Portugal’s best villas and residences

13 February 2023

Villas and residences have never been more popular, and for good reason. We’ve all fallen in love with the ease they bring to multigenerational or extended family groups, or friends travelling together, allowing us greater space and seclusion and the flexibility of catering to our loved ones when we feel like it. Few things can beat the joy of your own pool and a long communal dining table at which to enjoy leisurely meals together.

We’ve rounded up our favourite villas in the famously family-friendly Algarve and the lesser-visited north. Some are part of a hotel/resort, giving you the best of both worlds as you can also enjoy the resort facilities.

Pine Cliffs Resort, Algarve

These four-/five-bedroom private-pool villas give you access to all the of the vast Pine Cliffs Resort of which they are a part (along with the Pine Cliffs Townhouses and five other properties). The villas add to the resort’s huge popularity among families, who return again and again for the Annabel Croft tennis academy, state-of-the-art spa, huge kids’ club, children’s village with two life-size pirates’ ships, and private lounging area on Falésia Beach (ranked among the world’s best by TripAdvisor).

Domes Lake Algarve

Just a stroll from Falésia Beach and Vilamoura marina, this luxury resort fully refurbished for 2022 features polished residences with up to two bedrooms sleeping six. The resort has a wonderful setting on its own seawater lake, with a 1.2km wooden boardwalk leading to bars, observation pergolas and waterside restaurants. We love the spa for its combination of ancient Greek methods with state-of-the-art healing techniques, and the activities teaching younger guests to grown their own greens, herbs and flowers.

Martinhal Quinta do Lago, Algarve

This all-villa and -townhouse resort sits in an exclusive residential golf resort with award-winning courses, close to a spectacular Blue Flag beach lined by dunes. Stylish and a bit quirky, it includes a real VW campervan as part of the poolside playground and great kids’ club and games room. Accommodation (all individually decorated) all comes with private gardens and swimming pools; the largest sleeps up to 10. For eats, think everything from light poolside fare in M Bar to deli food and fresh breads and pastries from the handy Mercado for those eating in.

Vineyard House, Douro Valley

High in the hills of northern Portugal with view of rolling vineyards and olive groves, this is bright and airy villa siting in splendid seclusion on the edge of a tiny hamlet where time seems to have stood still. Once a schoolhouse, today it’s also shiny and new, with a a sleek white kitchen, a pool with loungers and parasols, and a poolside snooker room. Local cooks can be booked in to provide you with delicious local cuisine, while Pinhão just 8km away has lovely restaurants and bars to try out, specialist wine shops, a river marina and a scenic steam train to Foz Tua.

To book your Portugal villa or residence, call your Travel Counsellor today.

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