By Ann Abel

To be honest, when I first visited Grand House, back in early 2019 (a lifetime ago!) I didn’t really get it. Sure, I saw that the hotel was beautiful. I tasted that the food was yummy and sensed that the service and activities were top-notch.

But what I didn’t really get was just how different it was from the rest of the hotels in the Algarve (where some lovely little farmhouse hotels do still exist between the big resorts and condo developments) and from the rest of Portugal, for that matter. The country is resplendent with historic palace, convents and rural estates turned into hotels. But Grand House embodies a different moment in history … continue reading

Ann Abel is a travel writer and editor and was a senior editor at ForbesLife. She writes for Forbes, Departures, Conde Nast Traveller, Robb Report, Afar, National Geographic Traveler, Islands, Hemispheres, Brides, Modern Bride, Well + Good NYC, and other print and online publications.”In the name of lifestyle journalism, ” she says, ” I’ve gotten a tattoo in Bora Bora, been bitten by a massage therapist, and flown small aircraft above three continents.” She lives in Lisbon.