2 Best Hotels in Peso da Régua, Northern Portugal

Perched on the right bank of the Douro, this property is owned by the family that dominates Portugal's cork industry, but its Winery House hotel—part of the Relais and Châteaux network—is on an intimate scale: the elegant accommodations, lounge, and restaurant are all in the 18th-century main house. Non-guests may dine in the restaurant (set menus from €58), or book guided winery tours and tastings, which take place in English three or four times daily (from €30, for three reds and one port). You are also free to hike an 8-km (5-mile) marked trail that takes in a walled orchard and stones that from 1756 served to demarcate the Douro wine region (but non-guests must drop into reception first).

This newcomer to the Douro has made a splash with its schist-clad contemporary architecture, an infinity pool overlooking the river, and the Schistó restaurant, the latest showcase (literally: the €180 tasting menu is prepared in full view of diners) for Portugal's chef of the moment, Vitor Matos. He also drew up the menu at the 16 Legoas restaurant, which offers unusual snacks and mains drawing on regional traditions. Guest lodgings in the old house include several duplexes; here and in the new wing, all have valley views, and half have terraces, some with whirlpool tubs (and one with its own pool); inside, wood panels and trim contrast with blocks of mint green and aquamarine, and television screens are concealed as mirrors. Common areas are both stylish and cozy; even in the corridors, aromatherapy machines contribute to the feeling of relaxation.