Eric and I just returned from a really wonderful vacation in Portugal. We are celebrating 10 years of marriage this October and we really wanted to go big for this trip. We dropped our kids with their grandparents and cousins in Ohio and were able to spend a week stress-free, knowing our kids were in great hands. Other than a few delays on the way there, it was a really smooth traveling and I’m so grateful reflecting through these pictures of such a special getaway.
We are generally airbnb people but because it was our anniversary, we decided to make this trip feel like a honeymoon and stayed at two really spectacular resorts. So this post won’t be much of a travel guide but rather a source of inspiration if you’re planning to visit Portugal.
The first area we stayed in was Algarve which is the southern region of Portugal made up of beaches and beautiful coastlines. Our resort was Vila Vita Parc located in the town of Porches. I would recommend Villa Vita Parc a hundred times over. It had everything and more we could have imagined for a mixture of relaxation and adventure. There were lots of families staying there and the atmosphere was friendly and exciting. They had pitch and putt golf, tennis, hiking, beaches, and even a wine tasting experience in a cave. They have a variety of restaurants including the most incredible 2-star Michelin restaurant called Ocean. You’ll see below one of our courses was served as Mahjong.
Vila Vita Parc also set us on a boat ride to explore the caves along the coast. This is a MUST if you’re in the area. The coastline is absolutely thrilling and our boat drivers were so skilled at maneuvering our boat in and out of caves. We also had great views of all the various stunning beaches which are all open to the public. It’s exactly what I picture European beaches to look like.
Eric and I could not stop raving about Vila Vita Parc. It felt like the perfect spot for a couple who has one person that likes to keep moving and one that needs some down time. Eric loved doing his sauna routine while I posted up with my book on the beach. He worked out while I napped (ha).
It was also so nice having such great meal choices in one location. We could walk to every restaurant (or take a golf cart!) at the resort. It felt so nice, especially after a food coma.
The second part of our trip was spent in the Douro Valley which is Portugese wine country. We flew up to Porto and drove an hour and a half over to get to this area and we stayed at the Six Senses, another leading hotel in Portugal. This experience was equally enchanting but very different than Algarve. We didn’t leave our hotel once except for a lovely boat ride down the river but we took full advantage of the experiences Six Senses offered. We tried wine from the 1800s (a vintage Port!), made our own salt rubs, and even hand-painted our own tiles which quickly became my favorite part of the trip! Just walking the property while sipping wine was luxurious in itself and we loved exploring the gardens and hotel amenities. The spa was world-class and arguably the best we ever have been to. We stayed just two nights and maximized every minute we were there.
We spent a very short and unplanned time in Porto so I feel like we just barely got to know the city. We had dinner at the Yeatman which was another michelin rated spot and it overooks the city so we got some spectacular views of Porto. We also visited the famous bookstore where J.K. Rowling frequented and apparently got the inspiration for the vibe of Hogwarts in Harry Potter. The bookstore was a quick and neat experience! We spent the majority of our time in Porto walking and looking for souvenirs that weren’t junk. We finally found a few things and scooped them up, including hand-painted blue & white pottery (my faaavorite!) and some little sardine chocolates for the kiddos.
I’m so happy we got this time for us in Portugal! It was one I’ll never forget and I’m SO grateful to my in-laws for taking care of our precious babies so we could completely relax and soak up this experience.
Inspiration portugal six senses douro valley the algarve villa vita parc
