FAQs

Growing up, we were fortunate to travel a fair bit around Portugal, and we've never stopped exploring. So, we know our beautiful country pretty well. When we started JO&SO, we first focused on the places we already knew and loved. We also talked to our friends and family to get as much inside info as possible. We mark the hotels where we've stayed as Visited, and we also feature the top places we want to visit – we call this our Watchlist .

The Douro Valley is a wine region in northern Portugal along the Douro River, approximately 120 kilometres east of Porto. The Douro is known for its stunning scenery, rich cultural heritage, world-renowned wine production. The best hotels in the Douro Valley include gorgeous quintas - the famous traditional vineyard estates.

Portugal's highlights include its beautiful beaches, historic cities, delicious cuisine with traditional solid roots, excellent wine, fado music, art, football, and cultural festivals. It is also known for its rich history of exploration and maritime discovery. Additionally, Portugal is famous for its cork production, which is used for various products such as wine bottle stoppers and flooring.

We don't provide bespoke travel advice or personal recommendations. Everything we recommend is already available for free on our website to help you plan your trip.

The easiest way to get to the best hotels in the Douro Valley is by car, with the scenic drive offering stunning landscape views. Alternatively, you can take a train from Porto to one of the main towns in the Douro, such as Pinhão or Peso da Régua. Boat tours that travel along the Douro River are also available, providing a unique perspective of the valley.

We believe March to June and September to November are the best times to visit Portugal, offering milder weather and fewer crowds. While summer is ideal for beach and outdoor activities, temperatures can often reach the 30s Celsius. Furthermore, destinations such as Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve can get crowded during the high season. 

We strictly don't let a place pay its way to be featured on our website. Everything we feature on joandso.com has to be 100% because we like it. We also review our lists regularly. On JO&SO, we only feature what we consider to be the best boutique hotels, guesthouses and holiday rentals in Portugal. You can submit your place for us to review here.

Some of the best hotels in the Douro Valley are located in and around the region’s charming towns, including Peso da Régua (considered the capital of the Douro), Pinhão (picturesque vineyards and a charming riverfront), Lamego (historical landmarks), Vila Nova de Foz Côa (prehistoric rock art sites), and Sabrosa (a quaint village with a rich wine heritage). These towns are excellent bases for exploring the Douro.

Some of the must-see attractions in Portugal include the historic cities of Lisbon and Porto, the Douro Valley wine region, the beaches of the Algarve, and the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Sintra and Évora.

Sure, you can submit a hotel here. 🙂

Some of the top things to do in the Douro Valley include taking a boat tour along the Douro River, visiting local quintas for wine tastings, exploring the historic city of Lamego, and taking in the stunning views from the Miradouro São Leonardo da Galafura viewpoint. Venture further east to visit the prehistoric rock art sites in Foz Côa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Traditional Portuguese dishes include Bacalhau (salt cod), fresh grilled fish, seafood, Cozido (meat stew), Caldo Verde (kale soup), Frango Piri-Piri (spicy roasted chicken) and rice-based dishes such as Arroz de Marisco (Seafood Rice). The most famous sweet treat is Pastel de Nata (custard tard), but a little-known fact is that chocolate mousse is a prevalent choice in Portuguese restaurants.

Yes, here are some of the Best Hotels in Portugal that are Family-Friendly.

It depends on what you’re looking for. Our favourite months to visit Portugal are May, June, September and October because it’s quieter and the weather is still great. Note that July and August are busy and hot. However, there are plenty of sunny and warm days in the winter in the Algarve which can be lovely especially if you come from colder countries.

Some of the best wineries to visit in the Douro Valley include Quinta do Vallado, Quinta do Crasto, and Quinta do Noval.

The weather in Portugal varies depending on the region and season. The southern coastal Algarve is known for its warm and sunny weather, while the northern areas, like Porto, can be cooler and more rainy. Overall, Portugal has a Mediterranean climate with mild winters and hot summers.

Some of the best restaurants in the Douro Valley include DOC, Castas e Pratos, and Tasca da Quinta.

Some common Portuguese phrases that you may find helpful as a tourist include "Obrigado/a" (thank you), "Bom dia" (good morning), "Por favor" (please), "Fala inglês?" (Do you speak English?), "Sim" (Yes), “Não” (No) and "Onde fica?" (where is it?). Many Portuguese are comfortable speaking English and Spanish, while others can speak French.

