I've visited Portugal for 20 years — these are its best beachfront hotels

Times

2 days ago

Portugal has always had at least one eye on the ocean — it's the prow of Europe, facing squarely into the Atlantic, and the sea has shaped everything from its history to its cuisine. It's also been a driver for tourism; Brits have flocked to the Algarve since the 1960s, drawn by the golden stretches of sand that characterise the sun-drenched south coast. The region is more diverse than many give it credit for. In the 20 years I've been visiting I've simply avoided the overdeveloped Albufeira and spent many happy holidays on the glorious barrier island beaches to the east and cliff-sheltered coves to the west.
While the Algarve's shoreline is still the biggest crowd-pleaser — meaning most of my choices for the country's best beachfront hotels are found in this region — other coasts have begun to beguile tourists too, from the dune-backed beaches around Comporta to the surf-lashed sands north of Lisbon. Portugal also excels at urban beaches, with Porto's Foz do Douro suburb and Lisbon's coastal neighbour Cascais offering elegant, metropolitan versions of the seaside.
There's a great variety of hotels near these beaches too. Eco-retreats, sleek boutiques and owner-managed passion projects with character, like Monte da Bemposta, where guests can go for beach rides on the farmstay's horses, are just as easy to find as large properties with multiple restaurants and sports facilities. Families are very well catered for, but more than a third of the hotels on my list are quieter spots more suited to grown-up guests.
• Read our full guide to Portugal
As you'll see from the prices, Portugal offers exceptional value for money, and not only when it comes to accommodation. You'll find Michelin stars in the dining mix, but more rustic food is similarly delicious. In Portimao, Maria do Mar pays homage to Portugal's historic maritime industry by serving only canned fish — the delicate and tasty dishes will convert sceptics — and in the thriving fishing ports of Olhao and Sesimbra you'll dine well and cheaply on freshly grilled sardines near the docks.
My favourite spot for a seaside feast is Culatra Island, a sparsely populated sand-spit where oysters and clams are farmed, travelling mere metres before they're served. Pair your meal with a glass of Portugal's excellent and well-priced white wine — perhaps an arinto, often grown near the sea, or as the Portuguese say, 'where you can hear the crabs sing'.
Do remember, because the Portuguese coast is on the Atlantic not the Mediterranean, water temperatures are fresh even in the middle of summer, and not all beaches will be suitable for swimming. The wild waves of the west coast in particular should be respected.
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A ten-minute walk through fragrant pine forest brings guests at this warm and understated hotel to a long stretch of soft, blond sand lapped by shallow, safe-to-swim waters. If the Octant Praia Verde were in the central Algarve the beach would be heaving in summer, but here in the east it never feels too crowded. With simple but attractive contemporary interiors, the curving, steel-framed building is softened with wooden accents that mirror the sylvan setting. Families love the tree-lined saltwater pool, the suites with kitchenettes and sofa beds, the wood-fired pizzas in the restaurant and the complimentary summer activity programme for kids, featuring fun from biscuit-baking to pyjama parties. This year's extension takes the room count to 80 and has added a spa.Details B&B doubles from £125 (octanthotels.com). Fly to Faro
• Read our full guide to the Algarve
Neighbouring the Octant, this newcomer offers the same gorgeous beach but with extra bells and whistles. Luxe villas and apartments done out in tasteful, sun-bleached tones are scattered among pines, cork oaks and wind-blown dunes. Then there are two sleek pools, a kids' club, a sports centre with a football pitch, tennis and padel courts, yoga classes and spa treatments. The restaurant, bar and beach club share design DNA — lots of rattan and greenery. Borrow bikes to cycle the shorefront trails, rent water sports equipment on the beach, or let the concierge loose and explore the region in style with a scenic gyrocopter flight or a day charter of a yacht.Details B&B doubles from £297 (verdelago.com). Fly to Faro
You won't find hotels built on the sandy barrier islands that stretch along the coast between Cacela Velha and Faro. This village-style property on the mainland close to pretty Tavira, converted from tuna fishermen's summertime quarters, is as close as it gets. There's a small lagoon beach in walking distance and a ferry transfer from its private pier will buzz you over to car-free Ilha da Tavira, where the sand stretches for seven miles. Houses, workshops and warehouses form the 161 cosy rooms, and the school is now the kids' club. A museum documents the fishing industry's history, but the main attraction is nature; within the Ria Formosa Natural Park, coastal walks and rich birdlife are on the doorstep.Details B&B doubles from £90 (vilagale.com). Fly to Faro
