Chances are you haven't heard of Arrábida Natural Park – but you may have seen it on screen. It was to this coastal park in Portugal that George Lazenby's James Bond travels after his wedding in the 1969 film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". Celebrity endorsements don't get much more glamorous than that, says Richard Mellor in The Times – and nor are they always so well deserved.
The park's forested hills are as verdant and its seas as sparkling today as in the movie, and though Bond's trip there turns sour when his new bride – Diana Rigg's Tracy – is shot dead by Blofeld's henchwoman on a coast road, such mishaps are rare. It's peculiar, then, that Arrábida and its beautiful beaches receive relatively few foreign visitors.
The park stretches along the south coast of the Setúbal Peninsula, where the vast Sado Estuary meets the ocean, roughly 45 minutes' drive south of central Lisbon. It encompasses nearly 70 square miles of land and sea, but there are very few hotels within its bounds.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
I stayed at Casa Palmela, a whitewashed 17th century manor house with 21 "airy" bedrooms, five larger apartments, a "simple" wellness centre, and a good restaurant serving local cuisine with "kitchen-garden produce". Its 75-acre estate, fragrant with rosemary and orange blossom, is a joy to explore by bicycle or on foot, and its concierge can arrange guided days out including horse riding, snorkelling, wine tasting, and boat trips to see the estuary's bottlenose dolphins – one of Europe's few resident pods.
And there are plenty of cultural attractions nearby, including medieval castles and the city of Setúbal, which has a lively covered market and an exquisite chapel in the Manueline (late gothic) style.
-
England’s ‘dysfunctional’ children’s care systemIn the Spotlight A new report reveals that protection of youngsters in care in England is failing in a profit-chasing sector
-
Cider farms to visit this autumnThe Week Recommends With harvest season fast approaching, spend an afternoon at one of these idyllic orchards
-
Endangered shark meat is being mislabeled and sold in the USUnder the radar It could cause both health and ecological problems
-
A tour of Sri Lanka’s beautiful northThe Week Recommends ‘Less frenetic’ than the south, this region is full of beautiful wildlife, historical sites and resorts
-
Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashionIn the Spotlight ‘King Giorgio’ came from humble beginnings to become a titan of the fashion industry and redefine 20th century clothing
-
Hyatt Regency Lisbon: a tranquil oasis in the historic district of BelémThe Week Recommends With its sprawling spa and prime location overlooking the River Tagus, this luxury hotel is a great place to escape the bustle of the city
-
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale – a ‘comfort’ watch for fansThe Week Recommends The final film of the franchise gives viewers a chance to say goodbye
-
The Paper: new show, same 'warmth and goofiness'The Week Recommends This spin-off of the American version of The Office is ‘comfortingly and wearyingly familiar’
-
Rachel Jones: Gated Canyons – ‘riotously colourful’ works from an ‘exhilarating’ painterThe Week Recommends The 34-year-old is the first artist to take over Dulwich Picture Gallery’s main space
-
Born With Teeth: ‘mischievously provocative’ play starring Ncuti GatwaThe Week Recommends ‘Sprightly’ production from Liz Duffy Adams imagines the relationship between Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe
-
Art review: Lorna Simpson: Source NotesFeature Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, through Nov. 2
