Look Linger Love

Earlier this month Josh and I traveled to Portugal with some friends, 2 other couples – our friends Marshall and Haskell and Molly and Ted. I’ve been so excited to recap our trip. First and foremost it was incredible. We chose Portugal because we really wanted to explore a great place that no one in our group had been to, the climate was comfortable for the time of year we could go, and it’s fairly easy to get to. It ended up blowing away our expectations! 

Despite the trip starting off a little rocky thanks to the airline losing our luggage for the first 36 hours, it didn’t dampen our spirits. Our first half of the trip was spent in the countryside near Evora, about an hour and 15 minutes east of Lisbon. This was my most favorite part of trip. We stayed in the most amazing boutique hotel called Villa Extramuros, located in Arraiolos-Alentejo. It has only 5 hotel rooms, plus 2 small cottages, and is situated on 5 acres of olive fields surrounded by sheep.

The photos of our hotel really speak for themselves, but you guys, if you go to this area of Portugal you MUST stay here. It was like magic. So peaceful, well designed, and the service was incredible.

It was too chilly for the pool but that just means I’ll have to come back.

Breakfast was my favorite. Locally focused, and exquisite. The room was so peaceful, and I loved how they poured our coffee into bowls.

The rooms have private porches attached with the most amazing views.

My favorite day was our guided bike tour with Cycling Lisbon (our guide Vitor was amazing). We used electric bikes (so fun) and went roughly 30 miles over 6 hours exploring the historic city Evora, riding country trails, and a tasting at a winery!

We stopped in the Chapel of Bones. The walls are literally decorated with skulls and bones. It definitely gave me a creepy feeling, but it was interesting to see.

There are two restaurants that we had dinner at that 100% need to be on your list if you go to this area of Portugal. Gadanha Mercearia in Estremoz was So Freaking Good. The chef helped us order all of the right dishes (but I highly doubt there was a bad one on the menu), and we loved her so much that by the end of the meal we were sharing photos of each other’s kids and taking photos with her.

The other restaurant that we all loved so much was O Alpendre in Arraiolos. Described as farmer’s food, we ordered family style and everything was incredible. They’re well known for pork in this area, and it was all awesome. 

The second half of our trip was spent in Lisbon, and truth be told it was just okay for me. We spent two nights here but I probably could have been satisfied with an afternoon. There were some highlights though, and we definitely had a great time. I loved walking around the city, climbing hills, exploring. We stayed at Memmo Alfama, which had a beautiful rooftop and was nicely located.

If you’re visiting Lisbon I recommend just walking as much as you can and seeing the sites. It’s a beautiful place. Tuk-tuks (pictured above) are a fun way to see the city as well! We had a nice meal at Prado, which came highly recommended to us. If you can’t get a reservation then definitely stop into their connected smaller cafe at the top of the hill for coffee. We visited the National Tile Museum and it was, surprise surprise, gorgeous! I want to tile everything in my house now.

So the moral of this story/trip recap post is to encourage anyone considering  traveling to Portugal to DO IT. Is was truly so special. I really want to go back and explore the Azores as well as Algarve. The more laid back areas and smaller towns are what draw me in and make the trip worth it to me. In case you’re wondering, direct flights from NYC to Lisbon are under 7 hours! Feel free to reach out to me with any specific questions!