As you might expect there is a huge range hotels in Portugal to choose from. These vary widely in terms of both quality and character, although sometimes the two are not entirely separate! At the top end, four and five star luxury or boutique hotels occupy some of the best locations in Portugal's cities and coastline. However, if you are prepared to compromise a little on service and facilities there are plenty of great one and two star hotels, often with pretty good locations too. These cheaper hotels were formerly known as a pensao or resedencial, and many still go by this name.
Despite the huge popularity of self-catering accommodation, lots of people still prefer hotels for their holidays. There are several reasons why a hotel might suit you best. You may find self-catering more of a burden than liberating. At a hotel, you would have a cleaning and laundry service and not have to worry about cooking since you are on holiday, after all.
Hotels might have better options for activities, such as children's clubs and evening entertainments. If you choose an all-inclusive resort, you could have your routine set out for you to free you from the task of planning every single day's itinerary yourself. You can relax and let somebody else do activity planning.
If you're the social type, hotels may also give you a better chance of meeting new people, since there will be lots of other holiday-makers there, too. Be sure, however, to research your choice so that you pick a place likely to have guests whose aims are roughly compatible with yours. A family with young children, for example, would probably not like to stay at a hotel frequented by party-goers or the stag-do and hen night market.
If you decide on a hotel, you can browse our site for options ranging from budget to five star. Among the budget hotels, prices are lower to compensate for a possible lack of some amenities, such as en suite bathrooms and air conditioning. If you're happy to do without these, you can save a good amount in the cost of your accommodation.Â
In Portugal a room is referred to as a quarto, and these come in various types; a quarto duplo will have two single beds whereas a quarto casal has a double bed. For lone travellers there is the quarto solteiro / individual which is a single room, and significantly cheaper.
Among Portugal's more luxurious hotels are the "pousadas." These are a chain of hotels that were once historic buildings that were formerly owned by the state. They will be four or five stars, so expect a comfortable stay in a striking, unique setting. In the same vein are estalgems, similarly luxurious rural hotels and inns located in converted manors houses or other historic buildings.
The price of your hotel will vary greatly based on luxury level as well as the location; the Algarve, Lisbon area and Porto will tend to command higher prices.
