Zmar Eco Experience

Zmar's setting on the Vicentina Coast is a short drive from the seaside village of Zambujeira do Mar, home of the famed Festival do Sudoeste or Southwest Festival every August. Surfing and kayaking are available nearby, either at Zambujeira or one of the several resorts dotted along the coast. Heading inland, it's a 20-minute drive to Odemira, an ancient town atop a hill with white houses facing the Mira river. Potters and wannabes can mosey along to Odemira's pottery workshop to see earthenware being moulded into shape by the skilled local artisans; after that, head out of town to the big Santa Clara dam, where there's a watersports centre and stacks of space for summer sunbathing. It's about two and a half hours' drive from this peaceful place to the Portuguese capital Lisbon, a trip well worth making for a day around this splendid city's cafés, museums, architecture and busy arty vibe.