YAS' GUIDE TO PORTUGAL
Portugal is a beautiful country that has a little bit of everything - wine country, stunning beaches, and cities filled with gorgeous architecture and food that you’ll want to continue going back for. With only 6 nights in the country, we decided to fly into Lisbon and enjoy spend 2 nights in three different areas in the bottom half of the country.
ALENTEJO - 45 minutes from Lisbon
Our first stop in was Alentejo, a wine region just East of Lisbon in central Portugal. Known for their reds, we weren’t shy in making plenty of stops to some of their greatest and oldest wineries. Lucky for us, March is a slower season for tourists so we could enjoy the region without massive amounts of people and busses. The weather was also moderate which allowed for beautiful mornings and comfortable afternoon’s as we explored small towns and cool castles.
WHERE TO STAY:
L’AND Vineyard - We stayed a a stylishly chic five star winery hotel conveniently located to lots of other wineries.
WINERIES:
So much to do and plenty of amazing wineries but here were two that really stood out.
JOAO PORTUGAL RAMOS’s vineyard who is Portugal’s most famous winemaker. He makes some of the best wine known in the Alentejo region and some of his wine is sold around the world.
HERDADE DOS SERVAS - is another winery to visit. The grounds are beautiful and known for their white wines.
WHERE TO EAT:
Known for their food, Portugal isn’t shy of great farm to table eateries. Like Italy, you’ll find incredible restaurants scattered throughout small towns that are baked into the rolling landscape.
GADANHA - Wonderfully fresh food with a cute little market.
L'AND VINEYARDS RESTAURANT inside L’AND is exquisite, a new Portuguese gastronomic culture, reflecting their history and culture. Using organic farm fresh ingredients. I recommend making a reservation.
Happy hour at L’AND
Joao Portugal Ramos Wine Tour
Top of Castelo de Estremoz
CARVOEIRO
Following Alentejo, we headed to the southern coastal town of Carvoeiro (beach town) where the European beaches are jaw dropping.
WHERE TO STAY:
TIVOLI CARVOEIRO HOTEL - Beach front hotel with stunning views of the ocean and cliffs.
WHERE TO EAT:
MAR D’FORA - restaurant perched among the cliffs where you can enjoy breathtaking panoramic ocean views.
O STOP RESTAURANT - Fresh seafood and on the beach. What more do I have to say?
A MERISQUEIRA - Freshly caught seafood grilled over charcoal. Doesn’t get better than this!
WHAT TO DO:
PRAIA DA MARINHA - I recommend spending the day at this beach. It is known to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and I would have to agree. Its paradise!
BOAT TOUR - One of the best ways to see the stunning rock cliffs and beaches is from the sea. There are a few guide companies that take you along the famous Algarve coast line, through big rock arches and into caves. Be sure to check out the famous Benagil Cave from land and sea.
GOLF - While we didn’t have time to play, although my husband would have loved to, Portugal is known for some of the best golf courses in the world.
Our hotel TIVOLI CARVOEIRO from the sea
Benagil Cave
PRAIA DA MARINHA
PRAIA DA MARINHA
MAR D’FORA
After a few nights in wine country and on the southern coast, we headed back up to Lisbon. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to go to Porto, but we wanted to make sure to spend a few days in each place without being rushed. Lisbon ended up being incredible. From the food and culture to the people who were more than generous. Two days wasn’t not enough time, but here are some of the places we visited.
WHERE TO STAY:
THE ONE PALACIO DA ANUNCIADA - Highly recommend staying here. Centrally located, but just outside the main city centre, the original building was from the 16th century. The hotel was meticulously renovated in 2018/2019 as a chic modern boutique that kept some of the old walls and archways. Highly recommend staying here.
WHERE TO EAT:
Lisbon is known for amazing seafood, so whatever you do, come hungry. Here were some of our favorites.
JNCQUOI - Chic, popular restaurant for locals. Great restaurant upstairs and amazing bar downstairs. We went here twice..
A VALENCIANA - Okay, you’ll see our pictures and those from Trip Advisor, but don’t judge a book by it’s cover. Just the Piri Piri Chicken alone is worth the visit to Lisbon. Out of the centre of town, A Valenciana is worth the trek by taxi or Uber.
CERVEJARIA RAMINO - Hard to get into, but worth the planning and wait, Carvejaria Ramino is worth the wait. The seafood is some of the best and most fresh in the city. You want lobster? What size? Don’t worry, they’ll bring fresh lobster to your table so you can choose. That’s just some of the fun at this high energy restaurant.
WHAT TO DO:
Lisbon is known for rooftop bars, so here are a few that really stood out to us.
TOPO is a chic, trendy and unpretentious place among the Lisbon rooftop bars, located on the 6th floor of a multiethnic commercial center, right next to Martim Moniz Plaza.
PARK BAR - The urban sprawl across this rolling geographical landscape provides many opportunities to take advantage of spectacular views of the city and the Tagus River. One of the more popular spots to appreciate the vista while having a tea or cocktail is Lisbon rooftop bar Park in Bairro Alto. Don’t be discouraged if you have a har time finding it. It’s literally on top of a parking garage.
SHOPPING - Lisbon has a lot of great shopping, but be sure to check out the numerous art galleries and pottery shops. We got some beautiful hand made serving dishes that were worth lugging home!
Have a wonderful time if you decide to visit!