A wooden walkway leads from the hotel grounds right to the sands of Praia da Falesia. Backed by apricot-toned cliffs, this vast beach has retained an unspoilt feel despite sitting in the heart of a developed area. It stretches for five miles, and crowds thin out if you walk a few minutes beyond the main access points. The low-slung hotel buildings overlook an expansive, cabana-lined pool complex, and while the restaurants and lobby are quite trendily designed with oversize furniture, impressionistic murals and low-lighting, the 311 rooms are more calmly decorated. The spa is a highlight, and the hotel offers a series of retreats hosted by fitness experts.Details B&B doubles from £150 (sanahotels.com). Fly to Faro
This sprawling and self-contained upmarket haven spreads across 178 acres of prime clifftop above Falesia beach, with one of its 15 restaurants and bars set right on the sand. With 684 rooms, suites and villas it's a veritable village. You'll find every facility you might think of — a kids' club with a pool, pirate ship and bouncy castle; a nine-hole golf course; the now de rigueur tennis and padel courts; a football academy; a spa and extensive gym — and plenty you probably haven't, from cookery lessons and a games arcade to an escape room and a treetop-high rope course, new this year.Details B&B doubles from £184 (pinecliffs.com). Fly to Faro
Once you've checked in at this oasis-like ultra-luxury boutique in the tranquil resort of Gale you'll forget how close you are to Albufeira — it's a 15-minute drive away, but hidden behind the headland. The 13 large, individually decorated rooms and suites all have sea views, and some have private pools, hot tubs or their own area of garden. The palm-shaded, flower-fragranced grounds contain a heated pool and are front-on to the sandy, rock-framed cove, where the hotel's beach shack serves sushi on the shore. The main restaurant, all dainty plates, white tablecloths and ocean views, has retained two Michelin stars since 1999, and hotel guests have priority booking. There's a minimum stay of two nights.Details B&B doubles from £893 (vilajoya.com). Fly to Faro
Early birds catch the worm, and this midsize hotel bagged one of the Algarve's best locations back in 1966, right above the cliff-sheltered, butter-yellow sands of Praia da Cova Redonda. A recent refurb means its retro curves feel trendy, not tired, and the connection to the sea is strong, with five saltwater swimming pools scattered through the grounds and a thalassotherapy focus at the spa. When you're not basking at the beach, there's racket sports and cooking classes, plus a kids' club and bi-weekly organic barbecues alongside four restaurants. Choose from serene suites or multi-bedroom residences, perfect for families.Details B&B doubles from £224 (vilalara.com). Fly to Faro
• 16 of the best family hotels in the Algarve
It's two-for-one on beaches at this tranquil, traditionally styled hotel on the stretch of coastline between Alporchinos and Carvoeira. A path from the grounds leads to Albandeira beach, a little gem with clear water (bring a snorkel) and a famous rock arch. During low tide a natural tunnel connects to a second, 'secret' beach, Praia da Estaquinha — but keep an eye on the time or you'll be swimming back. Recently renovated rooms and suites are sleeker than the slightly dated apartments, but the gardens and pools are beautiful, and the restaurant serves Portuguese favourites such as prawns with rice and octopus.Details B&B doubles from £94 (vilaalbaresort.com). Fly to Faro
A belle époque mansion with a palm-fringed pool anchors this lively resort, a refined, adults-only haven overlooking Praia da Rocha, one of the western Algarve's largest beaches. High ceilings, chequerboard marble floors, intricate azulejo tile scenes and stained-glass windows give a real sense of grandeur, which won't be dispelled by the smart spa by L'Occitane, or the Michelin-starred restaurant that serves tasting menus featuring local produce and a vast selection of Portuguese wines. Choose between 18 rooms in historic buildings or another 20 in a modern addition.Details B&B doubles from £284 (hotelbelavista.net). Fly to Faro
Clifftop hotels — so common in Portugal — excel at views, but for parents of young children the hike up and down to the beach can be a pain. This smart (if a tad soulless) low-rise property on the eastern outskirts of Lagos has easy and flat access to the wide, sandy Meia Praia, plus an all-inclusive package, a kids' club running in the summer months, a children's pool and junior suites with sofa beds. Alongside the main buffet and poolside snack bar is an à la carte option that features Portuguese classics. If you want to explore lively Lagos, a train runs from a station just outside the hotel and will whisk you there in ten minutes.Details B&B doubles from £94 (iberostar.com). Fly to Faro
To the south of Lagos you'll find some of Portugal's most photographed cliffs at Ponta da Piedade, a dramatic headland where the caramel and ochre limestone has been wave-sculpted into pillars, arches and caves. Take the wooden walkway from outside this tranquil hotel and you can wander one way across the top of the famous formations; turn the other and within a couple of minutes you're down on sandy Porto de Mos beach. Inside the traditionally Portuguese exterior you'll find rococo flourishes in the 25 decently sized rooms and suites, which frame a large pool overlooking pretty, established gardens.Details B&B doubles from £98 (vivendamiranda.com). Fly to Faro
