Dive In: Glorious Hotel Pools For Summer Travel In Portugal

It wasn't an easy decision, but someone had to have the courage to make it. Take the opportunity to book a room until the end of the year, the best is always to come! With seawater, with a panoramic view over the Douro, or surrounded by a peaceful garden, cool off with the best pools in Portugal!

© Quinta Nova

From infinity pools to heated outdoor pools. A step away from the beach or with mountain views. Away from everything or in the middle of the city. In this selection of hotels with the best outdoor pools in the country, there are options for all tastes!

Herdade da Malhadinha Nova, Beja 

The deep Alentejo, the countryside, history, nature, swimming pools, peace, incredible food, and wines: it's all in one place. There are few places like that. And we're not just talking about Portugal, we're talking about the whole world. Here, at Herdade da Malhadinha Nova, space, nature, history, attention to detail, simple and comfortable luxury, experiences, food, and winemaking combine in a perfect atmosphere.

Blessed by nature and enhanced by the investment and care of an entire family, this set of houses in the region of Beja, in Alentejo, has become a dream destination for a complete vacation or getaway, however isolated and demure.

São Lourenço do Barrocal, Reguengos de Monsaraz

São Lourenço do Barrocal, the five-star Alentejo hill. The spaces where Souto Moura ended up having a more marked design were three: the cellar, the biological vegetable garden, still under development, and the swimming pool right next door, crossed by a huge limestone stone called, precisely, Barrocal.

Dá Licença, Estremoz

It was in Alto Alentejo, on a 120-hectare estate near Estremoz, that the Dá License was born. This marvelous hotel combines nature and art with supernatural dimensions.

Here, Alentejo is everywhere. It's the hatch-shaped bedroom window, it's the pool area that looks more like a moonscape and it's, above all, all the immaculate marble that we're surrounded by.

Spatia Comporta, Grândola

The Spatia Comporta promises space and that's something you'll have plenty of. The parish of Comporta, on Portugal's Atlantic coast, is an hour and a half from Lisbon and is known for its splendidly deserted beaches and top-notch hospitality. Spatia Comporta is located just outside the city, just minutes from the beaches, surrounded by pine forests and rice fields, in a setting that offers a generous measure of seclusion.

There are just four villas, divided into a total of ten rooms, which surround two delightful outdoor pools, one for children and the other for adults only.

Sublime Comporta, Grândola

On this estate, among stone pines, there are 22 new villas to discover, an organic garden, two restaurants, and a spa. At Sublime Comporta Country Retreat & Spa, everything is in tune. Sublime was born in 2014, on a beautiful estate that extends over 17 hectares, currently totaling 81 rooms.

Following the trail to the main house, you will discover the first houses made of wood that recreate the typical cabins of Comporta, albeit with a contemporary interpretation – each with a different typology (with 2, 3, 4, and 5 bedrooms) and terrace. 

Ventozelo Hotel & Quinta, São João da Pesqueira

In the heart of the Alto Douro Vinhateiro, in the municipality of São João da Pesqueira, Quinta de Ventozelo is one of the largest and oldest farms in the Douro, with an area of 400 hectares, 200 of which are vineyards. With more than 500 years of history, Ventozelo opened in 2019 and, two years later, ended up exceeding all expectations in terms of occupancy and bookings.

Six Senses Douro Valley, Lamego

In Lamego, Six Senses Douro Valley is a dream location within Quinta do Vale de Abraão. Surrounded by terraces and vineyards, this luxury five-star hotel is the perfect place to enjoy all that the Douro region has to offer. In the heart of the Alto Douro Wine Region, classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Six Senses Douro Valley brings together unforgettable experiences: spa, wine tasting, tours in the Douro, and regional and international cuisine. Both pools are incredible, overlooking the green that surrounds us, providing even greater relaxation… perfect both in summer and winter.

Quinta do Crasto, Sabrosa

Fotos D.R.

When we swim in the waters of the pool at Quinta do Crasto, the work of the architect Souto de Moura, in Gouvinhas, we have the Douro valley before our eyes and the vineyards in terraces or above on both banks, as in the Quinta itself, with the vineyard descending the slope to the banks of the river. The property has 70 hectares of vines, made by hand with the rigor that women lend to their task as if they were embroidering the best wines in the world from terrace to terrace.

Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo, Covas do Douro

Fotos D.R.

Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo is located in Covas do Douro, municipality of Sabrosa, next to Pinhão, with a direct view of the Douro River and the vineyards, within the Douro Demarcated Region. Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo, which celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2014, has 120 hectares, 85 of which with vineyards, orchards with various fruit trees, a rural tourism house, with swimming pool, a wine restaurant – Conceitus, the first winery restaurant – a cellar, with a capacity for 280 barrels and a room with panoramic views.

Penha Longa Resort, Sintra

© Matthew Shaw

Situated at the foot of the Sintra Mountains, Penha Longa Resort is one of the grandest and most stunning resorts in Portugal. Between gardens, lakes, a golf course, countless leisure facilities, and an impressive landscape, this resort leaves no one indifferent. Its two beautiful outdoor pools are part of this wonderful landscape where the gaze extends over the green of the golf course and the mountain.

Convento do Espinheiro, Évora

The hotel includes two historic areas classified as National Monuments: the Church of Nossa Senhora do Espinheiro and the Capela Garcia de Resende. It has cloisters, large living rooms, and bedrooms worthy of the Portuguese kings who frequented it. Then there's a spa, an indoor pool, an outdoor pool amid olive groves, an orange grove, wild rabbits on the loose, and eight hectares to roam. Just imagine the memories you can bring back from such a place!

Pestana Palácio do Freixo, Porto

Housed in one of the most beautiful buildings in Invicta, designed in the 18th century by Nicolau Nasoni, the Italian architect who designed the Torre dos Clérigos, the Pestana Palácio do Freixo is an emblematic hotel in Porto. And your pool is not far behind. Right on top of the river, it's the right place to get a close look at the boats that cross it daily, while sunbathing on the pier. Lined with emerald green tiles, the waters of the pool seem to continue the Douro, a sensation that gains even more strength after the first strokes towards its infinity edge. Finally, the good news is that you can use the pool even without being a guest at the inn, upon payment, of course!

The Yeatman, Porto

Unsurprisingly, to have the best view of Porto you have to cross the Douro and go to Vila Nova de Gaia. What you may not know is that nothing beats the view you get from the pool at The Yeatman, which has been voted the best in Europe thanks to the feeling of infinity it provides. In addition to this election of the European Best Destinations, twice, the North American magazine Condé Nast Traveler also elected this pool as one of the 12 most beautiful in the world. An international reputation that adds to the success of this hotel known for its exceptional wine cellar and its gourmet restaurant, which won its second Michelin star in 2017. Also noteworthy is the panoramic indoor pool, with direct access to the spa with a “menu” of Caudalie wine therapy treatments.

Memmo Alfama e Memmo Príncipe Real, Lisboa

The same brand of the hotel (the Memmo) achieves the full: offering two of the most desired pools in Lisbon. The first, at Memmo Alfama, is the oldest and is a hit on social media, despite its small size. Its red background fits perfectly between the houses and the roofs of this historic district, offering an unbeatable view.

Memmo Príncipe Real is a hidden secret, a kind of refuge from the hustle and bustle of the most cosmopolitan of the capital's neighborhoods. In its bar-terrace, afternoons are calm and serene, and the heated freshwater pool with panoramic views is a true paradise. Too bad both are exclusive to guests…

The Oitavos, Cascais

Before the first dive, the sensation is already of walking on water. All thanks to the blue pigmentation of the pavement around the pool at The Oitavos, in Quinta da Marinha, which was chosen to create this very pleasant illusion/feeling. But the best thing is that, after the first dive, we lean over the green of the golf courses, pine trees, and dunes, stretching our gaze to the horizon, where the ocean lurks. We take a deep breath of the pure air of the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park before heading to the bar to drink a cocktail or a natural juice. Throughout the hotel, the atmosphere is relaxed, a complement to the grandeur of the spaces, which invites us to make the most of the light and natural beauty of the landscape.