The sights, the flavors, the fun! Get all the details of our trip to Portugal from what to eat, where to stay and what you just have to explore.
From Portugal With Love
Brandon and I recently spent two weeks in Portugal celebrating our 20 year wedding anniversary and enjoying all the beauty and deliciousness the country has to offer. We traveled to five different regions of Portugal and really fell in love with the people, the food, the wine, and the landscape of each region.
From walking thousands of steps throughout each city to dining at several Michelin starred restaurants to hiking some of the most stunning trails we’ve ever hiked to wine tasting our way across the country, it was full of fun and delicious memories that we will cherish forever.
In this blog post, I wanted to give you an overview of each region we visited in Portugal along with highlights and special memories from our time in each location. Feel free to comment at the bottom of this post with any specific questions and I’d be happy to respond with more details or insights.
To see video footage and location tags for all of the places we stayed, explored, and dined, be sure to check out my Portugal Instagram Story Highlight.
Food and Wine Heaven
The country of Portugal loves their food and wine just as much as we do so you can only imagine how much we enjoyed ourselves. Everyone talked about food and everything revolved around food throughout the entire country. It was a foodie’s dream trip for us, for sure! Their love for daily fresh-baked bread and simple sandwiches was something to be admired. My bread-loving heart was so happy the entire trip! All of the food we ate throughout Portugal was so fresh and flavorful and made with so much love!
Packing
Like always, we carried on our bags for the 16 days we were traveling and I have to say that we packed perfectly! We each wore everything we packed and were able to successfully mix and match outfits to wear some things more than once throughout the trip. Check out my LTK Post where I linked everything I packed for two weeks in Portugal.
Porto
We started our trip in the adorable city of Porto where we walked all throughout the beautiful streets admiring the historic buildings, gorgeous tiles and the Douro River that runs beside it. Porto is where we enjoyed our first, and probably best, Pastel de Nata. Pastel de Nata are the beloved Portuguese custard tarts that you can find all throughout Portugal. They have a deliciously flaky puff pastry crust with a smooth, creamy egg custard that’s baked until caramelized in spots on top. They’re bite-sized and it’s recommended that you sprinkle them with a little cinnamon and/or powdered sugar before enjoying with a shot of espresso or a small glass of Port. Deliciosa!
We stayed at Le Monumental Palace and really enjoyed the food, cocktails and live music at their Bar Americain (the croque monsieur with a black truffle creme was life-changing!) as well as the stunning breakfast buffet at Le Monument Restaurant. We experienced one of our absolute favorite meals of the trip in Porto at Euskalduna Studio. A one Michelin Star restaurant that blew us away with their witty service and wonderfully delicious “moments”. At all of the Michelin restaurants we dined at in Portugal, they call each dish or course a “moment” and I absolutely loved that. I’ve always had a passion for sharing recipes that create delicious moments for those who make them and their loved ones that they serve them to so this really resonated with me as I cherished each moment at these restaurants.
Another highlight from Porto was a lovely tour, port tasting and lunch at Graham’s Lodge along the Douro River. We learned about the history of Port, saw Port bottles that were still aging from 1868, and tasted some very tasty Ports. We’ve never been huge fans of sweet dessert wine as we just enjoy ending our meals with a sweet dessert so we were eager to learn more about the different varieties of Port as well as how to pair it for appetizers, desserts, or just to sip on. We then had the dreamiest 4-hour lunch at Vinum, the restaurant at Graham’s Lodge, where we sat at a table overlooking the Douro River on the most beautiful day. We savored every bite, sip and second of the stunning setting and views.
Douro Valley
From Porto, we headed to the Douro Valley where we stayed at the Six Senses. It was an enchanting few days enjoying the resort, hiking the gorgeous riverside, tasting local wines, boating down the Douro River, and dining on the most amazing food!
The Six Senses had so much to offer! We loved our leisurely breakfasts on the terrace each morning that started with fresh squeezed juices, an inspiring spread of pastries, exciting caffeine creations, and lots of local fresh fruits. Followed by fueling savory dishes like smashed pea toast with local greens and baked eggs on top of fresh roasted tomatoes and herbs with house-baked toast. It was all too good to be true and the best way to start each day! We also loved lounging by the pool, relaxing in the spa, chatting with other couples at the daily wine tastings, and the Northern Portugal dinner that we savored at Cozinha do Douro one night.
One morning, we hiked 5 miles up and along the Douro River and one of the Six Senses’ dogs, Aqua, unexpectedly joined us. She was nearly 16 years old and although she worried me a few times along the way, she did awesome and we were delighted to have her tag along. It was so nice to be able to see the valley from above and learn so much about the history and development of this gorgeous wine region.
