CASCAIS, Portugal: The Culinary Writing Retreat  

Period: April 19 – 25, 2026

Genres: Fiction or Nonfiction

Target Audience: Passionate food lovers of all writing levels who want to enjoy unique Portuguese culinary experiences in a stunning setting, while trying their hand at food-inspired writing. Primarily suitable for beginner- to medium- level writers, but also potentially valuable for experienced writers who are burnt out and would benefit from lighthearted food-and-wine prompts to get their literary juices flowing again.

Program: Participants will enjoy an exotic or luxurious culinary event every day in the castle-dotted coastline known as “Portugal’s Riviera,” a sensory-driven experience that then serves as a prompt to write a paragraph or two during the day’s designated Writing Time. Copy will be reviewed on an ongoing basis by the Milford Writing Institute’s founder, Richard C. Morais, and a few mouth-watering pieces read aloud every evening before dinner. All participants will receive a “Correspondent” byline in Amuse Bouche Cascais, a digital magazine created and edited by the MWI’s founder from the retreat’s collective copy, a stylish publication to be distributed globally by the Cascais & Estoril Tourist Board, the Milford Writing Institute, and the participants’ social networks.

Retreat Requirements: An appreciation of food, a hunger for life, and an appetite to whip up lush culinary copy. All applicants will be interviewed by the MWI’s founder, before receiving their formal acceptance to join the institute’s 2026 Spring Program in Cascais, Portugal. Applying early is recommended due to limited space and the package’s excellent value for money.

Group Size: Max 15.

Arrive in Cascais early afternoon and check into the five-star Hotel Grande Real Villa Italia. This is the King of Italy’s former home, after Italy abolished its monarchy in 1946 and Umberto II retreated to Cascais, where he lived out his life in exile. At 5pm, participants will gather in the MWI’s communal room at the hotel, for our initial Community Meeting, where we will explain how the week’s writing will unfold and where each participant will be handed a reporter’s notebook. We will then get escorted back to the kitchen overseen by Executive Chef Luis Sousa, for our first culinary event of the week: A recreation of the King of Italy’s favorite dishes. A brief historical lecture about Umberto II’s epicurean tastes, some kitchen demonstrations, will all be followed by the four-course Umberto II dinner, with paired wine, served in one of the hotel’s acclaimed restaurants (Belvedere or La Teraza.) 

The week’s program is designed to get the balance right between culinary experiences, quiet time for writing, and free time for leisurely explorations of Cascais. That’s why the whole of Monday morning is dedicated to leisure and the participants’ 60-to-90-minute block of Writing Time, where they quickly turn their notes into a few impressionistic paragraphs about the Umberto II dinner from the night before and then email their copy to the MWI’s founder. At 1pm, we head to James Bond’s favorite local watering hole, the five-star Hotel Palácio Estoril, for a two-hour workshop with its pastry chef, where we will learn how to properly make the classic Portuguese dessert known the world over as pastéis de nata. A sumptuous afternoon tea at the hotel will follow, as will a take-home box of pastries for transport back to Villa Italia at 5pm. At 6.30 pm, it’s time for our daily Community Meeting, where we share a few inspiring write-ups of the previous evening, before dining in the hotel’s restaurant at 7.30pm.

From 10am to 1pm, we’ll be at Quinta do Pisao with Cláudia Silva Mataloto and Fernanda Botelho, the forces behind FoodLab, to experience the latest fine-dining trend: Foraging for wild edible flora. A brief lecture and guided hunt through the surrounding woods will be followed by a brunch foraged from the wilds. The afternoon back at Villa Italia will be devoted to Writing Time, as our personal notes from both the pastéis de nata workshop and our foraging adventure are converted into lively copy. Our 6pm to 7pm Community Meeting (where inspiring samples of our writing are read aloud) will be followed by dinner in the hotel. We close the day with a port-side promenade, not just to aide our digestion, but to sample Santini’s, a 75-year-old ice cream parlor serving artisanal gelato to rival the best in the world.

The morning and early afternoon are blocked for Writing Time and leisure, before we gather at 4pm and are whisked up the coast. What we learned in theory will suddenly become real: Chef Gil Fernandes and his team at Fortaleza do Guincho, a five-star hotel fashioned from a 17^th century fort, will personally take us foraging for seaweed, flowers and plants around the fort’s Atlantic-pounded cliffs. We will then conduct our daily Community Meeting in a spot overlooking Guincho Beach, before we enjoy an aperitif in Fortuleza’s Old-World ambiance. That night we will experience a specially-designed “14-moments” gourmet menu, paired with wines and the foraging, in the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant.

We head out at 9am to Casa do Preto, to taste queijadas, a cheese-based pastry unique to Sintra. Casca Wines will then take us to Colares and its 200-year-old vineyard on the coast, where we will learn about the area’s unique geology, sandy soils, and how the indigenous grape varietals—Ramisco (red) and Malvasia de Colares (white)—resisted the ancient blight phylloxera. Our tasting of Colares wines will take place at Praia da Aguda, so we can feel the salty Atlantic breeze and appreciate its role in the making of these unique wines. After passing through Cabo do Roca, we return to Villa Italia at around 12.30pm. The afternoon is devoted to leisure and Writing Time; our Community Meeting is at 6pm; the day ends with dinner in Villa Italia.

In the morning, we take in the smells and sights of the local markets with Villa Italia’s culinary team, as they enlighten us on the art of picking fresh meat, fish, and produce for the refined table. The rest of the day is devoted to relaxation and Writing Time. Our penultimate Community Meeting will be held at a mystery location to be revealed only on the day, followed by a premium-wine tasting with Casca Wines, served alongside local artisanal sausages and cheeses. Our final dinner is in Villa Italia.

The morning is devoted to Writing Time, when the previous day’s culinary experiences are turned into copy; the final Community Meeting will be held between 11am and 12pm; immediately followed by check out and departure.

— €5,100 or $6,600 per person in a single occupancy room

— €4,420 or $5,740 per person in a double occupancy room

The fee includes a room at the five-star Hotel Grande Real Villa Italia; breakfast, gourmet dinners, and all the week’s culinary events (including wine) as described 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 the Amuse Bouche Cascais digital magazine distributed globally.

The extras not included are participants’ flights to Lisbon; transfers from Lisbon airport to Cascais hotel (an easy €25-€40 Uber ride); leisure-time lunches in Cascais (a list of local recommendations will be provided;) and any alcohol or incidental purchases above and beyond the dinners/wines described above. Retreat fees in either euros or dollars are to be paid in two equal installments.

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