The Portuguese coastline stretching out from Lison has long been nicknamed Costa dos Reis — the Coast of Kings) and for good reason. Fernando II of Portugal built his summer castle retreat, Pena Palace, in the mountains above Sintra, a short drive from the coast, turning the area (now part of the Sintra Cascais National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site) into the European Romantic capital of the 19th century.

Lord Byron deemed it ‘glorious Eden’ when he visited nearby Monserrate — a Moorish palace with sublime parklands where a redesigned rose garden was officially opened in 2011 by the then Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall. Luis of Portugal moved downhill (topographically, not metaphorically) in the 1870s with the siting of his summer residence in the Citadel of Cascais. The fashionable and wealthy followed, transforming a once quiet fishing village into the chic and cosmopolitan resort it remains today.

In the 1940s, however, it was the death and destruction raining down upon the rest of Europe and North Africa that resulted in these rich, regal and political refugees taking shelter in the Portuguese sun. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, author of The Little Prince who stayed at the Hotel Palácio Estoril, wrote: ‘In 1940 Cascais, happiness was staged so that God could believe it still existed.’

The Hotel Palácio Estoril, completed in 1930 and one of the grandest hotels on the coast (www.palacioestorilhotel.com), was the residence of choice for the Spanish, Italian, French, Bulgarian and Romanian royal families (and is still frequented by their descendants), as well as the actress and socialite Zsa Zsa Gabor, film director Charles Guggenheim and British economist John Maynard Keynes. It was also a meeting ground for the world’s spies, who descended upon Cascais and Estoril to ply their tradecraft, stealing secrets and spreading misinformation among rival Intelligence agents from both the Allies and the Axis powers of Germany and Italy.

The most famous of these was Ian Fleming, who checked into the Palácio, the Allies’ favoured hotel, on May 20, 1941. He recorded his occupation as ‘government official’ in the register, now on display in the hotel’s historic Royal Gallery. In reality, Fleming, a Naval Intelligence Officer, was there to oversee Operation Goldeneye — maintaining links with Gibraltar in the event that Franco’s Spain aligned with, or was invaded by, Axis powers. It was also the ideal spot to keep an eye on the Serbian triple agent Duško Popov, who regularly met his German handler in the Palácio’s cocktail bar.

Despite being recruited by the Abwehr, Popov was sympathetic to the Allies and tried to warn the FBI about impending attacks on Pearl Harbour, but was distrusted and ignored by its director J. Edgar Hoover. He did, however, play a successful part in Operation Fortitude, the Allied plot to deceive the Germans about the location of 1944’s D-Day landings.

It is rumoured (although unproven) that Fleming once observed Popov — a suave playboy on whom Fleming is thought to have based James Bond — using his mission expenses in a high-stakes game of baccarat at the Estoril Casino next door; an episode which, if true, may have directly inspired his first 007 novel, Casino Royale.

From his room on the Palácio’s third floor, Fleming could observe Gestapo agents congregating at Pastelaria Garrett, the café opposite where locals enjoy treats today, such as pastel de nata (created by Lisboan monks). The German spies’ cheap suits contrasted with the Allied agents’ classic Savile Row tailoring and even more so with the ultra-modish attire of the rich refugees — a source of disdain to conservative locals. Peggy Guggenheim caused quite the stir among the Cascalenses, and not only with the fashionably louche cut of her clothes. ‘Peggy would go swimming naked in the waters off Cascais and make passionate love with her then partner Max Ernst on the rocks below the Casa de Santa Maria,’ reveals Neill Lochery, professor of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Studies at University College London and the author of Lisbon: War in the Shadows of the City of Light, 1939–1945.

Scandal would arise in July 1940, when a German/Spanish plot (known on the Continent as Operation Willi) was contrived to convince or coerce the Duke of Windsor to return to Spain — through which he had just fled from occupied France — where he would be ‘encouraged by the Nazis to take the throne in Britain as a kind of stooge king, following what they hoped was a successful German invasion,’ reveals Prof Lochery. Luckily, Winston Churchill had been alerted to the scheme (following the Duke’s unpatriotic remarks at the Ritz Hotel in Paris) and the Duke was swiftly extracted from Portugal and installed as the Governor of the Bahamas until 1945, far removed from the theatre of war.

The dust has long since settled and, on my visit to the Palácio’s ‘Estoril Bar’, I spy more golfers discussing their handicaps over double gins than double agents handing over secret dossiers. The Palácio’s 18-hole, par-69 golf course, redesigned in 1936 by Mackenzie Ross, has frequently hosted the Portuguese Open. It’s also where British intelligence used to meet local informants and pay them for services rendered during the war.

