Estoril has long welcomed international visitors. During World War II it
acquired a glamorous reputation when Portugal's neutrality and mild weather
attracted the rich and the famous,
German and English spies, and European royals and aristocrats such as King
Umberto II of Italy, Carol II of Romania, the Count of Paris, and Spain's
Don Juan. Hollywood actor Orson Wells stayed at the town's legendary Hotel Palacio at the time, and was reportedly "stunned" by the number of kings at the hotel
during his stay.
The town has since lost much of its status, but maintains a certain faded
grandeur and is still a fashionable cosmopolitan playground with Europe's
largest casino, tennis courts, some of Europe's finest golf courses, an
automobile race track that has held Formula One Grand Prix races, and an
attractive sandy beach.
The picturesque beach of Tamariz has a number of bars and
restaurants, and a castle overlooking it that was owned by the royal family
of Monaco.
Behind it is the casino surrounded by attractive gardens
with tall palm trees. Known to give out the biggest weekly prizes in
Europe, it also presents top international shows. It was also the
inspiration for Ian Fleming's James Bond and Casino Royale.
The Hotel Palacio facing it appeared in one of James Bond's first films ("On
Her Majesty's Secret Service") and served as a backdrop for Richard
Wilson's novel, "A Small Death in Lisbon."
A pleasant beachfront promenade links Estoril to attractive Cascais
passing by beaches along the way, and frequent trains connect it to Lisbon.
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