The first house was built in 1972 and obtained its “habitation licence” in 1973. It was the 413th house in Cascais to obtain such licence! At the time, such licences were all handwritten, and ours has historical value… It cost 65 escudos, the rough equivalent of €.32 today! At the time, the house was a modest villager’s house with a large 5,000m2 vegetable garden.
In 1976 Mr. Grilo bought the estate and added the amazing swiming pool.
The house was then acquired by an Austrian family, they named it “Morada Sol” (home of the Sun) due to its great solar exposure.
They developed the gardens and planted magnificent palm trees and an alley of pine trees. These pine trees have now grown on the imposing main entrance path and are a landmark when seen from the Sintra hills above. The owners also extended the main house in the fashion of a mediterranean island house; all white walls and curves following the contours of the land, with many exits to the gardens. This feeling of indoor-outdoor living is preserved to this date and is what makes Morada Sol such an enchanting special place. The integrated curved barbecue is part of this design as well as the large outdoor marble table and seating area.
In the 90’s, the estate was bought by a Portuguese couple, who built the second house (now called Villa Sintra) and covered the swimming pool. The kiosk at the back of the property and sauna house were also erected at that time. The estate was then left in a state of abandon when the couple grew old and moved to Lisbon.
The property was bought by its current owners in 2006, as a life project. Much restoration was carried out at first, then they moved in 2007.
In 2008 they started renting “Villa Sintra” as a holiday rental in order to pay for the upkeep of the property. This was such a success that when the last child went to the UK to further her studies, they decided to also let the main house and turn “Morada Sol” into what it is today. Part of what makes this property so interesting is its history and the imprint each owner left. Ask Marcella to walk you thought the many details of each room, everything here is personalized and there for a reason!