Beautiful villas still line the grand avenues around the Palácio where secret agents once intermingled with the aristocracy. ‘The old money is still in Estoril,’ says Prof Lochery. ‘The town is, in many ways, like a time capsule from the 1940s.’

There’s definitely still a frisson of intrigue in the air, too. I spot what I’m reliably informed is a European countess sipping her Champagne cocktail, as a strong silent type in Fleming’s old chair (the one to the left of the bar) remains motionless, his eyes scanning the room behind dark sunglasses.

On the other hand, he could have simply fallen asleep. The vodka martinis they mix here are quite lethal — although perhaps not literally as lethal as when this coast of kings really was ​the ​world’s capital of espionage; a glamorous, but precarious refuge from a world torn apart by war.

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An earlier version of this feature originally appeared in the June 25, 2025 issue of Country Life. Click here for more information on how to subscribe.

The mountains have not been the most fertile hunting grounds for inspectors from the Michelin Red Guide seeking a helping of pomp and ceremony with their fine dining. The home of hearty fare such as raclettes and rösti, the Alps have historically failed to draw the big hitters in French cuisine such as Alain Ducasse or Paul Bocuse away from Paris and the Côte d’Azur. But, as Alpine ski resorts have drawn a wider international market, and the ever-growing ranks of the world’s super wealthy, the Michelin stars have followed— at least in some cases.

Although Courchevel, a French ski town of 1,967 inhabitants, has a galaxy of 14 Michelin stars, Verbier—a Swiss magnet for British royals and financiers —has just one solitary star. Sometimes, culinary innovation is a step too far—an experiment with molecular tapas briefly dazzled in Champéry, but the one-starred C21 bistro formerly on the Swiss border has now closed down.

The Swiss and Austrians tend to place more weight on the toques or points from the rival Gault Millau restaurant guide, so it’s definitely in the French ski resorts where you’ll find the bulk of the Alps’ Michelin stars. The Austrian Tyrol is a little scant on Michelin stardust, but ski-borne foodies should head instead to the Italian South Tyrol (Alto Adige) that, at the last count, boasts some 20 Michelin stars. So, for ski-property hunters with a serious passion for haute cuisine, we’ve freshly hand-picked a suitably stellar five Alpine resorts and perused what’s on the menu and on the mar- ket. Bon appetit!

Courchevel To the star-spangled streets of the Trois Vallées’ glitziest resort, where you might not be remotely surprised to find eight Michelin-starred restaurants, with six of their 14 stars acquired in 2014. ‘Michelin stars don’t make people buy in Courchevel, but they are good for the marketing of the resort, thus bringing new visitors and potential clients,’ says Jerome Lagoutte, Head of Savills French Alps. He picks out Kintessence, but admits the others are exceptional: Le Chabichou, the oldest; superstar chef Pierre Gagnaire at Les Airelles; Cheval Blanc; Le Strato; La Table du Kilimandjaro (all two stars); and the one-starred Azimut (in Le Praz). In nearby La Tania, there’s also the one-starred Le Farçon.

Eat Le Kintessence (www.hotellek2. com). Opened a year, Nicolas Sale’s Asian-fusion restaurant in 1850’s Le K2 Hotel already has two stars and entertains Parisians and Russians in dove-grey decor and chandeliers. Try Pan-seared langoustines with enoki mushrooms. Buy Few of the very best properties are advertised, say Savills, but they do have the 800sq m (8,600sq ft) six-bedroom Chalet Coquelicot right on the slopes (above, POA). Or Knight Frank have Chalet Eden, a state-of-the-art five-bedroom property in Cospillot for €8.1 million (close to Le K2). Lower down in Le Praz, Investors in Property have a three-bedroom duplex apartment for €900,000 or a five-bedroom chalet for €3.15 million.

Val Thorens At 2,300m (7,545ft) in France’s Trois Vallées, we find the highest-altitude Michelin stars in the Alps, at Jean Sulpice. The restaurant’s ski-in, ski-out appeal also sets it apart from many others, although one can also ski (off- piste) to the two-starred Michelin La Bouitte, in nearby St Martin de Belleville. ‘The modern decor and statement lighting of Jean Sulpice is refreshing for the Alps and in strong contrast to the rustic Savoyard experience of La Bouitte, but I enjoy dining at both,’ says Francesca Smith-Pangli who offers Michelin chefs at her catered chalet company (www.powdernshine.com) in nearby Reberty. ‘Try the €159 “discovery menu” at the former or the foie gras with balsamic jus at La Bouitte.

