REAL Vacationing In Portugal: How to Pick the Perfect Hotel + My 5 Recommendations

*Interested in learning more about Portuguese food and wine with me? Check out my An American In Portugal Tours, and my blog's new home!*

Vacationing in Portugal is not just about Lisbon and Porto.  While I agree that these cities are definitely must-sees for first-time visitors, I have to admit that for even a small country, you are really missing out on so much more if you don't venture beyond these areas!  If you take a look at this Basic Regional Map, Portugal is firstly divided into 5 distinctly different geographical regions, but then these are further split into 

Sub-Regional (Right) & District (Left), with the districts named after their capital city.  These smaller divisions represent how even more different they are from each other within not just geography, but also architecture, culture and cuisine (including wine!).  That then gives you a perspective of just how much of Portugal you're actually missing out on experiencing!  

I read recently that it used to be that most tourists in general searched for a vacation spot according to the three S's- Sun, Sea and Sand, which is still apparent on Portugal's long coastline for being a tourist hot spot.  But now, more and more people are shifting to looking for a vacation with the three L's- Land, Lore and Leisure, meaning they prefer to stay in a place that best represents the land around them, to learn about the place's history and folklore while being able to enjoy it through relaxing leisure activities.  And for me, this one seems to fit my natural inclinations very well.

For the last 3 years, Miguel and I have maintained a tradition of taking two mini-vacations around Portugal, one in the summer (June/July) and one in the winter (November/December).  And each time, we have made sure to go as deep into the country as we can, in search of finding a hotel that provides those three L's, along with some other preferences we have.  For example, a comfy bed is a must, as I don't know how one can relax on vacation without a good night's sleep!  Also, we prefer a room with a balcony, specifically one with a great view of the land around there, so I guess you could say we normally tend to go to the mountains.  And lastly, if we go in the summer months, a hotel with a pool is usually nice to have.  

All of this you can easily find in a hotel using my favorite search site, Booking.com, just put in your dates and type "Portugal" as your destination then scroll down to the map and Portugal Overview where you can search by cities or provinces/regions or even closest airports.  You can also check out Wonderfulland.com which recommends great Portuguese guesthouses and pousadas (luxury boutqiue hotels built within hisorical sites like castles, monasteries etc.) or Pousadas.pt directly for the entire list of pousadas.  However, I find that these sites tend to be pricier to book with for the same hotel that you can almost always find on Booking, so I suggest that if you find a hotel on one of those latter two sites, look it up on Booking next to compare prices before reserving.

So now you may be asking yourself, when do you recommend the best time to go?  What do I look for exactly?  Well below are the guidelines I like to go by when choosing a hotel:

My Guidelines For Picking The Right Getaway Hotel in Portugal For You On Booking.com:

1. AVOID GOING IN AUGUST AT ALL COST!

EVERYONE in Europe goes on vacation in August, so most hotels, especially on the coast, are 2-3 times more expensive than other months.  And even if you're willing to pay the money, it's almost guaranteed that your hotel will be packed to the brim with lots of families and screaming children....not exactly ideal for a relaxing getaway, you'd almost be better off staying at those people's empty homes!

If you want the beach without so much of the craziness, try booking in late September/October when it's still quite warm most of the time and the water has had the opportunity to heat up all summer :)  Just saw a room at a 5-star hotel in Sagres for more than a €100 less per night in mid-October than if you had booked it in mid-August!  And of course, staying during the week versus the weekend will always be cheaper.

2. Always check the hotel's room photos carefully to see exactly what you're sleeping in/on.

I've encountered some gorgeous little hotels in the most absolutely beautiful locations to find out that their rooms look like creepy medieval dungeons.  Maybe some people think it's cool sleeping on a 500yr old piece of history but I prefer my relaxing getaway bed NOT to be a rock-hard tiny mattress that'll break you're back as you stare up at a giant gnarled black crucifix.  About as romantic as staying at your deeply-religious grandmother's house for vacation....Pass! 

