Starting to plan our visit at the beginning of May with our son who will be 4. Would love to hear from families with young ones of any excursions or parks that your kids loved. Understand the area has more for older kids but looking for farms, animal experiences or even side by side tours that might be good for this age.
My husband and I spent time in Porto and Douro this summer and are officially smitten with Portugal. Planning a beach trip for early next September to the Algarve with our son who will then be 4.5. Looking for boutique/ intimate hotel, easy to walk/ get to beaches and town for meals and exploring. We are also comfortable renting a car. We aren’t looking for kids club or any of that but looking for a hotel / location that is accepting of young kids. Anything you can recommend?
My husband and I spent time in Porto and Douro this summer and are officially smitten with Portugal. Planning a beach trip for early next September to the Algarve with our son who will then be 4.5. Looking for boutique/ intimate hotel, easy to walk/ get to beaches and town for meals and exploring. We are also comfortable renting a car. We aren’t looking for kids club or any of that but looking for a hotel / location that is accepting of young kids. Anything you can recommend?
My husband and I spent time in Porto and Douro this summer and are officially smitten with Portugal. Planning a beach trip for early next September to the Algarve with our son who will then be 4.5. Looking for boutique/ intimate hotel, easy to walk/ get to beaches and town for meals and exploring. We are also comfortable renting a car. We aren’t looking for kids club or any of that but looking for a hotel / location that is accepting of young kids. Anything you can recommend?
What’s the highest points you’ve been offered recently to add an additional card member? Looking to add my husband and got served 20k points for $2k spend and wondering if it’s a decent offer or to hold out.
Curious for the dogs that have been diagnosed what led to the diagnosis?
We’ve been dealing with “episodes” for 2 years now. Our guy tends to have them when he’s over heated. Looks like he’s drunk, can’t get his feet under him. He’s on keppra and gabapentin.
Nights: 3
When: July 2026
Room type: upgraded Executive Royal Room
Booking method: TA
Pre- Arrival & Check In:
We reached out pre arrival for recommendations of wineries and restaurants in the area and the speed of response was impressive - sometimes within the hour. All offering to assist with reservations etc. Extremely helpful and detailed.
Arrival included cool towel for a 90 degree day and a choice of wine (they are indeed a hotel on a vineyard) or non alcoholic beverage and offered us a seat outside where check in was handled. Was very pleasantly surprised to be triple upgraded to a beautiful and spacious room with a large balcony and tub. In the room waiting was a bottle of still wine, sparkling wine, chocolates and straw hats as a welcome gift.
Grounds, Amenities & Facilities:
As this hotel is a part of a winery you are surrounded by vineyards at your doorstep perfect for leisurely walks. The views are stunning in every direction you turn. With only 33 rooms you feel the intimacy of the resort so if you are looking for night life and a happening spot this isn’t for you. Large outdoor pool which we never had an issue with finding seats was perfect for enjoying the hot summer sun. Pool was equipped with cold water, sunscreen and hats which was a welcome gesture. Team members walk around periodically with cold towels, treats and at the end of the day a glass of wine. In the spa is a large indoor pool along with sauna, steam rooms and Vichy showers which guest have unlimited access to. Gym is also on site. The winery itself is impressive and it’s clear they sunk a ton of $ into it. For those that have experienced Napa wineries think of a place that has all the bells and whistles but not massive in size. As a guest on property you receive 20% off wine and tastings which isn’t advertised. Most of the wines we tried were very good. Good structure, depth and for the price were impressive.
Room:
Coming from a city hotel room, the room had significant space with a king bed, huge wardrobe with plenty of hanging space. Sitting area with couch and two chairs and a nice balcony with seating and a tub to take in the views. Admittedly passed on the tub as didn’t see the bed for it and not very private. Bathroom while big had a shower on the small side but water pressure was great.