Gorgeously located with sandy shores to one side and a nature reserve on the other, this flagship resort from the Portuguese Martinhal brand is family heaven. Tots up to teens are comprehensively catered for: the kids' club accepts those from six months old; playgrounds, petanque and mini-golf are dotted around the grounds; tennis and football academies run in the holidays alongside swimming lessons; plus there's a BMX pump track, a games room and a water sports centre on the beach with windsurfing, kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding. The six restaurants all have kids' menus, and accommodation is in rooms, apartments and villas.Details Room-only doubles from £124 (martinhal.com). Fly to Faro
• 13 of the best beaches in the Algarve
The wind and waves at the Algarve's westernmost town make it surfer central and this airy, minimalist but nevertheless child-friendly hotel has its own surf centre to get them started. It's a lovely spot even if you don't want to catch waves, with exceptional sea and sunset views and a large if rather windswept pool. The restaurant focuses on dishes from the wood-fired oven, the bar has a wide selection of gins and the spa features a sauna and indoor heated pool. The small town beach is right outside the door but the larger, dune-backed Praia Martinhal and cliff-sheltered Praia da Mareta are both ten minutes away on foot. There are 144 rooms and suites, the latter with balconies and kitchenettes.Details B&B doubles from £79 (memmohotels.com). Fly to Faro
While the southern edge of the Algarve is covered with hotels, the wild west coast has strict building regulations which keep its clifftops virgin. One of the closest to the shoreline is this converted quinta, where the traditional terracotta tiles and whitewashed walls have been broken up by expanses of glass and the decor exudes a kind of upmarket monastic calm. Breakfast is served in the airy cantina, and outside you'll find a heated pool, firepit, woodburning sauna and yoga deck. Complimentary bikes mean you can cycle to Odeceixe beach, a horseshoe of sand bordered by the Seixe river and the Atlantic.Details B&B doubles from £157 (amaria.pt). Fly to Faro
With its cork oaks, olive trees and vineyards, the Alentejo region is noted for its rural farm stays, so there are fewer accommodation options on the coast. This best-of-both-worlds hotel in the heart of the regional nature park has farm animals to feed and its own vegetable garden, but it's also a five-minute walk to the wild, surf-bashed Praia da Ilha do Pessegueiro, which faces a small islet that's home to a ruined fortress. Explore on foot, two wheels or four hooves — the hotel can organise bikes and horseriding. The bedrooms, in the low, whitewashed, terracotta-roofed houses that are signature to the region, have bohemian charm and meals focus on local produce. There's a shared pool and padel courts on site. Book early for school holidays — it's understandably popular with families.Details B&B doubles from £95 (montedabemposta.pt). Fly to Lisbon
Development restrictions mean that if you want to stay right by the sea in the fashionable coastal village of Comporta, you'll need to book a villa because there are no hotels. But with its own beach club on the idyllic, dune-backed Praia do Carvalhal stretch, accessed via a complimentary 10-minute shuttle service, this famously chic hotel still brings the sand within easy reach. The main property is set in a country estate, with a pool surrounded by pine trees, a firepit and spa. Dining is refined and uses locally sourced ingredients — Iberian pork with a jus and local scarlet prawns made into a bisque, for example. Much of the accommodation is in modernist wooden cabanas, some with private plunge pools, and others overlooking an eco-friendly bio-pool populated by a community of particularly vocal frogs.Details B&B doubles from £166 (sublimecomporta.pt). Fly to Lisbon
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Protruding like a long, ET-style finger at the top of the Alentejo coast, the Troia peninsula isn't as well known to UK tourists as nearby Comporta, but the beaches are similarly stellar. The golden sands are protected by sunken sandbars out to sea, keeping the Atlantic's waves in check. The northern tip is busy with day trippers; central Sol Troia, where this hotel is, is sleepier and high-end. Spacious grounds host apartments and villas, many with private pools, and there are sports courts, restaurants, an on-site shop and bike rental, making it easy to go out exploring up and down the peninsula. You'll find one of Portugal's best golf courses at Troia, extensive Roman ruins, and may spot dolphins in the Sado estuary.Details Room-only doubles from £206, two-night minimum stay (pestana.com). Fly to Lisbon
You won't find many other Brits on the glorious sandy bay of Praia da California, set at the base of the Serra da Arrabida hills, but it's wildly popular with the Portuguese, who come for the beach and the excellent seafood served in the family-run restaurants that line the mural-adorned streets just behind it. Less than an hour south of Lisbon, it's a good value alternative to better-known Cascais, and this hotel's 84 warm, bright rooms and suites all have balconies and sea views, as does the infinity pool.Details B&B doubles from £120 (sesimbraoceanfront.com). Fly to Lisbon
