Classic Film & Writing Retreat at Palácio Estoril Hotel on Portugal’s Riviera.

Location: Estoril, Portugal.

Period: November 8–14, 2026

Target audience: Intrepid travelers who want unique escapes and to learn something new—about art, history, and culture. Ideal for classic film, history, and/or writing enthusiasts.

Program: Each evening participants will watch a classic Hollywood film which was filmed in or inspired by Portugal, introduced by the entertaining film historian John DiLeo, followed during the day by excursions directly related to what they just saw on the screen. (Go here for the complete film list. )

Participants will during the week’s allotted Writing Time jot down their thoughts and impressions of the films and locations they’ve experienced. Copy will be reviewed and guidance provided on an ongoing basis by DiLeo and Richard C. Morais, the Milford Writing Institute’s founder. All participants will at Program end receive a “Correspondent” byline in Shadows & Spies: Classic Films and History in Portugal, a digital magazine Morais and DiLeo will create from the Retreat’s collective copy, a publication to be distributed globally by various stakeholders in the Retreat. (Click here to see a past example of an MWI Retreat zine.)

The participant whose filed notes exhibited the most poetic flare and insight will at week’s end be picked by DiLeo and Morais to win the inaugural 2026 Cascais & Estoril Classic-Film Writing Award worth several thousand dollars, including two round-trip flights to Lisbon from the participant’s home country. (Go here to read more about the Award.)

Requirements: Suitable for writers of all levels, including beginners, but participants must have a brief online interview with MWI’s founder prior to formal acceptance, and they must agree to spend a maximum 90 minutes each day writing up and digitally filing their notes and impressions of the films and locations they experienced during the week. The writing is meant to be short and sweet and joyous – not a source of stress. Since there is a significant amount of walking during the outings, however, participants must also be able to walk Portugal’s hilly terrain.

Group size: Max 30

Arrive early afternoon for 3.00pm check-in at the five-star Palácio Estoril Hotel, where Royal Navy intelligence officer Ian Fleming stayed in 1941 while tracking the double agent Duško Popov, ultimately leading him to create James Bond.

4.00pm -7.30pm. Gather in the Retreat’s allocated viewing room, for welcoming remarks and, naturally, a vesper martini, Bond’s favorite tipple. Reporter notebooks and pens will be handed out while participants are briefed on the coming week. At 5.00 pm, John DiLeo will start us off introducing On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)—the post-war James Bond action film shot at the Palácio Estoril—while briefly interviewing a special mystery guest.

7.45pm – 9pm Dinner in the hotel’s Four Season’s Grill.

9.30am – 11.00am. Meet in the Retreat’s viewing room for a 90-minute “fireside chat” with WWII period specialist Ana Gabriela Ribeiro, about the political, economic, and social reality that existed in 1940s Estoril, and how Hollywood contributed to what unfolded in Portugal. The lecture ends with a brief walk to Garrett Estoril to hear and taste how a German-Jewish refugee family brought the “Berliner” pastry to Portugal.

12.00pm – 3pm. Transfer by bus to Praia do Guincho, a key location in the previous night’s Bond film, followed by a 20-minute walk to Fortaleza do Guincho, for a 1.00pm lunch in the 17^th Century fort with a Michelin-star restaurant. Transfer back to the hotel.

3pm – 6.00pm. Writing Time/Rest.

6.00pm – 8.00pm. John DiLeo intro to The Conspirators (1944), the unofficial “sequel” to Casablanca (1942) and a prime example of studio-made “Portugal-as-haven” propaganda.

8.00pm – 9.30 pm. Dinner in the hotel’s Four Season’s Grill.

9.00am – 10.30am. Meet in the Retreat’s viewing room for the second 90-minute fireside chat with Ana Gabriela, this time to learn about the 1940s spy games that unfolded in the hotel’s Bar Estoril, stories ranging from “Operation Midas” (Fleming’s first meeting with double-agent Duško Popov) to “Operation Willi,” the Nazi effort to kidnap the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, who were living locally in exile.

10.30am – 12.30pm. John DiLeo introduces 36 Hours (1964), a post-war Hollywood take on the false narratives created by Axis and Allies spies in war-time Portugal.

1.00pm – 2.00pm. Lunch at the Palácio Estoril.

2.00pm – 3pm. Writing Time/Rest.

