@Blou.....

Thanks.
Apologies for the delay but in answer to your questions, firstly, half your luck if you're snacking on Portuguese Tarts in your house.....love em. It was the first thing I looked for at breakfast time!
About Portugal, for starters I had no expectations up or down....kinda neutral. So it became an experience from one end to the other. I concur with Ceradayne on a number of things and like him we had a taste of Lisbon and the Algarve.
But Portugal isn't about one or two things, it's not just about the food, the history or the culture, it's about all of it, an allround experience. Portugal is Europe and Europe is Portugal, it's their history, culture, museums, architecture, food, castles and importantly like Cera says, their laid back approach to life. You don't visit Portugal, you immerse yourself in Portugal. It's a joy watching them dine, they stretch a minute into two, ten minutes into twenty....and it rubs off on you, well it did onto me.
In the Algarve we stayed at Portobay Falesia(have a google) it's within walking distance of the beach and they have an outdoor restaurant which overlooks the ocean. Imagine an outdoor setting overlooking the ocean on a balmy star lit evening but besides the ambience there's the cuisine to match. We've never eaten better. I can go on about this but what I'm going to say is that when comparisons are made then I believe the food in Portugal is far better than in Spain. From the Algarve we travelled by public transport along the coast to see other beaches. We actually passed the town where FlashDakota was holidaying, funnily enough we were there at the same time . Perhaps you should ask him about his experience of Portugal.
We did a walking tour with a local expert, a must, lucky in that we had a good one and we were left richer for the experience. Be warned like anything else there are good and poor ones. We also visited one of their castles, think it's UNESCO listed heritage, not sure, called the Palacio National do Pena in Sintro. A must see.
Then there's Lisbon, in the centre of it is a huge plaza called Praca do Commercio, behold the architecture, but before you get there you have to pass a few closed off streets and laid back Al Fresco lunch/dining. If you send me an email I will send you some photos. The thing I liked about the city is that the architecture is authentic, unlike Barcelona for example where they've mixed modern with the old.
Other than that, public transport is great, they have 4 colour coded train lines which makes it simple and it's not expensive. Europe though in general is expensive, even my $A took a pounding.
A word of warning, go easy on those delicious tarts....I didn't and that was only the start of our trip and now I'm suffering the penalty.

Well D, where do I start. Between you and Cerra, you have made a bloody strong argument for visiting Portugal. My wife is first generation Portuguese expat, her parents moved to SA 30 something years back...in other words, they still have family and friends in Portugal. And those same family and friends have already offered to take us in if we ever come to the country. So a personal guide we shall have. 
I have also heard that, especially in the South of the country, language is not a major barrier, because the high number of English tourists has led to most locals being able, to some extent anyway, speak English.   
As for the food...my wife's mother, I'm trying to avoid stereotyping here, loves to cook authentic porra chow, cooked from scratch. Nothing out of a tin and even joking about using chutney or tomato sauce etc is normally met with an evil stare. Not only do you never leave their house hungry, but you'll also walk out with a couple of bags full of food to take home. In the first six months after I married my wife, I managed to pick up 10kg's! Needless to say, the apple has not fallen far from the tree, so good food is never a problem in our house. It has been bloody hard work to keep more a less in shape over the years. In other words, it sounds like that is just the porra way. 
Honestly, the South of France and the South of Spain are always spoken of as the destinations of choice, but thanks to you guys and a little asking around, it seems Portugal is somewhat of a hidden gem that is more affordable and arguably even better.
Thanks for the info.

 Have yet to see the south of France but the south of Spain is nice, Marbella, Benehavis, Estepona, Malaga is what is called the Costa del Sol(Coast of the Sun).....ag man we don't have a damn foggy. Very different to my recent trip but ja very nice. I always have the debate about where I would settle if I had to do it all again......Spain does it for me or Santa Barbara in the States.
Portugal is the hidden gem and the people are genuinely nice......you will luv it, believe me. If u want I'll send you some pics...up to u mate.