Honeymoon in Portugal?

Looks good to me! We spent our honeymoon in Portugal, too. We're New Yorkers too, and have similar traveling priorities - though we do like staying in cities. We spent the first 4 nights in Lisbon and then the rest in Viana Do Castelo, above Porto.
We never went to Estoril but I remember being tempted to stay there because there was a hotel with great sea views, which I have a fetish for.

I thought Porto was so cool and beautiful. It has this very colorful, but faded, worn (in a charming way) quality.
We only spent the day there, didn't stay.
We also did a day trip to the Douro, which was GORgeous. Just incredible. We wished we'd stayed in one of the Quintas.

You say you like good food, so absolutely go eat at the restaurant called Ramiro in Lisbon. It's this great, old-school, casual seafood place where all the locals go. One of those places where you pick your dinner out of the tank. Sizzling shrimp or clams in garlic, served in these little copper pans. They also have this amazing steak sandwich that isn't on the menu. We went twice, then changed our plans at the end and spent an extra night in Lisbon so we could go once more. We're a little obsessive.

Congrats on your engagement!

Oh, also in Lisbon (in the suburb): go to Solar Dos Leitoes. This little, hidden seafood restaurant where the wine selection is fantastic and you go out back to pick out your fish, then they grill it for you.

It's at: travessa marques lesbio 20
You'll want to find it on the map first.

TAP Portugal flies directly between Porto and Newark, so you might be able to save yourself some time and hassle if you look into flying into Lisbon and out of Porto.

DH and I have been to Portugal twice and have still only visited Porto and the Douro Valley--he is a huge Port conoisseur so we have an agenda there! The Pestana Porto is a worthy splurge (or not a splurge, depending on your POV) as its location on the river can't be beat; it is several old buildings "cobbled together" which gives it a quirky charm. The Sandeman port lodge tour is a nice intro to the industry, and the Ramos Pinto port lodge is filled with fabulous antiques from the early days of the company. If you REALLY like Port, find Vinologia and you can sample just about anything ever bottled.

Will you have a car in the Douro? The Quinta do Panascal near Pinhao has a nice self-guided tour, and the mountains are jaw-droppingly beautiful, but I would not want to rely on just the train to travel there. We stayed at the Quinta de la Rosa (near Pinhao) and we love it, but it's a pretty basic B&B and might not be what you are after on your honeymoon.

Madeira is fantastic, you should drive up into the hills and stop at one of the local bakeries the earlier the better because everything is made fresh in the early hours of the morning. we actually took a drive and accidentally ended up at a little bakery they were still baking but they let us in and we got some delicious pastries straight from the oven.

Thank you all so much! Sorry I have been MIA, I was away in LA last week!

After speaking with a few people, would the Algraves be better to visit instead of staying in Estoril (which would probably mean skipping Lisbon all together)? I was picturing Estoril to be like the Amalfi Coast but apparently it is not at all.

I would include Lisbon but stay in Cascais and not Estoril. There is an easy commuter train into Lisbon.

Hey cjacob, we didn't go to the algarve, so i can't say firsthand, but I've heard and read that it's pretty much a package holiday kind of place and not great for food or culture. I thought the beaches would be beautiful so I was tempted, but when someone told us it was a culinary wasteland, we decided to skip it. Again, that was based on hearsay.

Thanks everyone for your helpful advice. We're getting very serious about going to Portugal for our Honeymoon and have been tweaking a few things. Please let me know how this compares to the first itinerary I put up.

After reading about Estoril/Cascais, I think we'd rather stay in a nicer hotel in Lisbon that has a pool and be able to relax there as it doesn't sound like the beaches are all that great nearby.

