The Alentejo is the kind of region that people stumble into without much of a plan and end up rearranging their whole trip around. Cork trees, bone-white hilltop villages, vineyards that stretch to the horizon. Pair it with the Costa Vicentina — the wild, protected coastline that runs south toward the Algarve — and you've got one of the most underrated stretches of Portugal. We absolutely fell in love with it!

The hotels tend to match the landscape. Converted farmhouses on 300-year-old estates. Low-slung whitewashed houses built into the Alentejo plain. Rural guesthouses where breakfast is local cheese, tomatoes, and bread still warm from the oven. Finding the right hotel in the Alentejo or along Costa Vicentina often means the whole trip falls into place around it.

We've split this guide by region, because the Alentejo interior and the coast are different trips (but are ideal when combined).

There’s a stretch of Portugal’s coast where everything slows down — except the waves. Between Nazaré’s cliff-top drama and Ericeira’s surfer charm, the Central Coast is one of those places that still feels wild, real, and deeply local.

We based ourselves in Nazaré, followed the salty wind south, and came back with a list of stays we’d happily move into. Dive (or surf) into our selection of accommodation in this little — but mighty — corner of Portugal!

It all started with a HBO documentary: 100 Foot Wave. We watched it during lockdown and promised ourselves that we would visit Nazaré as soon as travel resumes!

So, combining a visit to our friends in Ericeira, we headed to Portugal in October, hoping to catch the Big Waves.

We loved every single town and sight we visited in Portugal, but we particularly fell in love with low key Nazaré — apaixonámo-nos pela Nazaré! — this small, off the beaten path town that became famous with Garrett McNamara.

Explore the Big Waves Capital of the World with us and discover the best things to do in Nazaré, Portugal!