I’m back with part two of our honeymoon! For the first part of our honeymoon we visited London and really leaned into our history loving sides. When we went to Portugal, it was all about the romance. We decided to make two stops: Lisbon and the south of Portugal, the Algarve.
Just like for London, I created an Instagram Reel of our adventures that you can check out below!
Day One – Arrive in Lisbon
Rental Car & Hotel
We flew from Lisbon to Portugal and rented a car at the airport. We used our Chase travel points and were connected with a rental company called Drive on Holiday that we were very satisfied with. We had to take a shuttle out of the airport to check in with the rental car company and get the vehicle, but it didn’t take too long at all. Joe did a great job driving us for the whole trip!
We stayed in Lisbon for one night at PortoBay Liberdade, which I booked through Priceline. We loved this hotel! It was beautiful and the staff was so helpful. I primarily chose it because of its proximity to where we were meeting for our photoshoot and because it had a parking garage on site.
Photoshoot
This was the highlight of the entire trip for me! Joe and I agreed that it would be great to get professional photos on the trip because 1. that’s just a nice thing to do and 2. because of our Covid wedding, we had a scaled down version of the photos we originally envisioned. I found the photographer through Airbnb experiences (I did this when I went to Italy as well) and we loved Fabio from Be Yourself Photoshoot. We went to so many different locations, he brought us to his favorite pastel de nata place (which we went back to every day that we were there), and it was just a wonderful time getting to see the most beautiful places in Lisbon with a local when we first arrived.
Dinner
We went out for an excellent dinner at Pateo – Bairro do Avillez. Again, the people were so kind and the food was delicious.
Day Two – Early Morning Lisbon & Drive to the Algarve
Penta Cafe and lisbon cathedral
Throughout the whole trip we found ourselves getting up early in the morning and enjoying our surroundings before most people were on the move for the day. We got a scrumptious breakfast at Penta Cafe (recommended by Sheetal!). While you can get pastries and literal cake for breakfast, we got a sandwich with everything on it, including ham which Portugal is known for. It’s so fun to pick out your size on a ruler they keep at the counter. We recommend 20 cm for two people!
Next we wandered around and visited Commerce Square again, before making our way over to Lisbon Cathedral. It only costs a few euros to get in and we loved going right when it opened because there were hardly any people there.
Driving to the algarve
Originally we planned to do a scenic drive down the coast, but instead we prioritized spending more time in Lisbon in the morning and taking a direct route to our hotel to arrive by check in at 3. It was a super easy drive and there were many rest stops along the way for bathroom breaks. I definitely recommend getting a rental car if you plan to go to the Algarve. It was so easy to be on our own schedule and convenient to have the car once we got there.
We stayed at Vilalara Thalassa Resort and oh my goodness was it amazing. I originally learned about it from Katie from Hope Engaged (see her post here) and when I investigated it further I knew it was where we needed to go for our honeymoon. It is a beautiful resort with a private beach, great food, immaculate grounds, and perfect accommodations.
When we arrived, we were again so impressed with how friendly and kind everyone was. I may be biased, but it seems to me that the Portuguese are the best people. We were taken to our garden view room and shortly after, champagne and a platter of chocolate strawberries and treats were delivered.
We pretty much immediately put on our swim suits and made our way to the beach. It was so convenient and comfortable to already have towels and chairs and umbrellas set out for you, and to not have to share the beach with anyone but the other hotel guests! We kept saying the whole time that it also didn’t feel like the hotel was crowded at all (we went at the start of July).
Day Three – Resort Day
We spent the entire next day at the resort, enjoying the complimentary breakfast, reading on the beach, swimming in one of the pools, playing paddle ball, and having dinner at one of the restaurants. Nothing more to say other than it was relaxing and romantic!
Day Four – Benagil Sea Cave
Our next day was filled with adventure! We took a sunrise double kayaking tour of the Benagil Sea Cave and surrounding caves with Kayak Algarve. I booked on this site.
We chose to do the sunrise tour to beat the crowds as much as possible and to avoid motorized boats that go out during the day. We absolutely loved our guide and had so much fun!
We had planned to do the Praia da Marinha hike, which is nearby, but I was under the weather and feeling tired, so we headed back to enjoy more time at the resort.
Day Five – Back to Lisbon
Drive Back to lisbon
After breakfast and saying goodbye to our favorite place, we drove back to Lisbon and returned the rental car. It was super convenient to take an Uber back into the city to our next hotel. While the location was great, we weren’t fans of the last place we stayed, primarily because it was super small and when I booked I did not realize that it wasn’t a full service hotel (they did not have the desk staffed 24/7). I definitely would have preferred to go back to PortoBay Liberdade.
Exploring Lisbon
We wandered around and made our way to a famous picture spot, Praça Júlio de Castilho. We also went to get pastel de nata at Fabrica de Nata. Pro tip: you can order at the counter then take your food upstairs to a beautiful and relaxing tea room. It’s the perfect place to take a break and use the restroom.
Another pro tip: we went to the Time Out Market and found it overrated and crowded. You don’t need to make a stop there!
Dinner was at a great Thai place called Boa-Bao, then we had some ice cream and watched the sun go down over the river.
Day 6 – Jerónimos Monastery, Monument of the Discoveries, Belém Tower, Tile Museum
Jerónimos Monastery
Our last day we took an Uber over to Jerónimos Monastery, a beautiful monastery that was opened in 1601. I got advanced tickets on this site and we showed up right around opening time. Pro tip: you should go in the church first. It’s free and the line is only going to get longer after you come out of the monastery.
Monument of the Discoveries
From the monastery you can walk to the Monument of the Discoveries. This is a newer monument, completed in 1960, though it is a recreation of a temporary version that was part of the 1940 Portuguese World Exhibition. We looked at it from the outside and did not pay to go up in the monument. My friend Sheetal recently went and she said it was not worth it to go inside.
Belém Tower
We walked to Belém Tower from the monument, and this was another location where we appreciated it from the outside and decided not to go in.
LxFactory
We took another Uber and made our way over to LxFactory. It’s an area with restaurants and shops, and we went specifically to try the chocolate cake at Landeau Chocolate and it was to die for. Joe was also a big fan of a book and record shop right down the road.
Tile Museum
This was another major highlight in Lisbon for me. The Tile Museum, as it’s known in English, is a stunning place to see the evolution of Portuguese tile design and appreciate the beauty it brings to the city. I was obsessed with it all, and even the little cafe area was covered with tiles, not to mention the church that is casually there too.
We packed a lot into our final day because many locations are closed on Mondays, including the monastery and the Tile Museum, so be sure to check the days and hours of the sites you want to see when planning your trip.
Final Thoughts
We found Portugal to be beautiful, romantic, scenic, friendly, and so varied even though we only went to two locations! I already want to go back and feel so lucky that we got to experience our honeymoon in such a wonderful place!
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