And then one afternoon we had the pleasure of floating down the Douro River on a scenic boat tour admiring the landscape and vineyards from the water. The Douro Valley is truly a breathtaking region with so much natural and hard-working beauty to be appreciated.
A highlight for sure was our meal at DOC Restaurant, another Michelin starred restaurant. It was such an exciting experience with each “moment” being more creative and more delicious than the next, which was hard to believe because it was love at very first bite. We also really enjoyed getting to know the servers at this restaurant as they had such fun personalities in a very otherwise elegant and formal environment.
One of the main reasons we went to the Douro Valley was to learn more about the wines of the region and the country overall. And that we did! We were able to squeeze in three very thoughtful and educational wine tastings to really discover the wines and determine which varietals we enjoyed most. We were so excited to be able to ship several bottles back home because many of the wines we enjoyed will never be available for purchase here in the United States.
Lisbon
It was all about the food and views in Lisbon! We strolled the historic and hilly streets for miles and tasted every delicious bite along the way. Such a vibrant city with so much pride in their history and passion for the future.
We indulged in two amazing dinners while in Lisbon. Belcanto is a two Michelin star restaurant that created a sophisticated and scrumptious experience as they served us each “moment” to take us on a delicious journey through Portuguese cuisine over time. It was such a beautiful and special meal!
We also dined at LOCO Restaurant which has one Michelin star and even though I was so full, I didn’t want this meal to ever end. Every “moment’ was so thoughtful and incredibly delicious. We really enjoyed the open kitchen concept where each of the chefs would bring out a dish throughout the meal to introduce themselves and share about the vision and incredible effort that went into preparing the dish they were proudly serving us. (I like to say that going to a Michelin Star restaurant is very similar to going to one of your favorite concerts…you are so into each dish/song and when the meal/concert comes to an end, you’re bummed, but then they come back out with more delicious creations/favorite songs to completely satisfy you and send you on your way with the most exhilarating memories.)
We also ate our way through the streets of Lisbon by going on a food crawl in a tuk tuk with local foodie, Leonor. She was amazing and so passionate about all the great food that Lisbon has to offer. We ate all the local specialties we could fit in like marinated pork sandwiches (called A Bifana) with mini beers, Ginjinha shots (a sweet cherry liqueur), fresh seafood dishes, Portuguese cheeses, sausages, pastries and more. It was too fun and so much yum!! To say we left Lisbon full would be an understatement…full of sweet memories and incredible food!
Azores
From Lisbon, we flew out to the Azores Islands and stayed on São Miguel Island. Our time on the island was better than we had imagined and since it’s nearly halfway between Portugal and the United States, we’re already planning our return with the kids. During our 3 days on the island we hiked 30 miles, ate some amazing local foods, sailed the surrounding sea, soaked in some stunning sunsets, and just really cherished our time together.
As soon as we landed, we changed into our hiking gear and headed out on our first hike to see the famous Salto do Cabrito waterfall on the island. It was breathtaking and just a taste of the landscape and scenic sensations that were to come.
The next morning we hiked through an incredible variety of landscapes to get to the top of a mountain with a crater hiding the protected and pristine waters of Lagoa do Fogo, one of the seven wonders of Portugal. And that it was! We wandered and wondered for miles as to how a lake could possibly be at the top of the mountain we were hiking and then it just appeared out of nowhere. So clear and blue and surrounded by vibrant vegetation. Truly wonderous!
And then we got up a third morning and did another incredible hike through the hidden lakes and lagoons and around Sete Cidades (“seven cities” in Portuguese). The hike was once again breathtaking (both literally and visually!). As hiking lovers, we couldn’t have asked for a better few days of challenging and spectacular hikes across the island.
The food on the island was so fresh, flavorful and prepared with so much pride. We had the pleasure of dining at Quinta dos Sabores which is a family’s home and farm. They so graciously open their home to foodies, like us, and treat us like family as they serve farm-to-table dishes created with incredibly fresh ingredients from their farm and the island. It was such a neat experience getting to tour their gardens and farm and chat with the staff about their passion for great food and hospitality.
Azores is known for its “happy cows” and as you drive or hike across the island, you can see why the cows would be so happy! They are so well taken care of and get to graze across the most beautiful land with a view of the ocean and very mild weather year-round. And I’m here to say those happy cows produce some of the best milk that they use to make the most delicious yogurts and cheeses. We actually did a cheese tasting at a local cheese shop in Ponta Delgada and were so impressed with the way the cheeses are made and aged. I’m on a mission to find all the Azores cheese now that we’re back home and if I can’t find it, I might just have to import it in as it was some of the best cheese we’ve ever eaten.
