Portugal

By Ann Abel The best small hotels are nearly always passion projects and labors of love. Lisbon got its latest proof of this in October, with the arrival of Hotel das Amoreiras, a 19-room oasis beside one of the city’s most beautiful small parks. Pedro Oliveira, who founded the new hotel along with his

By Ann Abel For all its grandeur and loveliness today, Vidago Palace, a lavish resort in the far north of Portugal, did not get off to the most auspicious of starts. In the early 20th century, when thermal springs resorts were all the rage, King Carlos I wanted a luxurious palace

  By Ann Abel For five years now, I’ve regularly been singing the praises of the Portuguese capital. But it also turns out that you can go about an hour from Lisbon, or less, in almost any direction, and come across something completely different and completely wonderful. Here are seven places

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

By Ann Abel Near the eastern edge of Portugal’s Algarve coast, there’s a yellow pyramid-shaped hotel that’s enormous enough to see from Tavira, more than 12 miles away. You can also see it from Spain, and although you can’t see it from space, the thought did cross my mind. Not

By Ann Abel All across Portugal, people have been counting down to today—the day that terraces (outdoor dining, basically) can reopen after the country’s long winter coronavirus lockdown. There’s no shortage of esplanadas (terraces, rooftops and even sidewalk tables) in this lovely, temperate country, but some of the most beguiling are in

By Ann Abel Honestly, it’s difficult to write cheerfully about travel these days. But a few weeks ago, I found some intriguing news in the midst of my pre-dawn doomscrolling. India’s government had thrown down a challenge for dedicated travelers to visit 15 of the country’s highlights before the end of

By Ann Abel Remember when we used to talk about high-touch service at five-star hotels? That used to be a major selling point. Today I cringed just typing that phrase. Now the goal is contactless everything. It’s not that cleanliness is the new luxury—cleanliness should have been and generally was

By Ann Abel The discussion of a“Portuguese miracle” may have been too much, but now that Europe is tentatively emerging from the first wave of the coronavirus, it’s clear that the country performed well. Although Portugal hit pause during the same week as much of the world, it was early

Story & photos by Julie Maris/Semel Get lost on Soajo’s ancient, stone cow-path to find traditional Portuguese warmth and hospitality. Follow the scent of wildflowers and mountain meadows or back-country road signs that lead to shepherds, roaming livestock, and welcoming cafes. This is northern Portugal, where sheer cliffs are matched