More Portugal, Por Favor

Our advice: start in the Algarve with plenty of pool time, open-ended beach days and all-round resort pampering—it’s the best way to decompress and get in holiday mode. VILA VITA Parc serves up supreme vacation mode in spades. Set in a lush landscape atop a cliff overlooking the sparkling blue Atlantic, the resort can arrange all kinds of incredible excursions, but just parking yourself on a lounger with a glass of crisp Vinho Verde is cool too.

A truly one-of-a-kind Algarvian gem, owned by a Portuguese family since the 19^th century, BELA VISTA Hotel & Spa puts you right above beautiful Praia da Rocha. For the historic boutique hotel’s refurbishment, they went with room décor that is anything but boring—the vibrant colors and bold patterns are joyously mood-enhancing.

In Lisbon’s lively Bairro Alto neighborhood, The Lumiares Hotel & Spa is a ray of light, from its simply stylish rooms featuring local Portuguese brands and artists to the stunning rooftop bar and restaurant with views over the city. The hotel is delightfully boutique but still boasts the all-important onsite spa for when bodies tired from traversing the cobblestone streets need TLC.

Overlooking the greenery of Eduardo VII Park and a short walk from all the designer retail therapy on Avenida da Liberdade Boulevard, InterContinental Lisbon is where you go for quiet luxury. The generous rooms give guests more room to breathe, with the suites being the sweetest of all. Their restaurant “Akla” and bar “Uptown” are the perfectly mellow yet buzzy places to wind down after a day of exploring.

One of our bucket list destinations for 2022, Alentejo is known for its sustainability efforts when it comes to winemaking. In step with the region, Octant Évora is environmentally minded too, not to mention wildly idyllic across its 11-hectare footprint. There aren’t many places where you can go from a private pool villa to a petting farm in one fell swoop, but this is one.

Cool, calm and featuring an inspiring collection of Portuguese art, The Oitavos is an oceanside oasis on the grounds of Sintra Natural Park in beautiful Cascais. Slide open the floor-to-ceiling patio doors of the spacious suites in this modern glass building by local architect José Amaral Anahory to let in the sun and salty Atlantic breezes. The dining options and spa treatments are equally divine.

Plenty of places offer the proverbial royal treatment, but at Tivoli Palácio de Seteais, a former national palace set in an historic town you get the full effect. Close to Lisbon but with an entirely different climate, Sintra was where Portuguese kings went to escape the scorching summer heat. To take you back to that time, each room is uniquely, ornately decorated. You may even feel compelled to don elaborate eighteenth century garb.

Capturing that intoxicating balance between laid-back and luxurious, Areias do Seixo is a dreamy boutique design hotel just outside of surf town Santa Cruz. Start off a day with yoga or an oceanside bike ride and cap it off with a spa treatment and gathering around the fire—either the one in your room or with other guests and guitar music at the circle.

Boasting wine barrel beds, a decanter-shaped pool and a 25,000-bottle cellar, The Yeatman is as on-theme as a Porto property can get—even the spa is wine focused. Then there’s the view, across the city and Douro River, which can be taken in from the pool, restaurant, room balconies and even some of the bathtubs.

Follow the Douro River inland and indulge in more wine, this time with vine-covered hillsides in the not so far distance, at Six Senses Douro Valley. Winner of Best Pool View in the 2022 Kiwi Collection Hotel Awards, the hotel has two, both with those grape views. Head out for wine touring and return for an entertaining and satiating dinner at the Vale d’Abraão Dining Room’s Chefs Table.

In October, when stars aligned, or rather variants abated, our Passport Editor charted a two-week road trip through Portugal, arriving in the Algarve, ending in Lisbon and stopping at as many of the countless, breathtakingly beautiful beaches as she could along the way.