The Best Family-Friendly Hotels to Book in Portugal

The Martinhal Lisbon Chiado Family Suites are in the middle of Baixa, Lisbon, within walking distance of all of the area’s popular landmarks and tourist sights, restaurants and traditional cafes. Specifically catering to families with babies and young children, the hotel provides services such as bottle sterilisers and warmers, as well as a playroom with activities for kids up to nine years old. As parents sometimes need a night for themselves, the kids’ club is on hand: it’s like a babysitter and playroom in one, with supervised services both day and night.

The Martinhal Resort chain has plenty to offer, and families heading to Algarve’s wild western coast should consider booking a room further off the beaten path and staying at the five-star Martinhal Sagres Beach Family Resort. The area is known as a fishing village, and surfing is a primary attraction for visitors, so it’s a fairly quiet and remote area, especially when compared to other parts of the Algarve. Activities are designed to keep kids busy and include face painting, arts and crafts as well as outdoor treasure hunts.

The Praia Verde Boutique Hotel is modern, bright and tranquil and is located amid pine forests near the southernmost border with Spain. You may not wish to leave the premises, given the hotel’s proximity to the beach and the on-site restaurant available; opt for a family suite for panoramic views of the stunning surroundings. Families can also avail themselves of a kids’ corner, picnic baskets, horse riding lessons, movies and much more.

If you’re the kind of family that wants five-star luxury, child-friendly services and pet-friendly accommodation, look into the Yeatman Hotel in Vila Nova da Gaia, just across the river from Porto’s historical heart. Not only is there a kids’ club that’s free to guests, but parents will be able to book a sitter before heading out – perhaps to the nearby wineries to sample Porto’s finest? The 83-room hotel has two pools on site, as well as pet-sitting services, and it’s in a perfect spot for port-wine-cellar-hopping and sightseeing in central Porto.

Located in the Algarve, the Be Live Family Palmeiras Village Hotel is just a 10-minute walk from the nearest beach and a short drive from Albufeira on one side and Portimão on the other. Family rooms include views of the sea, and the Better Together Family Room is designed completely with children in mind, from the colourful decor to the child-friendly amenities.

The Penha Longa Resort lies in the mountains surrounding Unesco-listed Sintra, 30 minutes from Lisbon, and sits next to a 14th-century monastery. Stay in a family suite that can accommodate seven, with interconnecting rooms and a balcony overlooking the forested hills. Kid-friendly touches include indoor and outdoor pools, a playground, kids’ clubs and even popcorn and candy floss at teatime. Active adults will love the spa, tennis courts, fitness centre and two golf courses.

This converted rice farm draws inspiration from surrounding nature, with thatched roofs and high wooden ceilings, woven reed baskets and white-washed walls. The infinity pool takes centre stage, overlooking fields of swaying rice, which you can also marvel at from the restaurant’s floor-to-ceiling windows. The resort’s three-bed villas are perfect for families, featuring private gardens with refreshing pools. Quinta Da Comporta is set in the village of Carvalhal in the Comporta region and has its own spa.

This outstanding beach resort in the Algarve between Sagres and Faro feels like a five-star Portuguese village, complete with cobblestoned pathways, flower-filled gardens and soothing waterways. Rooms are perched on a cliff above a secluded slice of toasted sand and are luxuriously appointed across a multitude of categories. With a total of six bars and 10 restaurants, every gastronomic and mixology experience imaginable is mere steps away, while kiddos are catered to with a fully equipped nursery and kids’ park. The lush, 54-acre (22ha) property of subtropical gardens gives guests the sense of strolling through a perfectly manicured park on the ocean.

Running along the ocean cliffs of Albufeira in the heart of the Algarve, this 27-acre (11ha) beach resort resembles a traditional Portuguese village, its whitewashed architecture accented with colourful yellow trim. The 216 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments feature garden or sea views, come with fully equipped kitchenettes and balconies, and feature a light, airy colour scheme that instils a seafaring sense of place. Seven restaurants and bars ensure sustenance, while playgrounds, game rooms and babysitting services ensure sanity (for the parents, anyway). Lovely Santa Eulália Beach is an easy 1km (0.6mi) stroll away.

A Portugal leader in family-friendly accommodation, the Martinhal chain of hotels is owned by a couple who also own a cutting-edge private school in Lisbon. A kids’ club, sporting academy, baby concierge, clubhouse, outdoor playground – Martinhal’s family-friendly culture is unparalleled. The 72 rooms are exquisitely designed and reflect the owner’s unwavering inability to sacrifice style for substance, creating kid-centric accommodations that maintain an adult wow factor as well. Minimalist, mid-century-modern inflections seep into everything here, only to be offset by whimsical Portuguese touches. Parental paradise found.