3. Order your search results by highest rated, NOT most popular.

You don't necessarily want the most popular hotel, especially if the popular vote comes from families with screaming children.  However, you do still want an overall high rating for your hotel to begin with, as this usually narrows down your search to places with high-quality service and facilities.  I usually tend to not go below about a 7.7 out of 10.0, however I have found exceptions to that before.  If you want to really be sure, read several of the comments from past guests, making sure to read specifically the comments from your specific guest profile.   As I said, it may be great according to families but not so much for young couples looking for a relaxing, romantic getaway.  Also, older couples and families with small children tend to complain the most about any little thing, such as rating the place a 5 out of 10 just because there was no TV in the room.  I think these are unfair complaints when they could have easily chosen a different hotel with those desired features beforehand, instead of crapping on an otherwise fantastic place to stay!

Bottom line, if you spend a little extra time searching, narrowing down and looking in detail at the placese  you have in mind, you'll have a better chance of choosing the right hotel in the right area that you´ll be satisfied and happy with after :)

So, are you looking for some recommendations to start with? Well, if you have similar preferences as the ones I stated above, then check out the 5 hotels below that I've stayed at on my mini-vacations in the last 3 years.  All of them were under €100/night and we left happy, so I hope you are too if you choose them :)

Hotel Folgosa Douro-Folgosa, Douro Valley (Norte)

Current Rating: 8.4

My Rating: 9.5

Room Rate: €60-75/night

Great For: Comfy, inexpensive lodging to explore the Douro valley and wine taste!

http://www.hotelfolgosadouro.com/en/     Hotel Folgosa Douro on Booking.com  

This small but modern 3-star hotel was just a little over a year old when we stayed there for the first time in November, 2009.   Situated in the tiny village of Folgosa, near Peso da Régua, it's in the heart of Douro wine country.  Which is what we mainly did on our vacation there, spend the day driving up and down the mountains exploring the area and checking out the all the wineries and vineyards and the breathtaking views of the valley.  We liked this place a lot for it's location right on the river with a great view of the mountains and neighboring villages.  The cleanly decorated rooms have comfy beds and nice mood lighting and the bathrooms have huge bathtubs that made for a great bubble bath to soak in after a day of wine tasting in the colder months.

The staff were very nice, offering us a complimentary glass port upon arrival and were very accommodating throughout our stay.  The small restaurant serves inexpensive, good food presented nicely in front of their large window with a great view of the river.  And if you're willing to splurge, you got the famed Restaurante DOC by Chef Rui Paula just across the street from the hotel!

Hotel de Caramulo-Caramulo, Viseu (Centro)
Current Rating: 7.8
My Rating: 9.0
Room Rate: €50-60/night
Great For: Crisp, clean mountain air, incredible views and total relaxation!
*Tip: Book a room with a "Valley View" to make your stay totally worth it.
Hotel do Caramulo on Booking.com

What is the #1 thing I loved about this place? The VIEW!!! :)


This hotel is basically the only one perched at the top of the Caramulo mountains, just outside of the town of Caramulo.  Don't be turned off by its lower rating, this is mainly because the hotel is on the older side and some of the facilities need some fixing up but they have plenty of other reasons to make up for it.  The rooms are modest but large and if you book a room with the "Valley View", you get two double door windows opening up to a large balcony with a table and chairs and of course that GORGEOUS VIEW.  The balcony was also great sitting out there in the evening in our hotel bathrobes and slippers breathing in the delicious mountain air under a star-filled sky with the towns all lit up below.