We genuinely love all of them. Lisbon and Porto are the cities where we spend most of our time, and they're both fantastic in different ways. We love the Algarve's beaches and laid-back nature; it smells wonderful too! But then we are also very passionate about sleepy Alentejo (South of Portugal) and the stunning Douro (North of Portugal). The Azores islands are magical, and Madeira is so beautiful too. It's hard to pick 🙂

The Douro Valley has a Mediterranean climate, with hot summers and mild winters. Temperatures can range from 20-35°C (68-95°F) in the summer months and 10-15°C (50-59°F) in the winter months. The Douro receives the most rainfall during the winter months, with occasional heavy showers, although it can rain at any time of the year.

Yes, many times.

Sure! To begin with check our book The 500 Hidden Secrets of Porto by JO&SO. It might be the best travel guidebook about Porto but we might be a little bit biased. 😉

We own and recommend the following guides:

Portugal: The Monocle Handbook: Your guide to the best hotels, restaurants, beaches and design, by Tyler Brûlé, Andrew Tuck, Joe Pickard

Lisbon (The Monocle Travel Guide Series) by Tyler Brûlé

The 500 Hidden Secrets of Lisbon by Miguel Júdice
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We did a video with the lovely folks at Condé Nast Traveller, where we talk about the neighbourhood where we grew up:

Foz do Douro, Porto, by JO&SO: Off the beaten track

We don't charge any booking fees when you book a hotel through our website. However, we may include affiliate partner links that allow us to earn a small commission from sales, without any extra cost to you. Rest assured that everything we recommend on our website is because we love it. By booking through us, you are also supporting what we do and helping us to maintain an ad-free with no paid content.

We sometimes accept hotel invitations but will only visit it and feature it if we love it. Our rule of thumb follows these two questions, 'Would we come back?' and 'Would we recommend it to a friend?'

On joandso.com we feature all kinds of places to stay in Portugal. It could be a luxury five-star hotel, a boutique hotel, a boutique guesthouse, a rural & farmhouse stay or even a tent in the middle of nowhere. We look for beautiful design, thoughtful service and good energy.

We (Joana and Sofia) personally try and test all the places marked as Visited. We want to experience everything first-hand to ensure that we only recommend hotels in Portugal that we would suggest to our friends. We also want to showcase the soul of the places, which could never happen if we didn’t stay there. We also feature the hotels in Portugal that are at the top of our Watchlist and that we look forward to visiting next.

On joandso.com we mostly feature boutique hotels in Portugal, but sometimes we also include villas. We have written about what we consider the best holiday rentals in Portugal, you can check it out here: Where to Stay in Portugal: Handpicked Holiday Homes, Apartments and Villas.

Under each hotel review (the hotels marked as Visited), we sometimes recommend a couple of restaurants. Just scroll down or select 'Local Tips' from the sub-menu. Sometimes in our articles (in the Journal) we also mention our favourite places to eat. Also check out our Porto Travel Guide 'The 500 Hidden Secrets of Porto'.

We love travelling and between the two of us, we have visited over 30 countries. We always try to find special places to stay. Below are the hotels that hold a special place in our hearts:
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Papaya Playa Project – Tulum, Mexico

The Siam – Bangkok, Thailand

Zeavola – Phi Phi, Thailand

Bann Makok – Koh Kood, Thailand

Bambu Indah – Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

Villa Jacaranda – Varkala, Kerala, India

HOSHINOYA Tokyo – Tokyo, Japan

Hudson Central Park – New York, USA

Soho Beach House – Miami, USA

Home Hotel – Buenos Aires, Argentina

The Soho Hotel – London, UK

Babington House – Somerset, UK

We think Portugal has an incredible amount of gorgeous boutique hotels and guesthouses, especially in proportion to the country's small size. We have yet to find other websites similar to JO&SO in other countries, but we like the selection of boutique hotels on Best Boutique Hotels Worldwide.

In our opinion, the best hotels in Portugal are about much more than just stars. When searching for the best hotels in Portugal, we always aim to find special places – a stunning five-star hotel, a gorgeous boutique hotel, a simple guesthouse, or even a secluded rural cabin. For us, the best hotels in Portugal stand out for their beautiful design, thoughtful service, and positive energy.

On our website, you can browse the best hotels in Portugal by region, or you can categorise by type: best hotels in Portugal with unique design pieces, best hotels in Portugal with a swimming pool, best rural and farmhouse hotels in Portugal, best five-star hotels in Portugal, best spa hotels in Portugal and so on. We hope you find the perfect hotel in Portugal for your stay.

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