Lamego Hotel & Life

Lamego Hotel & Life leaves open the obvious question: what kind of life? Here, in the Douro, the wine-producing northern region of inland Portugal, the best-case scenario might be a luxury boutique hotel surrounded by orchards and vineyards, with a restaurant that showcases the best of the region’s wine and produce, and a location that places the old pre-Roman city of Lamego, as well as the whole of the Douro Valley, right at your feet. Needless to say, it’s a solid contender for what the ancients might have called “the good life.”

The hotel itself features some 90-odd rooms and suites, all of them spacious, sunlit, and decorated in a subtle palette of whites, creams, and natural wood. Modernist furniture and contemporary art liven up the spaces, but the overriding atmosphere is one of tranquil calm: perfect for a semi-rural idyll like this one.

It’s set at the edge of Lamego, which offers plenty of attractions of its own, but it’s also perfectly capable of functioning as a self-contained resort-style escape. After all, it’s got not just a pair of pools and a spa, but also tennis and squash courts — and that’s in addition to the gardens and vineyards of the estate, as well as a restaurant and bar with views of the countryside from the outdoor terrace.