Food / Beverages:
They have two restaurants on site as well as serving snacks/ small dishes from the bar. Of the two restaurants one is Michelin starred but we decided to pass on it to enjoy more of the local restaurants. The other restaurant was very good. Attentive service with classic Portuguese dishes that were slightly elevated. We had a fish and rice dish that was phenomenal and when I joked to the server about getting the recipe they brought out the chef who took me step by step how to make it. A nice souvenir to return home with! Breakfast is also served in this location and had a large buffet spread of meats, cheeses, pastries, etc. and they offered eggs and pancakes made to order. Overall the food was very good. Should also note on our final day we had to leave before breakfast opened and they made us a huge bag to take with us of meats, cheeses, breads, pastries, juice and water. It was a really nice send off.
Service:
Everyone was very friendly and accommodating without the feeling of overkill. It’s a relaxed vibe where they are open to talking and sharing with you if they sense you want to talk and know when to pull back when you don’t. Was it the best service we ever had, no. But did it fit the vibe of the hotel and delivered on luxury, absolutely.
Summary:
If you are heading to Douro (and if you are into wine I HIGHLY recommend you do- hell even if you aren’t into wine I’d recommend as the area is breathtaking) this is a great luxury accommodation especially if you dont want to pay Six Sense prices. The hotel had a defined sense of space in a modern way that encouraged you to relax and explore. I’d book again in a heartbeat.
I’ve seen many posts of creating a wet room with a tub so sharing our recent remodel before and after. We opted to not do a freestanding tub but a drop in mostly bc of issues we read about cleaning etc. Ceiling height paneling added as its steam shower. Few other notes: heated floors, under mount lighting of vanity with nightlight motion had been a really nice add. (Struggling with lighting colors aren’t as stark as it’s looking in the image - floors are a sea green).
Have a 10:30pm flight out of JFK this week, what are the chances there will be decent food after 8pm in the lounge or should we plan for eating in the concourse. Passing on meal service on flight as that’s way too late for me.
Planning my visit to Douro Valley Portugal next month and looking for wineries. Especially small high quality producers not the big guys with big money.
We’ve spent a lot of time in Napa so my comparison of what we are after are places like Aonair, Smith Madrone, Rivers Marie, AXR (5 yrs ago before it became an it place), Viadar, Outpost- not referencing for a wine comparison but for size/quality/experience.
Would love to hear your favorites in the region and why.
Cubby travelers looking for your best of the Douro Valley excluding hotel - have that covered staying in Peso du Régua at the Torel Quinta da Vacaria. Specifically looking for wineries you loved, tours or drivers that wowed you and of course restaurants.
Also staying in Porto 3 nights and if you have reccos for there outside of hotel I’ll take it.
Flying in 3 weeks pulling this entire thing together last minute. Appreciate sharing your experiences.
Fat travelers looking for your best of the Douro Valley excluding hotel - have that covered staying in Peso du Régua at the Torel Quinta da Vacaria. Specifically looking for wineries you loved, tours or drivers that wowed you and of course restaurants.
Also staying in Porto 3 nights and if you have reccos for there outside of hotel I’ll take it.
Flying in 3 weeks pulling this entire thing together last minute. Appreciate sharing your experiences.
Long story short we will be flying to Dublin mid July and have 3.5 half days to tag on another location. However, handcuffed on places we can go as 1. Air Lingus needs to fly there 2. We need a direct flight back to the US ideally on Delta or Delta partner.
Based on what we can find and maximizing the time at a location it looks like Lisbon, Madrid and Barcelona are our best bets. Looking for a location that …
For those that have been to these cities which would you recommend? Bonus points if you suggest a hotel. Triple bonus if have wineries you can suggest.
Appreciate the thoughts travel crew
Looking for easy day trip ideas from Dublin mid July to get a taste of the countryside and experience another small city or area. Not looking to spend hours on a tour bus to the well known places so easy train ride or even a car rental. What have you enjoyed and would recommend?
Traveling to Dublin shortly as a stop over for 10 year anniversary trip. Any recommendations for best restaurants in the city?