The Best Hotels in Porches

Whitewashed buildings tumble down a clifftop above the Algarve coast, and the iron gate at the entrance does its best to suggest you've stumbled onto a private estate. This sprawling Forbes Four Star resort runs to seven pools, eleven restaurants, a spa, a wine cellar, tennis, padel, pickleball, a nightclub, and somehow an azulejo tile-painting class, all spread across fifty-odd manicured acres where the lawn eventually gives way to golden sand.

Clifftop gardens spilling bougainvillea down toward the Atlantic set the scene at this large resort on the Algarve coast. Suites run toward soft neutrals and private balconies, with garden, pool, or ocean views depending on your luck. Five pools are tucked among palms and parasol pines, five restaurants cover the range, and the wellness programming runs from sunrise yoga to full retreats. A private golden-sand beach waits just below the cliffs.