Eat Jean Sulpice (www.jeansulpice.com). Run by the Marc Veyrat-trained Jean Suplice and his wife, Magali (the sommelier), this restaurant—whose terrace overlooks the glacier—gets the skiers in at lunchtime, but attracts a smarter crowd by night Try Pigeon baked in a salt crust with chamomile. Buy You can ski to the connected resorts of Les Menuires and Méribel, but, if you prefer a small village, then Investors in Property are selling new ski-in, ski-out apartments from €160,000 in Les Loges de la Vallée in Les Menuires (www.investorsinproperty.com). Set back from the village, tucked between rowans and conifers, you can also get a four-bedroom 150sq m (1615sq ft) chalet for €795,000 through Leggett (above, www.frenchestateagents. com). Or in popular Méribel, there’s a rare opportunity to purchase one of the original stone houses (complete with wooden beams and stained-glass windows) with four bedrooms for €1.8 million (also through Leggett).

St Moritz Long lunches, fur wraps and Krug are standard fare for St Moritz and the historic Swiss resort offers a suitably varied choice of Michelin-starred restaurants, with a heavy flavour from nearby Italy. Talvo by Dalsass is located in an ancient Engadine valley farmhouse and is ‘a great restaurant with the cosy feel of a traditional wooden chalet with a delicious menu,’ says Andrew Langton of Aylesford International. Rolf Fliegauf’s Ecco on Snow at the Giardino Hotel (gold-leaf walls; Baroque furniture) has two stars. You can go fully Italian at the Kempinski’s Ca d’Oro or Da Vittorio at the Carlton.

Eat Talvo by Dalsass (www.talvo.ch). Run by the South Tyrolean Martin Dalsass, a ‘master’ of olive oil and pure ingredients or la cucina sincera, this one-starred restaurant is full of smartly attired locals from the Suvretta, St Moritz’s prime area. Try Turbot with courgette flowers, Taggiasca olives and datterini tomatoes. Buy Property on the open market is rare, but Christie’s International Real Estate are selling a modishly modern eight-bedroom chalet with lake views (POA; www.christiesrealestate.com). Aylesford International have an exceptional lakefront duplex apartment (above)—with six bedrooms—next to the famous Badrutts Palace Hotel at €14,230,000 (www.aylesford.com).

Zermatt A classy resort groaning under the weight of Gault Millau points (about 230), but surprisingly light on Michelin stars. The ancient Bahnhofstrasse offers Le Capri, said by some to be the best Italian restaurant in Switzerland, and there is also After Seven and the Heimberg (all gained one star in 2014, but, as they have snowbird chefs, they’re only open in wintertime).

Eat Le Capri (www.montcervinpalace.ch), overseen by the Ischian chef Andrea Migliaccio—who has two stars at his L’Olivo restaurant in Anacapri. Try Meat dishes from the charcoal grill. Buy There are thin pickings for non-Swiss residents, but Aylesford International are selling four-bedroom Penthouse Nabucco with views of the Matterhorn for €9 million. Investors in Property have a two-bedroom apartment at Haus Pasadena for CHF2.4 million (above, £1.6 million) or one at a new Winkelmatten complex of apartments for CHF1.5 million (£991,000) (www.investorsinproperty.com).

Chamonix France’s most famous climbing resort is going upmarket and, alongside brands such as Chanel and Swarovski (Cartier is rumoured to be on its way), there are two hotel-based Michelin-starred restaurants, Albert Ier and Le Bistrot.

‘Although the Le Bistrot [one star] has a contemporary feel, I prefer the relaxed ambience of Albert 1er [two stars] with its international mix of hotel guests. Its nine-course tasting menu is exceptional,’ says Knight Frank’s Chamonix associate Andy Symington.

Eat Albert ler (www.V2hameaualbert. fr). Piedmont-influenced chef Pierre Maillet uses homegrown produce for hotel guests in jeans who’ve been visiting for years. Try Cut of wagyu beef, potatoes, country bacon and Reblochon. Buy Knight Frank have one of Chamonix’s new generation of über-luxury chalets in the 350sq m (3,767sq ft), six-bedroom Cragganmore (plus cinema, gym, climbing wall) for €4.5 million (above) and three-bedroom apartments at the centrally located Majestic from €720,000 (www.knightfrank.com). Alternatively, Winkworth are offering a six-bedroom, six-bathroom chalet at the nearby hamlet of Les Houches with views of Mont Blanc for €1.98 million (below, www.winkworth-international.com).

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