We receive this request all the time, so we decided to create a watchlist of the places that we plan to visit.
Yes, here are some boutique hotels in Portugal that are great for families.
We currently can’t recommend any villas. The boutique hotels in Portugal that we recommend are in our homepage and in our watchlist.
Growing up we were fortunate to travel a fair bit around Portugal, and we have never stopped exploring, so we know our beautiful country pretty well. When we started JO&SO, we first focused on those places we already knew of and loved. We also talked to our friends and family to try to get as much inside info as possible. We still have a few places we want to visit and feature, and as time goes by we will keep adding more to our collection.
We currently aren’t able to provide with bespoke advice but if there’s an article you would like us to write about in our journal please let us know.
Under each hotel review we always recommend a couple of restaurants, just scroll down or select “Local Tips” from the sub-menu at the top.
We always try & test all the hotels in our main collection. We want to experience everything first hand to ensure that it would be a place that we would recommend to our friends. We also want to be able to showcase the soul of the places, and that could never happen if we didn’t stay there.
We feature all kind of places to stay, be it luxury, a boutique hotel, a simple guesthouse or even a tent in the middle of nowhere. What matters to us is their character, originality and beauty.
We accept invitations, but we will only feature a hotel if we like it. Our rule of thumb follows these two questions, “would we come back?” and “would we recommend it to our best friend?”.
No, we don’t charge you any booking fees or extra commission for any service offered on joandso.com. Sometimes we use affiliate partner links and receive a small referral commission from sales. Everything we recommend in our website is 100% because we like it. In addition, by booking through JO&SO you are supporting what we are doing, helping us to keep running the website.
We own and recommend the following guides:
LOST iN Lisbon: A City Guide
Lisbon (The Monocle Travel Guide Series) by Tyler Brûlé
The 500 Hidden Secrets of Lisbon by Miguel Júdice
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 also like the following articles:
Porto’s Creative and Culinary Scene by Condé Nast Traveller
Porto City Guide by The Guardian
Lisbon City Guide by The Guardian
A Local’s Guide to the Secret Side of Lisbon by The Times
City Break: Lisbon, Portugal by Condé Nast Traveller
What to do in Lisbon by The Times
Getting Lost in Lisbon by Condé Nast Traveller
Comporta: Portugal’s Best Secret Beach Spot by Condé Nast Traveller
The Authentic Algarve by Condé Nast Traveller
Why Algarve, Portugal Should Be On Your Must-Visit List by Vogue
We genuinely love all of them. Lisbon and Porto are the cities where we spend most of our time, and they’re both amazing in different ways. The region we visit the most on a regular basis for a holiday or weekend break is the Algarve. We love the beaches and the laid-back nature of this region, and it smells wonderful. But then we are also very passionate about sleepy Alentejo (South) and the stunning Douro (North). It’s hard to pick 🙂
It depends on what you’re looking for. Our favourite months are May, June, September and October because it’s quieter and the weather is still great. Note that July and August can get very busy and hot, especially in the south. However, there are plenty of lovely sunny and warm days in the winter in the Algarve which can be very nice especially if you come from colder countries.
We still haven’t been there as JO&SO. We are looking forward to including them in our collection. In the meantime, you can check out our watchlist to find out about the places that we are planning to visit in Madeira and Azores. We also recommend checking out Jo’s post about her trip to the Azores.
We’d love to hear from you. Feel free to get in touch.
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:
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