If the view still isn't enough for you, the hotel has a fully equipped gym, spa, sauna, steam room and both an indoor and outdoor pool.  The restaurant is a bit pricey but has good food, however their adjacent lounge/bar has a great mini-menu of soups and sandwiches and afternoon tea goodies that are great to spend a quiet, relaxing afternoon/evening with still that great panoramic view of the valley :)

Hotel El-Rei Dom Manuel-Marvão (Alto Alentejo)

Current Rating: 8.8

My Rating: 8.5

Room Rate: €60-90/night

Great For: Historical exploration with great views

*Tip: Book a room with a "Valley View"

Hotel El-Rei Dom Manuel on Booking.com

This was the last hotel we stayed at back in early December and also our first time vacationing in the region of Alentejo.  I must say, we couldn't have picked a worse weekend to go, with the cold, rain and immense fog, it made it hard at first to appreciate one of the best aspects of the hotel (room) and area-the view!  But thankfully the fog did clear up enough for us to enjoy it and I can say it was definitely worthwhile after that.  

  

This is only one of two hotels (the other is the pousada, which has a much lower rating) that are located in the historical village of Marvão, perched at the top of a large hill, complete with the ancient ruins of a castle. This makes it a perfect location to walk through the village and explore the castle and take in all the incredible vistas without ever having to worry about transportation.

Most of the rooms are small and a bit old-fashioned in decor, but the added rooftop terrace of a superior double room evens it out.  The restaurant also serves good food, especially at breakfast and the staff are very hospitable.  

Quinta de Moçamedes- São Miguel do Mato, Viseu (Centro)

Current Rating: 9.1

My Rating: 10
Room Rate:  €75-90/night
Great For: A romantic retreat in the country for exploring the outdoors

*This hotel is not currently available to reserve on Booking.com, as they don't take credit cards at the moment, so make sure you can bring cash up front when you go there.  Minimum 2 nights to book*

Facebook page

This cozy, 10-room guesthouse located in a tiny aldeia (village) was rebuilt out of a 12th-century stone manor house and is run by incredibly hospitable Antonio Borges and his family, who live on premises.  All the rooms are spaciously decorated with extra-comfy beds and some with a private courtyard or an outdoor terrace overlooking the countryside.  Our room was located in the original stone house so we had the delight of the thick stone walls keeping our room naturally cool during the day and snuggly warm at night :)  

The family puts out a simple but homemade breakfast every morning with local fresh fruit and fresh baked sweets and though there is no restaurant, you can request to have a meal prepared for you in the dining room or you may be invited to dinner instead, if they are already cooking for themselves.  This is what happened to us and the rest of the guests the first night and we had a casual, yet delicious family-style dinner, complete with Antonio and his family, they made everyone feel right at home!  

The estate has an outdoor pool and you can also get recommendations from Antonio on local sports activities to do, such as hiking, horseback riding, canoeing, rafting, rapeling, BTT and more.  You can read more about our stay in my past Catavino article, Aldeias de Portugal Part 2: A Luxurious Weekend Getaway .

Casas da Lapa- Lapa dos Dinheiros, Serra da Estrela (Centro)

Current Rating: 9.2

My Rating: 10

Room Rate: €90/night

Great For: Romantic getaway in the warmer months for exploring Serra da Estrela, excellent food and service

*Tip: Don't take a large car here, the village road leading up to the hotel is tiny and very steep! Not recommended to come during the snowy season because of this.

Casas da Lapa on Booking

This tiny 8-room boutique hotel was built totally out of local stone and is perched high up in the Serra da Estrela mountains at the top of the tiny aldeia, Lapa dos Dinheiros.  The super comfy rooms are stylishly decorated with even softer beds and furniture and all are equipped with jacuzzi bathtubs.

The outdoor pool has a great view of the valley and village below and since the hotel is so small, you almost feel like you're the only guest there!  There are also two rooftop terraces for guests to sit out and relax on, sunbathing or taking in the great view.  The staff and service are impeccable and still retain the warm, local friendliness.

Breakfast is great and showcases a lot of local goodies, lunch is available and dinner can be arranged for you on their front terrace at your prior request.  The night that we arrived though, it was already quite late, but the staff the kind enough to offer us the dinner menu that another group of guests had requested before so we lucked out!

