Casa de Santa Comba

The pool looks out toward the mountains, and at night we stretched out on the loungers to watch stars and meteors together. It was romantic and beautiful, hard to put into words. There’s also a lovely garden with a fountain and a museum-like space explaining how wine is made. This is a family-owned place, and we were lucky to have a chance to chat with them. Their son Paul was very helpful and speaks fluent English, which is useful if you don’t know Portuguese. On the drive in, you pass through a stone gate and follow a long road among vineyards and fruit trees. There’s a well-kept acre of land on the right, then horses, sheep, geese, and some other animals. At the end are parking, the main check-in building, and the breakfast house. The rooms are beautifully decorated, traditional, and full of thoughtful details, with a real step-back-in-time feel. But there’s so much else to enjoy here. Breakfast is served, though you’ll need to bring other food. There’s a restaurant around the corner, and markets are a short walk or drive away where you can pick up a few things. I absolutely loved everything about this countryside escape, and it’s under $100 a night.