Day 1: Lisbon
Day 2: Lisbon
Day 3: Day trip to Sintra
Day 4: Day trip to Evora
Day 5: Fly to Madeira
Day 6: Madeira
Day 7: Madeira
Day 8: Madeira
Day 9: Fly to Porto
Day 10: Douro Valley Area
Day 11: Douro Valley Area
Day 12: Either another day in Douro Valley or drive to Obidos, Alcobaca, and back to Lisbon for our last night
Day 13: Depart from Porto or Lisbon depending what we do

Hi, cjacob,

I think your itinerary looks like it will make for a very nice honeymoon! I con't know if you are interested in hotel recommendations, or what your budget is, but I have a few suggestions.

When I read "nicer hotel in Lisbon that has a pool", I immediately thought of the Lapa Palace (you can find its website easily). This hotel is a bit out of the downtown central area, it is in a beautiful residential area (many embassies and ambassadorial homes nearby) and has lovely grounds and a pool. If you lean towards older rather than newer, I can't think of a nicer place to spend a honeymoon in Lisbon. Cabs in Lisbon are cheap, and there are always a few right outside the hotel door. If you're more into new and swank, I have some other ideas, but the Lapa Palace is a real gem. About 5 or 6 years ago, it was somewhat upstaged by the
Pestana Palace, which is also a drop dead beautiful old mansion. It also has a pool, but is a bit further out than the Lapa Palace. It does have a bus that runs right by its front door, though.

For Madeira, you've got tons of choices, but if you're going to Funchal, most of the nice places are a ways outside of the center -- except for the Hotel Porto Santa Maria. http://www.portobay.com/Hotel.aspx?areaId=231 It's a modern four star, kind of standard four star chain, but we were upgraded to a small suite there and had a huge balcony overlooking the water. But for us the real attraction was that we were able to walk to dinner, enjoy the downtown, and had an easy access in and out of town and an on-site garage for day trips. Since the beaches are rocky, being on the beach wasn't a huge pull for us. I don't know if you're a hiker, but there are some incredible day hikes that are easy to get to from Funchal.

And then a couple of ideas for the Douro. I have been there several times and have a few favorites. One is the Casa Canilhas http://www.canilhas.com/, in Mesao Frio. It's about two km from the beautiful old pousada (hotels in historic old buildings, kind of like the paradores in Spain). I have also stayed in the pousada, but I prefer the Casa Canilhas for two reasons: the view is more spectacular, since it's higher up, and each room has its own private outdoor area (either a balcony or a ground floor patio) with a view of the water -- sitting there with a glass of wine as night falls is one of my favorite travel memories. There is a pool here too and it's nice for cooling off at the end of the day -- the Douro Valley gets HOT in summer. This is not a luxury place, but it is extremely comfortable and the owners are incredibly attentive and have paid a lot of attention to details. The town of Mesao Frio is about 2 km away and has a couple of good restaurants.

Another option, but it's not on the river, is an old estate that has been in the family of the current owners for 5 centuries or so. It's the Casa dos Viscondes de Varzea. Located a few km from Lamego, about 15 km on a super highway from Peso da Regua, one of the central Douro Valley towns. http://www.hotelruralviscondesvarzea.com/ This place is very special, we loved it. It's an easy spot from which to tour the Douro Valley.

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding and kudos to you for making the smart decision to go to Portugal for your honeymoon! I think you'll love it.

Lreynold - thank you so much for all of this information!! I am going to look into all of these hotels.

Have you heard of the Penha Longa Hotel in Sintra? Would that be a good location to stay to visit everything I mentioned or are we better off staying in Lisbon (or somewhere else)?

If we want more beach time, where can we fit that in? I know Porto Santo is more known for its beaches than Madeira, but we don't really want to split our time up anymore. Is it uncommon to just go to Porto Santo for 1 day - early flight in the morning, and later flight at night, or are there amazing beaches in Madeira that I haven't come across? Is Funchal the best place to stay when we want to be away from it all? We definitely want to be near restaurants, but not in the hustle and bustle of things - sounds like those other hotels you were talking about may be a better fit for us.