Outside the hotel, you can walk up and down the historical cobblestone streets of the village and there is a praia fluvial ("river beach") a short drive/walk down through the woods with a crystal clear mountain lake with a local "pub" that's great to watch the moon come up over the mountain at night :)  And of course, this place is perfectly located to explore all around the beautiful Serra da Estrela mountains and surround villages.

Boa Viagem & Happy Vacationing!

My Weekend in the Country (Day 2)

*Interested in learning more about Portuguese food and wine with me? Check out my An American In Portugal Tours, and my blog's new home!*

In Day 1 of My Weekend in the Country, I explored ancient Roman ruins and caves with Rita and her family around the tiny village of Avecasta near Ferreira de Zêzere along with enjoying some delicious home- cooked food and strong country wine!  Well, my second day in the Portuguese countryside was packed with even more delicious food and wine and a visit to one of the most picturesque aldeias in area, Dornes, a hilltop village settled on a small peninsula stretched out in the middle of the Rio Zêzere. 

Sunday morning I woke up completely relaxed and refreshed from a wonderfully peaceful night's sleep under the moonlight and comforting sounds of nature.  I stepped out onto the balcony from the room to breathe in some of that still-chilly clean morning country air! :)

When Rita and I came down for some (late) breakfast we found her parents already starting to prepare our lunch and dinner!  A freshly killed and plucked chicken from the hen house greeted us in the summer kitchen, all ready to be popped into the oven to roast for dinner.  Well, all except the feet, Rita's mother said she would put them into a pot for canja  or chicken soup ;)  

Outside, Rita's father was readying the stone oven for the chicken, as well as our lunch, which was to be a classic Portuguese dish, bacalhau assado com batatas a murro -roasted salt cod with "punched potatoes".  

 It first starts with putting whole potatoes and onions (these were fresh from the family's garden!) to roast with just a generous helping of coarse sea salt, followed a little bit later by adding the fillets of salt cod to roast to finish all together.   This time, the chicken was also added to roast, since there was plenty of space :)  And you could just imagine the heavenly aroma of all those caramelizing onions, potatoes and meat filling the whole neighborhood, we couldn't wait to dig in!

But in order to finish this dish, the bacalhau had to be shredded and the potatoes "punched" down and mixed together with the onions, along with chopped garlic, olive oil  and vinegar, which all of them also happened to be homemade!  (The family has a fairly large plot of both grape vines and olive trees in the next village over and they get their olives pressed at the village's own community press, this is actually quite common for most locals).

Then the "punched" potato mixture is combined with the shredded bacalhau to complete the dish!

Here is a short video I got of Rita with her parents putting the finishing touches to the dish and making sure the seasoning is just perfect, as in making sure there was plenty of garlic hehe :)  I am asking questions about the recipe as well as remarking how good it smells  ;)  

Then we all settled down on the outdoor picnic table for an absolutely delicious lunch!  The family's killer white wine accompanied our bacalhau and was perfectly chilled this time to take the edge off haha.   As for dessert, they kept it simple: fresh strawberries in season macerated in açucar amarelo ("yellow sugar"-like a very light brown sugar) and Port wine, I was a very happy girl :)

After seriously pigging out at lunch, we needed some time to digest so luckily we had a nice little drive ahead of us to visit the beautiful aldeia of Dornes.  We drove right up to the top of the hill in the village and this was my first view of the Rio Zêzere, surrounded by lush evergreen and aromatic eucalyptus mountains :)

It was a gorgeous afternoon to be by the river!

The river had a lovely shimmer from the sun and all you could hear was the warm breeze whipping through hair :)

All we could do for about the first part of our time was relax and enjoy the view!

The original settlement of Dornes can be traced back as early as the 12th century, even before the country of Portugal was founded.   At the top of the village is the ruins of the Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Pranto,  a 15th century church built for Queen Isabel.  It has a peculiar pentagonal tower, that's unlike any other found in the country.

The view from where the church is, as you can see the village doesn't stretch too much beyond the peninsula!

