FAQs

Could you recommend me other places that are not in your collection yet?

We receive this request all the time, so we decided to create a watchlist of the places that we plan to visit.

We love the places that you feature but can you recommend a villa with a pool?

We currently can’t recommend any villas. Everything we recommend is on our homepage and in our watchlist.

You don’t feature many family-friendly places, can you recommend any?

We have started by focusing on our favourite places, and most of them happen to be small hotels that are not very family-friendly, but this is not to say that we will rule them out, it depends. Here are some hotels that are great for families.

How do you find the places that you feature?

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.

Can you help me organise my trip?

We currently aren’t able to provide with bespoke advice but if there’s a specific article you would like us to write about in our journal please let us know.

Can you recommend restaurants?

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. Also, if you subscribe to our newsletter you will receive two customised Google Maps, featuring all our favourite spots in Porto and Lisbon.

Do you stay at all the places that you feature?

Yes, always. 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 their soul, and that could never happen if we didn’t stay there.

Do you only feature luxury hotels?

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.

Will you feature a hotel if they invite you to stay there?

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?”.

Do you charge an extra commission if we book through you?

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.

Do you recommend any travel guides?

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

What’s your favourite region in Portugal?

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 🙂

When’s the best time to visit Portugal?

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.

Can you recommend hotels in the Madeira and Azores?

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.

Can I recommend you some places in Portugal?

We’d love to hear from you. Feel free to get in touch.

What are your favourite hotels worldwide?

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