This is an area for individualists. If you cannot bear to be more than two metres from another tourist, if you enjoy lager louts, noisy bars, tacky shops, rip-off restaurants, burger gases, traffic jams and impossible parking, then this is not for you.

Treat yourself to a dreamy slice of a watery Eden, Europe's 'forgotten' paradise. Look around you and you might find it hard to believe you are in Europe, never mind just a two-hour flight from grey skies and rain-soaked streets. Try wild swimming in the tree-lined river. We have a 600-mtr stretch of calm water, about 1.3 mtrs deep, not as warm as the pool but still very pleasant, and full of little fish. If you stay still they will come and nibble at your skin – a recognised spa therapy! You might spot a kingfisher or even an otter while swimming downstream to the river bar (open May – Oct).
It is a simple delight to walk to the river bar (takes about five minutes) and maybe take a leisurely coffee at the water's edge in lovely surroundings. Of course you could also row or even swim there! This river bar also serves snacks all day. Close by is a simple children's paddling pool and a diving board into the only deep part of the river.

The town of Lousã, which has several supermarkets, restaurants and one of Portugal's best beauty spots (at Arouce Castle), is less than 10 mins by car, in the Serra da Lousã. The medieval university city of Coimbra is barely half an hour. Also within easy reach are the vast golden beaches of the Silver Coast, gorgeous mountain scenery with exhilirating walks, warm rivers and lakes (far warmer and safer than the ocean).
To the south, World Heritage Tomar is less than an hour. A little over an hour to the north is the lovely city of Aveiro, noted for its gondola rides and quaint, lively streets. Lisbon is a little over two hours by car, Porto about 90 minutes. There are reliable fast trains to both from Coimbra.
Roughly two hours to the east is the Serra da Estrela, Portugal's highest mountain range, where there are two ski slopes in winter.
There are several thermal spas in the region.
Around 25 minutes away are the Roman ruins at Conimbriga, with some of the best preserved mosaics in Europe.
The nearest golf course is the prestigious 27-hole Montebelo course, a tad over an hour by car.

NOTE THAT DESPITE THE WATERY LOCATION, MOSQUITOS ARE NOT A SPECIAL PROBLEM (though of course we do get them). IN FACT THE ISLAND SEEMS TO BE LESS TROUBLED BY FLYING INSECTS THAN PROPERTIES WELL AWAY FROM WATER.