Head to Portugal for some sun and sand, and you are bound to find some great places to stay. There are plenty of options that are available all year round, and the quality ranges from high to luxury. Whether you want to stay in a standard hotel or luxe vacation villas, you will find the right location for your budget and needs.
One of the most popular locations for vacation villas in Portugal is the Algarve area. This coastal area is dotted with whitewashed walls and orange tiled roofs, making just the buildings themselves quite a lovely scene. The area is beautiful and tropical, but without quite the maddening crowds of Spain or Italy in the summer.
Don’t worry about peak seasons in Portugal when you plan on booking your vacation villas – with over 230 days of sun a year and little rain, you are assured a great stretch of weather, no matter the season.
With fewer crowds, driving around Portugal is easy and recommended. The signs and traffic patterns are easy to navigate, and besides rush hour traffic in major cities, the roads and calm and quiet.
Your first instinct when traveling to Portugal might be to head to the coast, ad who will blame you? The beaches are world-class, with wide sand swaths, blue skies and clear water. In the Algarve region, you can also find top-notch fishing, water sports like scuba and snorkeling, and quaint fishing towns to stroll around at the end of the day. The costal town of Cascais is known for its resort and the wealthy people that visit it – the location’s glamour and money should not be missed, if only for a quick peek.
Family-friendly resorts are also plentiful in Portugal. Figueira, Vale de Parra and Vialmoura are all chock full of family activities to keep everyone satisfied. These resorts are all relatively close to airports so that every traveler can hit the beach soon after landing.
If you like Porto, head to Oporto, known for exporting the product to the rest of the world. The regionally grown product can be sampled nearby at the vineyards. City slicker? Lisbon is a great way to experience Portugal’s take on cosmopolitan. Amazing restaurants, interesting shopping and city life at its best await. It’s also a major hub for airports, so you can visit the city with ease on your way to or from the beaches. It’s a great way to start or end a trip through the beaches of Portugal.