If you’re a wine lover, may I suggest putting the Douro Valley on your list of wine destinations to check out! Portugal as a whole has incredible wines all over the country (seriously- like, SO good. I wish they were more common in the states because I absolutely loved them), but the views in the Douro can’t be beat.

We landed on spending four days in the Douro Valley, but wanted to check out two different areas, so we stayed two nights at Quinta Nova Nossa and two nights at Octant.

Quinta Nova Nossa is a true wine hotel with vineyards and a winery. There are wine tastings and views of the terraced valley full of rows and rows of grapes. It was a gorgeous property with darling rooms (a bit on the smaller side, but with a spacious outdoor patio that made up for it). It’s quite remote, and driving in the Douro isn’t for the faint of heart. Bless my husband for having to navigate those roads; there are a lot of narrow cliffside roads without a guardrail and lots of twists and turns around the mountains, so be prepared! With that factored in, we didn’t really want to drive at night, and we also didn’t want to drive after lots of wine tastings (of course!), so we only left the property one morning for a vineyard tour and tasting at Quinta das Carvalhas and a lunch at Seixo, which were both fabulous. We settled in to the relaxing atmosphere of the hotel and opted for one of their wine tastings and tours, and had a great time lounging by the pool and really just chilling out.
 

Our last two days in the Douro were spent at Octant. It’s a bigger hotel (Quinta Nova Nossa being only 11 rooms) that’s more modern and resort-y. It’s right on the Douro River and has stunning views that were completely different than our first stop. The drive here was less windy, but still a little hairy so we hung around the hotel again, which we enjoyed. They have lots of on property activities like paddle boarding, boats you can rent, wine tastings, two pools (one adults only), and a full spa with amenities that you can use any time. The spa was beautiful, and Austin and I used it both days; there is an indoor lap pool, a steam room, a sauna, and an experience shower. We also got massages that felt amazing! The food at Octant was delicious as well. There were lots of items on the menu we wanted to try, so we got something new each time. They have two restaurants so you can mix it up a bit.

We really loved our time in Douro Valley and I would go back in an instant. There are tons of great looking wineries all over, but you definitely have to be strategic about where you stay and which wineries to visit. I loved the overall casual and natural vibes and would recommend a trip here to anyone, even non-wine lovers, as the landscape and views are simply stunning!