A 14th century crucifix shrine decorated with traditional blue and white Portuguese azulejos (tiles).  Love the pink wildflowers!

We headed down to the water's edge where the boats were launched to get our feet wet....

Can you tell that my feet are submerged in water?  I couldn't believe how crystal clear the water was!  Especially at the boat launch area!  When the water was perfectly still, you would almost believe I'm just standing on a regular cobblestone path!

Ah there you go!  Now you can see the water! ;)  And you know what the best part was?  Rita told me that this is where Lisbon's tap water is sourced from!   I knew there was a reason it had always tasted so good! Oh and don't worry, my feet were clean hehe ;)

We spent the rest of the afternoon driving along the mountains around the river and exploring different but equally beautiful parts of it.  When we got back to the house, there was a surprise waiting for me.....a giant basket of nesperas (Japanese plums) that Rita's aunt had just picked to take home with me!  The nesperas were in peak season too, and even though I didn't find them to be that good before when I had bought them at the supermarket in Lisbon, there was such a difference in flavor with these all natural ones!  I now have a new appreciation for this fruit because of them :)

And of course, we were just in time for an early dinner before we had to head back to Lisbon.  The roast chicken was waiting for us, along with some more of those fresh picked grelos (cabbage greens) from the garden, sauteed with some garlic and onions, also from the garden and a simple salad of lettuce and onions with a little homemade olive oil and vinegar.  Again, our meal was paired with some of the family's homemade red wine, chilled just enough to enjoy on a warm evening.  So I was sitting there for the first time, with food and drink that was completely organic and locally grown and produced, and it was one of the most deliciously satisfying meals I've had to date.  And truly, my stomach has never felt so good after a meal!  My digestive tract was being spoiled by so much lovely "clean" and healthy food!

I will never forget the wonderfully warm hospitality Rita's family and neighbors treated me during my stay there, and of course I will never forget the simple yet amazingly delicious Portuguese food they filled my belly, and my heart with.  But what's even better, I have been so lucky as to have been invited back by Rita's family to stay another weekend with them and bring a friend if I want, to do it all over again!   I hope my story of my weekend in the Portuguese countryside will inspire you to go out and explore this beautiful country beyond the cities and towns and experience what is truly memorable :)

Cheers to good food, wine and friends! 

My Weekend in the Country (Day 1)

*Interested in learning more about Portuguese food and wine with me? Check out my An American In Portugal Tours, and my blog's new home!*

Back in May 2011, I got to experience what it was like to live in a small, rural Portuguese village, thanks to the kind invitation from my private English student Rita.  Every weekend, Rita goes to visit her parents at their family home, situated in the tiny aldeia of Avecasta near Ferreira de Zezere which is right smack in the middle of the country.  She had told me many stories about growing up there playing outdoors , raising animals and having meals made completely from what they grew in their garden and seeing how fascinated I was by them, she told me I had to come with her one weekend to meet the family and see the country.  I happily accepted her invite to come out with her the following weekend, as being middle of May, the weather was going to be absolutely perfect for exploring the countryside, sunny and clear but not too hot :)

You can check out my Catavino post- Aldeias of Portugal Part 1: Staying with Friends to learn more about aldeias and for my full experience there.  For this post, I wanted to share more in detail photos and video I took on my adventure that didn't make it onto my Catavino one.   And though I was only there for a day and a half, I couldn't believe how many adventures Rita and her family packed in that time for me!

We arrived in Avecasta Saturday afternoon and I was greeted by this beautiful garden scene in the back of their family home, beyond that, there was nothing as far as the eye could see!  Towards the back of the garden was a small "barn" with a hen house that they still used and an old pig pen and cow stall for when they had raised more animals.   





































The house was huge, 7 bedrooms with both a "summer" and "winter" kitchen, the summer being separate
from the rest of the home and attached to their mini-winery and cellar, both made of thick cement to keep them cool year-round.  Outside the house, they had a large patio equipped with what I would call my "dream" outdoor barbecue area, complete with a stone oven and grill!