Want to feel like one of the aristocrats who summered in Cascais in its 19th-century heyday? This hotel's the place; formerly the Duke of Loule's palace and still with sophistication in spades, from the original azulejo-lined cellar kitchen which now hosts wine tastings to the jauntily wallpapered rooms. Right on the urban beach, the restaurant and the sun deck — with a curving pool and tasteful wooden loungers — overlook the sand. There's even a hotel yacht, a handsome craft with teak interiors, which you can book for a day's crewed sailing along the coast.Details B&B doubles from £170 (thealbatrozcollection.com). Fly to Lisbon
On a rugged promontory between two windswept beaches to the north of town, and within the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, this former 17th-century fortress is the perfect place to hole up and relax between bracing coastal walks. Twin cannons still guard the giant wooden gates, but visitors now receive a warm welcome. Many of the handsome — if slightly spartan — rooms with curving brick ceilings have sea views and the excellent restaurant holds a Michelin star, showcasing tastes of the Atlantic, from fragrantly curried razor clams to wreckfish in a traditional broth.Details B&B doubles from £156 (fortalezadoguincho.com). Fly to Lisbon
More famous for its fairytale palaces inland, Sintra has a wild and wonderful coastline too. Just north of Cabo Roca, the westernmost point of continental Europe, the long, sandy Praia Grande has dinosaur footprints in the cliffs at one end, and Portugal's largest ocean pool at the other. It's part of a smartly refurbished hotel, making this a great option if you love windswept beaches but want to swim without battling waves. All 60 rooms have balconies with ocean views, and the restaurant's terrace is a sublime spot to watch the sun set. It's just nine miles from Sintra's historic centre, so you can combine the seaside with sightseeing.Details B&B doubles from £72 (arribashotel.com). Fly to Lisbon
This street art-covered aparthotel hits all the hip notes you'd expect in the cool surf town of Ericeira, with 36 bright and breezy apartments from studio up to four bedrooms, and activities from yoga classes to rock climbing. The property is a hop, skip and a jump from the somewhat sheltered Praia do Sul, the most popular beach close by. The hotel's Jangada restaurant is a buzzy spot with an open kitchen, and the whole place is family-friendly, with a multi-tiered pool area, playground and games room. There's a kids' club for the little ones; teens will prefer to test their mettle on the hotel's skate ramp.Details B&B doubles from £124 (youandthesea.pt). Fly to Lisbon
Take a gentle stroll across protected dunes from this ultra-stylish eco hotel and you'll be on Praia da Mexilhoeira, an unspoilt stretch of fine white sand characteristic of the underdeveloped Silver Coast, as this part is called. Rooms and villas combine driftwood chic with touches of Moroccan and Scandinavian influence, all encased within a contemporary glass and wood shell. Local, seasonal food is served in the restaurant (there's a special table for two in a dome in the vegetable garden), the spa has a wood-fired hot tub, and alongside the trendy, industrial-style bar, drinks are served around a firepit under the stars.Details B&B doubles from £228 (areiasdoseixo.com). Fly to Lisbon
Hardly your classic beach hotel, this turreted 19th-century mansion and its cutting-edge modern extension is nevertheless almost kissing the sand at Foz do Douro, Porto's shoreside suburb. You'll have a very elevated beach stay here — there's a Michelin-starred restaurant in the stucco-ceilinged former ballroom, mixologist-crafted cocktails in the parquet-floored bar and a space-age spa. Rooms and suites are divided; handsome classics in the original building and more avant-garde decor courtesy of the Portuguese designer Nini Andrade Silva in the contemporary building. Stroll along the oceanfront promenade, stopping for tapas-style petiscos at the beachside bars.Details B&B doubles from £217 (vilafozhotel.pt). Fly to Porto
There's a woodland feel inside and out at this activity-focused hotel just outside the coastal town of Viana do Castelo, 20 miles south of the Spanish border. Surrounded by pine forest — this isn't called the green coast for nothing — the hotel's chalet-style rooms, restaurants and spa are pine-clad too, so it's rather as if you're cocooned by the trees. Inside it's tasteful rather than plush, with a midcentury feel conducive to relaxation. On sandy, breezy Cabedelo beach, the hotel has the largest water sports centre in Portugal, with surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing and wingfoiling, plus there's a 'wake park' on the nearby Lima River with wakeboarding, efoiling and stand-up paddleboarding. When you've had enough of the beach, there's a bike centre with rentals and guided road, mountain and gravel bike tours, and a pump track for extra kicks.Details B&B doubles from £120 (feelviana.com). Fly to Porto
Have you got a great Portuguese beach hotel recommendation? Let us know in the comments below