In the Douro Valley- I think we are looking for more "B&B" or a Pousada as they are called in Portugal! I think I need to do more research on the Douro Valley area of Portugal and see what it is people do there. I imagine it like Napa Valley- am I wrong? Gorgeous scenery and tons of vineyards?

Basically what we want is for an exotic trip (somehwere few people have gone - i.e. Madeira)- where we have a mix of city, beach time, gorgeous scenery... all done in luxury and on a budget!!! Budget for us is about $10,000 for two weeks (would love that to include flights but doesn't have to).

Hi, Cjacob,
A few follow-ups--

I hadn't heard of Penha Longa, but I took a look at the website and it looks like a great honeymoon site if you want to be sequestered and spend your days in the lap of luxury. But as a base for traveling, I think it would be inconvenient to get in and out of Lisbon. Based on the map they have on their site, it looks like it's a distance from any real town. Getting to Sintra and Cascais/Estoril would be easier (don't know if you'll have a car), but I think it just depends on your own ideas about your honeymoon.

I am just not a beach person, so I can't really tell you much more about Madeira. Our main purpose there was the hiking, and I can't stress enough how spectacular the day hike to Pico Ruivo was. One of those long, tiring, but completely energizing walks. For us, the in-town location was perfect, but again, we weren't on our honeymoon and we weren't looking for beaches, so my opinions probably aren't too helpful here.

For the Douro, it sounds like you want to stay in the Douro Valley itself, so that would rule out my suggestion of the Casa Viscondes de Varzea, though it is really nice.

The Douro has some luxury places too, the one I've heard mentioned the most is Aquapura, but I haven't ever stayed there. If you're looking for a B&B or Pousada, I think my suggestion in the earlier post about Casa de Canilhas might fit very well. It's a very comfortable home with 7 or 8 rooms, and has a spectacular view of the Douro river, each room with a private terrace or balcony and very good breakfasts. I think it's much more comfortable than the Pousada at Mesao Frio (about 1 km away), but you could always go there for a drink and walk around the estate (the pousada is part of a still-working vineyard). If you want to stay at a vineyard, the Quinta do Penascal gets very good reviews -- the only thing that has kept me from going there is that it's about 8 km inland from the river in the valley. But I've visited the vineyard and enjoyed it a lot -- it is run (or was, 3 years ago) by a young Dutch expat couple and they are extremely enthusiastic and friendly.

The Douro Valley is really spectacular -- here's a link to some pictures from 2008 http://picasaweb.google.com/laurie.reynolds/DouroValleySept08#

and some from a trip this summer that shows the Casa Canilhas as well as the pousada. http://picasaweb.google.com/laurie.reynolds/TripWithDana#

(I'm sorry these pictures haven't been edited, I am very slowly learning how to use picasa).

Anyway, hope you get some good advice on Madeira and good luck with picking places. Happy to give more opinions if they would be helpful. Laurie

I love Coimbra! It's an old University town about an hour North of Lisbon on Alfa Pendular and many of the Alfas between Porto & Lisbon do a Station Stop there. I think it would be worth an overnight stop ...

In Lisbon you should go to a Fado café: http://atlasparasite.com/2009/07/28/a-tasca-do-chico-in-lisbon/
And if you like animals, better than the zoo there's the Oceanarium: http://atlasparasite.com/2009/09/07/oceanarium-in-lisbon/
In Sintra, among other places to see, you should go to Quinta da Regaleira: http://atlasparasite.com/2009/09/15/quinta-da-regaleira-in-sintra/
And in Porto all I can say is wine tasting in the morning, followed by a nice lunch by the river:
http://atlasparasite.com/2009/08/12/croft-port-wine-cellars/
http://atlasparasite.com/2009/08/21/bogani-cafe-in-vila-nova-de-gaia/

Thanks so much!! Going to look into all of these ideas.

Would you recommend staying in Lisbon or Estoril? We have 4 nights in Lisbon and surrounding area. I think Lisbon needs 2 days, 1 day in Sintra and 1 day I planned for Evora, but if we stay in Estoril, we would probably just spend the day relaxing at the beach and skip Evora. Thoughts??