No sooner did we drop off our things did we head out on foot for our first adventure!  The road through the village was small and quiet with not a soul in sight so it was perfect for taking a walk on this beautiful afternoon :) 

Rita and her sister wanted to take me just up the hill from the village where there was a beautiful clearing that overlooked the surrounding valley.  This was the place where the village had had their windmills which had been used to grind their grain into flour for making bread.  Unfortunately the original windmills did not stand the test of time, so the village decided to build a new one on top of the original base.  They also decided to construct it in the old-fashioned style, as a means of preserving the memory.  And today they use it off and on to show visitors how the grain was originally grounded between the two stone wheels :)  

Afterwards, we walked back down and took a detour through the woods where we came to a clearing that led down to a HUGE cave!  Rita said she and her sisters used to play down in it with the other village children when they were younger, but nowadays the local government fenced it off to protect recent archaeological investigations.  From what the locals know, the cave was once used by the Romans as a holdout to defend against invaders, so the finds have been linked to the Roman era.  But luckily for us, someone had cut through the fence so we sneaked in for a tour, very cool but creepy!  There were several tiny passageways leading further into the hill, which Rita said went right under their village!

Posing in front of the tiny corridors with Rita's sister Eva and their dog Simba,  it was actually really dark here and that was a nervous smile on my face :p 

After the cave exploration, we walked back to the house for a break and got there just in time for a homemade afternoon snack courtesy of Rita's parents :)  They had scrambled some fresh eggs from their henhouse with some local chouriço (sausage) and served it with their homemade white wine and local cheese.  Might seem more like what you'd eat for breakfast but it's not common in Portugal to have eggs for breakfast, normally they come on top of a steak or other dishes for dinner.  

But anyhoo, the scramble and cheese were absolutely delicious and the homemade wine was quite powerful!   It basically had the same alcohol content as a fortified wine (which they said is normal for homemade wine :p) so they normally drink the white very chilled or with ice.   Strong but tasty, I almost had a bit of buzz on me as we headed out for our next adventure :)  

This time, we went with Eva and her boyfriend, who drove us around the countryside to an even tinier aldeia, where we parked and hiked down an overgrown stone path through a beautifully vibrant green forest dotted with olive and cork oak trees.  Rita told me this path was actually an old Roman road and we were going to see one of the many, still-used arched Roman bridges.

The olive trees thrive in this pretty overgrown meadow surrounded by ancient Roman walls

And I couldn't believe how good of a condition it was still in! Stretching over a small river that looked gorgeous in the late springtime covered in little white water flowers,  that tranquil setting out in the middle of nowhere made you feel like you went back in time :)

Until we caught the familiar sound of a herd of goats going up the hill!  You could clearly hear them from the clanging of all the little bells around their necks.  And apparently they heard us as well, since they turned back to stare :)

More beautiful ancient Roman walls and olive trees :)

My blast from the past continued as we arrived back at the house to see garden-fresh grelos (cabbage sprouts) being prepared to cook over the family's old-fashioned open stove for dinner :)

Followed by some tasty local pork ribs cooking on their outdoor grill.  All together with some more homemade potent red wine, it was a delicious dinner!

Afterwards, I walked with the whole family down the unlighted street to get some after-dinner coffee.  And when I mean unlighted, it was pitch-black!  I could barely see in front of me at some parts, but on the plus side, you could see the beautiful starry sky clearer than ever without all that city pollution!   We arrived at the only shop in the village, a small café where everyone gathered for their afternoon and/or evening coffee to catch up on news or to watch a soccer match.  My, was it so quintessential small town! Everyone really knew everyone there, and even though I was the odd one out, I still got friendly smiles and hellos :)

That night, I slept like a baby with the clean, crisp country night air flowing through the moonlit window.


In Day 2 of My Weekend in the Country: More delicious organic, home-cooked Portuguese food and a trip to the clear-water Rio Zêzere to visit one of the most picturesque aldeias in Portugal :)