Perfect Portugal

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LIsbon

Start your experience in Portugal with three nights at the luxurious Verride Palacio Santa Catarina, located in the mix of things in the Bairro Alto neighborhood. Once a nobleman’s palace, Verride Palacio now contains just eighteen gorgeously renovated rooms and suites, some retaining original architectural details like azulejo tiles and intricate plaster molding. Verride Palacio feels like the perfect marriage between contemporary sensibilities and respect for the past. (The heated pool and delicious breakfast spread don’t hurt its appeal, either.)

Your private guide will meet you at Verride Palacio the morning of your first day for a walking tour of Lisbon’s oldest neighborhood, Alfama. If photography’s your thing, we’ll ensure your guide is a pro who can help you with composition and will know the best spots to get killer shots. History’s more your thing? We’ll line up a professor from a local university to walk you through Portugal’s Golden Era. The afternoon is free for exploring this beautiful city (and getting a workout in as you climb up and down the hills). The day winds up with dinner at a speakeasy with a slightly racy burlesque show.

Days 2 and 3 can include visits to beautiful Sintra or Cascais, more free time for exploring (I’ll clue you in to my favorite chocolate store in the world), or a visit to one of Lisbon’s fado lounges to hear Portugal’s signature music.

Alentejo

The morning of Day 4 finds you heading to the airport to pick up your rental car as you make your way to Sao Lourenco do Barrocal. After a 2-hour drive through Alentejo’s villages, you’ll arrive at the property…you’ll know you’re there when a herd of cattle greet you.

After settling into your gorgeously-designed and Pritzker award-winning room in the former farmworkers’ barracks, settle in for three nice lazy days of exploring the beautiful Alentejo region or, really, doing nothing at all.

Your hotel has a myriad of outdoor activities waiting for you, including hiking, biking, and horseback riding, but also boasts one of the world’s few Susanne Kaufmann destination spas - the treatment rooms are huge and airy; you’ll drift off to the scent of botanicals grown onsite and wake up refreshed. Hungry? The property’s superb restaurant serves a variety of Portuguese classics.

You could leave, but you really shouldn’t. It’s the kind of place to lose track of time, regain some clarity, and vow to return as soon as possible.

Douro Valley

On Day 7, you rev up the rental car and head north to the Douro Valley. Famed for its production of port wines, the Douro actually produces as much regular wine as it does port.

Your destination? The stunning Six Senses Douro Valley.

As you descend the steep driveway to the Six Senses, you may, if you’re the driver, feel a sense of vertigo. If you’re the passenger, however, you’ll be reveling in the beauty of the surrounding countryside - the Douro passes lazily just beyond the hotel, and everywhere you look are terraced vineyards.

Tomorrow, you’ve got a wine tour where you’ll explore some small producers and try both port wines and some of the region’s excellent (but rarely distributed in the U.S.), but today I’d explore the grounds of the hotel and find an ideal place to relax with a book, or schedule a treatment in the hotel’s award-winning spa.