3.00pm – 7pm. Transfer to central Lisbon, where you will be handed an MWI-created “film-location” map for the “City of Light,” for participants to explore and visit on their own.

7.00pm – 11.30pm. Meet at O Faia in the Bairro Alto, the “fado house” of the late Anita Guerreiro, an acclaimed fadista with an important but uncredited cameo in the next day’s film. The MWI has partnered with O Faia to create this special night of Portuguese “blues” honoring Guerreiro’s life and work. Transfer back to the hotel.

10.30am – 3.30pm. Transfer to Sintra, famous for its royal summer palaces, for a tour of the Palácio de Pena, followed by a transfer to the Palácio Queluz, for lunch at Cozinha Velha*, both important locations in that evening’s film. Transfer back to hotel.

3.30pm – 6.30pm. Writing Time/Rest.

6.30pm – 8.30pm. John DiLeo introduces Lisbon (1956,) the Ray Milland-directed Film Noir shot entirely in Portugal, which once again provides the moody and atmospheric backdrop for nefarious underground activities.

8.30 – 10.00pm. Dinner in the hotel’s Four Season’s Grill.

9.30am – 1.00pm. Transfer to Belém for a tour of the Mosteiros dos Jerónimos. Afterwards, participants will be handed a MWI created film-location map of Belém, so participants can visit sites like the Belém Tower on their own. Transfer back to the hotel.

1.00pm – 5.00pm. Lunch on your own, followed by Writing Time/Rest.

5.00pm – 7.30pm. John DiLeo intro of The Boys from Brazil (1978), where once again the forces for good are hunting Nazis in Portuguese locations.

7.30pm – 9.00pm. Dinner in the hotel’s Four Season’s Grill.

9.30am – 1.30pm. Writing Time/Rest and solo lunch.

1.30pm – 3.00pm. Walk over to the Casino Estoril, one of the biggest working casinos in Europe, for a brief tour and a hands-on lesson in how to play baccarat. Learn about that night in 1941 when double-agent Duško Popov, using cash provided by British intelligence, bet $40,000 on a single baccarat hand against an arrogant Lithuanian businessman, a scene Fleming later recreated in Casino Royale. MWI will then hand each participant €20, for small bets on the baccarat table, as a pre-arranged English-speaking croupier patiently walks us through the rudiments of the game.

3.00pm – 5pm Writing Time/Rest.

5:00pm – 8:00pm. John DiLeo intro to Casino Royale (2006).

8.00pm – 9.30pm. Dinner in the hotel’s Four Season’s Grill.

9.30pm – Bitter End. Walk back to Casino Estoril for a final vesper martini and a bit of peak-time gambling, for those inclined, or just some final people watching. Guaranteed characters galore!

8.00am – 10.00am. Writing/Time and pack.

10.00 – 10.30. Final Retreat meeting.

11.00am. Hotel check out.

*Cozinha Velha is no longer a restaurant, but a special events space buried within the Palace of Queluz, and the MWI is still in negotiations for its use. If an arrangement cannot be made, lunch in a suitably elegant location, possibly in Sintra near Palácio Pena, will be provided instead.

— €5,300 or $6,100 per person in a single occupancy room

— €4,950 or $5,700 per person in a double occupancy room

The fee includes: a single- or double-occupancy room at the five-star Palácio Estoril Hotel, inclusive of breakfast and full access to its Banyan Tree Spa; all dinners throughout the week, inclusive of wine and coffee; lunches Nov. 9-11, as described above; all the week’s events and excursions as stated above; all transportation to and from events; all writing notebooks, workshops, lectures, and editorial feedback/instruction; and all editing needed to professionally prepare participants’ writing for Shadows & Spies: Classic Films & History in Portugal, the digital magazine to be distributed globally.

The extras not included are participants’ flights to Lisbon; transfers from Lisbon airport to Palácio Estoril Hotel (an easy €25-€40 Uber ride); solo-time lunches on Nov. 12^th and Nov. 13^th; and any alcohol or incidental purchases above and beyond the meals/wines described above.

Retreat fees in either euros or dollars must be paid in full once an invoice has been issued by the MWI, after the participant has had their inital interview and signed the Retreat contract.

To start the application process and set up the required interview, please send an email to richard@richardcmorais.com with “Estoril” in the header.