU. Is there anywhere I could get insurance at a reasonable price?
JO’B, Dublin
Travel and medical insurance is always important: you should never travel without it. As you have an underlying condition, you must disclose it. The cost of your insurance will depend on the company involved. Multitrip.ie is one of the most active in the holiday-insurance market. It will give you a quote if you call 0818-444444 or visit multitrip.ie. It is also offering a €50 voucher for Touramerica if you book annual insurance by May 31st, which could help offset the cost of your cover.
Go contact
E-mail questions, with your name and address, to jscales@irishtimes.com