Don't skip Evora. For beach time, we preferred Caiscais to Estoril and you can visit Sintra from there.

Well, my opinion is that two days is too little time for Lisbon. I think 3 is a bare minimum (two in Lisbon, one in Belem) and if you add Sintra, that's four. But everyone has to make their own balance between depth and breadth in planning itineraries. Again this is just my preference, but I do not see the big attraction of staying in either Cascais or Estoril when Lisbon is such a wonderful city.

Evora is about 90 minutes from Lisbon, a very do-able day trip, but a lot of Evora's charm, I think, is best enjoyed with a night there and the opportunity to stroll, eat, etc.

Laurie

Your plan sounds great. If you really to feel the culture, eat excellent food and drink great wine, and have a feel for picturesque and rustic towns, then you must visit Braga and Ponte de Lima in the Province of Minho. You will have a great time in Obidos and, if you can, Tomar is worth a visit. Sintra is definitely a must.

Have a great time.

We really enjoyed the Quinta Passadouro just outside of Pinaho. It's not luxury, more of a rustic place but it's a real functioning winery with a lovely garden and great food for dinner and breakfast. You can even stomp grapes if you want as my husband did.

We also enjoyed Salema in the western Algarve. It's a small town with a nice beach out of the fray of the Algarve. We stayed at the A Mare hotel in their apartment A and really enjoyed it - not luxury but very comfortable.

Wow - I have to say even two years out, this thread is incredibly useful! My fiancee and I will also be heading to Portugal for our honeymoon this July, and thought I might also use all your knowledge for feedback and crowdsource towards a better itinerary.

Our priorities are to keep it simple, not spend too much time travelling between areas, and take advantage of the natural beauty, food, and wines.

Our tentative itinerary as it stands (we're based between Toronto and Ottawa, so Lisbon arrival and departure is necessary)

Day 1: Arrive Lisbon; rent a car, drive down to Albufeira
Day 1 - 5: based out of Albufeira, explore the Algarve; definitely plan to go to Vila Joya, but would welcome any other food recommendations in the area.
Day 6: drive back to Lisbon, return the car
Day 6 - 8: explore Lisbon, museums, foods, ocean, etc.
Days 9 - 10: spend last two days at a B&B in Sintra
Day 11: return to Lisbon for departure

Would greatly appreciate any thoughts - it's still all flexible aside from arrival and departure dates, so would love to hear if you think we're selling anything short. I would love to see more of the country, but our priority will be to relax ahead of trying to capture every region on this visit.

Thanks in advance!!

If I look to your priorities, I must say it's perfect! 2.5 days in Lisbon and 2 days in Sintra is ok to know the major things in both places with no stress.
If you have the opportunity to deliver the car in Sintra,leaving Lisbon to the end, maybe you have some more time available for sightseeing.

I would suggest doing your sightseeing in Lisbon first - upon arrival - and rent the car when you're ready to leave. That will give you some time to get over jet lag (and rest up from your wedding!) before having to drive somewhere.

Wow, you sound like us as far as likes/dislikes! I am trying to plan our honeymoon too... was considering Italy, Croatia, Ireland, Greece.... now I'm considering Portugal too.

HOW WAS IT!?

We are planning for a Honeymoon too after our June wedding, however we only have a week and I am now bottled down to either Greece or Portugal..Your idea of Honeymoon sounds familiar to what we are looking for..beaches, relaxing, culture, food, wine...what would be a best itinerary for 8-day trip?? suggestions??

I'd start a new post, if you haven't already. I doubt the OP will come back and see this but if you start a new thread, you will get suggestions.

I an headed to Lisbon in late May - we will actually stay in a nearby sea town, Cascais. I think it will be a great mix of urban and sea. Quite a few daytrip possibilites for days you don't feel like chillin'. IMO the logistics of Portugal will be a bit easier to do a week trip to than Greece (well unless you are from Europe).