Hotels
Surf and yoga retreat Soul & Surf is based in a traditional Portuguese farmhouse in the hills just outside Lagos, close to the waves and golden shores of the Algarve. There is tuition available for all abilities, with the season running until the end of November. All-inclusive accommodation packages start at £58pp a night (based on two sharing, three-night minimum), with a pick-and-mix menu of activities on top (three surf sessions from £134, yoga classes from £8).
Close to the coast in Olhão on the Algarve, Casa Modesta is a sustainable boutique hotel (doubles from €220 B&B in September), overlooking the Ria Formosa lagoon. Once owned by a fisherman, the house was converted by his son using local materials. There’s also an organic garden, with ingredients used for the onsite cooking classes and spa treatments. Stays include free bicycle rental, to explore the surrounding Ria Formosa nature reserve.
For a city break in Coimbra, Portugal’s medieval capital in the centre of the country, the 14th-century Quinta Das Lagrimas was the former hideaway of a prince and his forbidden lover. Nowadays, it’s a hotel with an outdoor pool, spa and large rooms overlooking botanical gardens. Doubles from £105 room-only with Hotels.com.
In Porto, Gran Cruz House sits on the bank of the Douro in the historic neighbourhood of Cais da Ribeira, a Unesco world heritage site. The 1930s facade remains unchanged, but inside a restoration project has created seven double rooms and a restaurant with a terrace, which serves small sharing plates of local seafood with wine pairings. Doubles from £93 a night room-only in October, around £120 in September.
Also in the north, a 300-year-old manor and farm buildings in Minho are now home to Quinta da Bouça d’Arques (from €159 B&B). Surrounded by vineyards and ancient trees, the peaceful hideaway also includes a pool set into the hillside with views across the region, and the sandy coast is just 20 minutes by car.
Campervans
A campervan is a great way to see a lot of this relatively small country – perhaps heading down the Atlantic coast with surfboards in the back – while also offering the privacy of a portable home. There are campsites all over the country, with availability on both Pitchup and Eurocampings for September.
Siesta Campers is one of Portugal’s largest rental companies, with vans ranging from classic 1970s VWs to a large Grand California model with a pop-out roof, all sleeping four with small kitchenettes (from €100 a day, minimum five days, motorway toll charger fee €15). One-way hire is also available for an extra €150.
Indie Campers’ Portuguese fleet includes the modern California and Marco Polo models (from Lisbon only) and the Sporty (Faro, Lisbon and Porto), each sleep four and most come with a cooler or fridge, stove and aircon, plus a shower and toilet in the larger models from a very competitive €70 a night. Extras include bedding and kitchen kits, outdoor furniture, bikes, paddleboards, surfboards, wetsuits, barbecues and more.
Self-catering
Outpost Casa Das Arribas (from €165 a night) is a small clifftop complex with five modern apartments facing the Atlantic in Colares, 25 miles west of Lisbon. Sleeping 4-6, rooms include handmade wooden furniture, whitewashed walls and terracotta floors, and have use of a shared pool and tennis court. The closest village is beautiful Azenhas do Mar, a 10-minute walk down a footpath, with sand, surf and seafood.
The equally stylish Casa Olhão, Algarve has a rooftop terrace with a swimming pool, with views over Olhão town. The apartment sleeps four (from €113 a night, minimum three nights), and is close to a sleepier stretch of Algarve coast, with small island beaches accessible by ferry.
Also in the Algarve is Colina Tranquila (from £80 per night, minimum three nights), a shepherd’s hut sleeping two just 10 minutes from Faro in a peaceful, palm-fringed valley. It has an ensuite shower room, eco-toilet and outdoor bath for stargazing. There’s also a pizza oven, shared pool and use of free bicycles.
Built in the style of Portuguese medieval roundhouses, the Corkshacks are a pair of conical thatched roof houses clad in cork, in Marvão in the Alentejo region. The decking and outdoor pool have views of the surrounding Monte Roxo hills, with the rural setting offering walking, cycling, fishing, horse riding and more (from £77 per night, minimum stay three nights)
There are eight safari tents at Casa Fontelheira in Vila Nune, an hour east of Porto. Each sleeps 5-6 (from £120 a night) and has access to an outdoor pool surrounded by exotic gardens and views of the valley, where there are opportunities to go rafting and canyon trekking. Inside are four poster beds and bunks for the kids.
