What's make Casa Palmela so cool
Casa Palmela makes a perfect base as a start to a holiday in Portugal.
That’s if you value immersive experiences, carefully curated so you focus on relaxing and taking it all in, not worrying about logistics, restaurant bookings and transport.
Set against the setting of stunning Setubal – with its dramatic coastline, centuries old gastronomy and gentle pace – a Casa Palmela stay has all the ingredients for a delicious holiday.
Where is Casa Palmela located
Just an easy 40 minute drive from Lisbon. Casa Palmela is in Setubal and sits at the gateway to the Serra da Arrábida Natural Park.
It’s a region often described as one of Portugal’s best kept secrets.
It has both mountains and sea! It features the sheltered, turquoise waters of the “Blue Coast” (home to beaches like Galapinhos) and lush, ancient woodlands too.
Its nearness to the Sado estuary adds a layer of authentic maritime culture, famous for its fresh seafood and resident bottlenose dolphins!
What's the vibe at Casa Palmela
Think relaxed but sophisticated country house vibes. Lot’s of character where you set your own pace. Some rooms open out directly onto the lawns and overlook the pool surrounded by wild flowers.
Take a good book, sit where you feel like and lose yourself. We really loved our breakfast at Casa Palmela and our evening drinks when they sometimes had a live singer.
But we loved being a few mintues drive away from lovely restaurants too.
What can we do there
You can do as much or as little as you like!
One day might begin at the fish market – Europe’s oldest and most famous -The Livramento. Casa Palmela organises oyster tastings and a full market tour followed by a leisurely cruise along the Setubal coast.
The boat owned by Casa Palmela was just right for a relaxing trip complete with high quality, artisanal produce snacks served by our friendly Captain and his sister skipper!
He’s very knowledgeable; he took us to secret sand bars to swim and walk on with no one else there!
An early morning drive to a nearby coast for a kayaking trip – wetsuits provided – followed by a high quality lunch at one of the area’s best kept secrets O Farol made a great day out for our family!
We also loved the drive into the countryside to the award winning (from the UN tourism board) village of Azetaio where the Fonseca cellar tour was organised especially for us.
It ended with an excellent tasting and of course we ended up in the shop to buy the classic wine of the region – Moscatel de Setúbal.
Their shop is a great place for souvenirs as is the nearby tile factory where they make all the tiles by hand!
What about booking all these activities
You don’t organise any of it.
No coordinating transport, no deciphering opening hours, no logistical juggling.
Everything is curated and arranged by Casa Palmela. That’s what made this holiday so special.
You can fully immerse yourself, learning, tasting and experiencing something genuinely local.
How many days would you need here
We stayed 4 nights and we packed in a lot.
After Casa Palmela we drove to Lisbon for 3 nights and spent 3 more nights in Porto. It’s really up to you, but try for at least 3 nights depending on when you arrive.
So that made a full 10 night trip to Portugal for us.
Note Casa Palmela now has a sister property in Lisbon too.
We didn’t visit during our stay but it looked fabulous!
If you prefer more of a city break then see our guide to MILAN.
Want coastal vibes with culture then we recommend GALLE in SRI LANKA – another super short break from Dubai.
Get the best rates for your stay at Casa Palmela
BOOK A STAY at Casa Pamela as stand alone trip or as part of a trip to Portugal.
They also have a sister property in Lisbon.
Leave me a COMMENT if you want to get connected to the owners who organized our trip to Casa Palmela.
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See our instagram reel about our experience of Casa Palmela.
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