Out Of This World: Sintra, Portugal

A Manor House On The Coast Of Kings

While €3.5m will buy whatever your heart desires on the Algarve, if you want a period gem you may struggle to find it, however large your budget.

While €3.5m will buy whatever your heart desires on the Algarve, if you want a period gem you may struggle to find it, however large your budget.

Further north in Sintra, however, is a romantic period manor house with sea and mountain views. Set on a 95-acre estate with citrus trees, the property has six bedrooms, four bathrooms, and most of its original features. Six buildings are included in the sale, such as a two-storey guesthouse and housekeeper's dwelling. "It would be difficult to find something similar on the Algarve," says agent Connie Vito. "The Estoril coast was once frequented by Portuguese nobility so there are many historicbuildings here. Their owners are becoming elderly and selling them on."

The Estoril coast is highly underrated, says Vito: "It has green valleys and beaches for the summer, yet with fantastic nightlife on your doorstep in Lisbon for the winter."

Although the Estoril coast claims the greatest concentration of golf courses in Europe, it also has spectacular mountain and coastal scenery where castles perched on hilltops are often only visible from the air. Once described by Byron as "this glorious Eden", it's easy to see why Sintra has been classified a Unesco cultural treasure.

The manor house is for sale at €3.5m through Quadrant Overseas Property: 01276 507513.