Come talk to me about Lisbon with kids

[Yay4may]

We've booked 4 days, 3 nights and I have some specific questions. My girls are 4 and 8.
I am looking for a grand hotel to give my girls a grand hotel experience as we usually stay in apartments. I am thinking about Hotel Barrio Alto, any other suggestions? We're spending the rest of our trip with family in the Algarve so I can afford to splash out on the Lisbon bit.
We're going to do Sintra one day, should I do an organised tour or try to go it alone. We're going to do the tram, explore the cobblestone streets/shopping area and the science museum near the waterfront. Going to give the zoo a miss as we go to London zoo weekly.
I haven't started on restaurants, I have a vegetarian husband, one picky eater and one super adventurous eater. Could really use suggestions for downtown or Sintra.
Finally, driving to Algarve, any good places to stop both to eat or interesting things for kids/us?
Thanks in advance!

Have performed the mumsnet sin of not making paragraphs....sorry!!

You can Sintra on your own - it's easy to get to although you have to climb! Your girls will love the fairytale atmosphere. Try Cascais and Estoril for day trips by the sea - 30 mins by train (which runs along the coast).

I haven't been with DC before and am taking toddler this summer so we are visiting the zoo and aquarium which have stunning reviews from other parents.

Sintra you can definitely do on your own - we loved it. Beware, though, we found Cascais and Sintra significantly colder than the Algarve and weren't really prepared outfit-wise!

The aquarium is fantastic. Definitely worth a visit