One of our favorite moments in Azores was going on a sunset sailboat tour around the island taking in the beauty of the Atlantic waters and the São Miguel Island coast line. Our captains prepared and served us the most delicious Azorean specialties to snack on while we sailed. The sunset was a stunner (like one of the most beautiful we’ve ever seen!), but the surprise pod of dolphins that swam up and around our sailboat stole the show. I cried as we watched them swim and play around the boat for a good hour. They were so majestic and it was such a memorable experience!
Our stay at the Santa Barbara Eco-Beach Resort was so great! The accommodations were luxuriously rustic, if that’s even a thing. It’s situated on a cliff overlooking a volcanic black sand beach with gorgeous views of the island and sea. The resort packed us the most adorable and delicious picnic boxes to take on our hikes each day that were filled with fueling goodies and tasty Azorean specialties that we were so thankful for during each day’s hiking adventures. We soaked in several great breakfasts, cocktails, and dinners on the beautiful outdoor patio while dreaming of our return to Azores as a family as soon as possible.
Algarve
We spent the last 4 days of our time in Portugal in the Algarve region at the Vila Vita Parc Resort. Our plan was to fully relax and be super lazy at the resort since we had been so busy and active at all of the other locations on our trip. Well, if you know us, we’re just busy people and find so much joy in being active, exploring and making fun memories together. So that is exactly what we did during our time in Algarve.
The resort had so many great restaurants and activities on property that we couldn’t resist. We would sleep in and enjoy late and leisurely breakfasts with a view and then find something active to do like hiking along the coastline, playing tennis, playing golf or walking on the beach. We would then settle in at the adults-only pool for cocktails and the most delicious lunches that included big salads, creative pizzas or shrimp tacos, and the best rustic fries with a truffle aioli to dip them in. Our lunch faves! We would then read poolside for a bit before heading to a wine tasting in their underground wine cave, or massages in their gorgeous spa, or to just find a good table to play our current favorite card game of Nerts!
Every restaurant at the resort was top-notch so we enjoyed dining at a different one each night. One night we went to Mizu Teppanyaki for Japanese food and had one of the best eel unagi we’ve ever enjoyed. Another night we dined on the terrace Giardino where we enjoyed housemade pastas as we watched a moonrise that ended up being a super cool and rare strawberry moon! And then on our 20th anniversary we dined at Ocean Restaurant which is the resort’s two Michelin Star restaurant that serves up creative dishes inspired by the chef’s travels around the world.
Funny story…one night we were excited to dine at the resort’s popular Portuguese restaurant, Adega, and had a beautiful table reserved with a view of the water fountains. Let me actually pause and preface this story a bit: our entire trip so far had been very kid-free and honestly it was pretty refreshing. We were obviously missing our kids and eager to get home to the loudness and craziness that comes with a lot of kids, but we weren’t quite ready just yet. 😉
Once we sat at our table, we started looking around and there were kids everywhere. Babies crying, toddlers giggling, teens tiktoking, etc. We both looked at each other and in complete agreement without even having to say a word, immediately got up to politely tell the hostess that we were going to find a restaurant that was a bit quieter with less kiddos. Lol! Here we are the couple that’s been married for 20 years with 4 “loud” kids back home, running from the restaurant with all the kids. It was too funny and so us! Fortunately, the resort was huge and had several spaces reserved for adults only so we were able to find a quaint table on the patio at another restaurant to enjoy one of our final dinners of the trip in peace. 😉
We celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary in Algarve with a long morning hike along the cliffs, the smoothest massages at the Vila Vita spa, an afternoon sailing on a yacht exploring the coast line and famous caves, and then a lovely dinner at Ocean Restaurant. It was a very special and perfect day for us!
Madrid, Spain
We flew into and out of Madrid for this trip to Europe and were lucky to have a little less than 24 hours in the city so that we could explore and eat as much as possible…and that we did! We landed in Madrid around 9pm from Algarve and did a late night tapas crawl until 1am and then got up the next morning to do a bakery and more tapas crawl the next day right up until we needed to head to the airport for our flight home.
We enjoyed a variety of olives, cheeses, patatas bravas (fried potatoes with spicy sauce), gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp), tortilla Española (Spanish omelet), jamón Ibérico bocadillo (cured Iberian ham sandwich), croquettes, sausages, churros, napolitanas (flaky chocolate or crème filled pastries) and so much more! We fell in love with Madrid and look forward to traveling back there soon to really experience all it has to offer!
Whew, what a trip! Portugal was pure magic. We will cherish the experiences, tastes, memories, and quality time we had there together forever. So much love for Portugal…we’ll be back!
xoxo,
