<![CDATA[The Portugal Wire - Stumble guide]]>

<![CDATA[The Portugal Wire - Stumble guide]]>Wed, 21 Jan 2026 12:03:14 +0000Weebly<![CDATA[Finding luxury in Porto]]>Thu, 15 Jun 2017 00:42:00 GMThttp://www.theportugalwire.com/portugal-stumble-guide/finding-luxury-in-porto

From humble beginnings as an industrial portside city, Porto now melds whimsical charm with a side of decadence. To find out about Porto's luxe side, read the story I wrote for The CEO Magazine (Australia/New Zealand, European and Asian editions).

]]><![CDATA[Best hotels in Madeira: Review of Cristiano Ronaldo's CR7 Hotel in Funchal]]>Sat, 08 Apr 2017 13:31:23 GMThttp://www.theportugalwire.com/portugal-stumble-guide/where-to-stay-in-madeira-cristiano-ronaldos-cr7-hotel-in-funchal

The man regarded as the world's greatest football player, Cristiano Ronaldo, grew up in the Portuguese island of Madeira and opened his flagship CR7 hotel in Funchal in 2016. I recently had the opportunity to stay and was rather impressed. You can read my review for The Telegraph UK here.

(You can also read my review of the Casino Park, Funchal.)

]]><![CDATA[10 things to eat and drink in Portugal]]>Thu, 02 Mar 2017 21:17:45 GMThttp://www.theportugalwire.com/portugal-stumble-guide/10-things-to-eat-and-drink-in-portugal

Despite being a small country, many of Portugal's most beautiful towns, cities and regions harbour their own gastronomic pride. So what better way to soak this all in than to plan your Portugal itinerary based on the country's most famous dishes and world-renowned wine. Here are my 10 picks of traditional food in Portugal and where to find it, as written for Good Food Australia.

]]><![CDATA[The 10 coolest bars in Porto (Lonely Planet)]]>Fri, 13 Jan 2017 15:09:47 GMThttp://www.theportugalwire.com/portugal-stumble-guide/the-10-coolest-bars-in-porto

Miradouro Ignez, Best bars in Porto, Portugal

Fancy a drink in Porto? Here's my list of the 10 coolest bars to drink at in Porto, as featured in Lonely Planet.

]]><![CDATA[Best things to do in Porto]]>Fri, 13 Jan 2017 14:32:12 GMThttp://www.theportugalwire.com/portugal-stumble-guide/things-to-see-and-do-in-porto

Portugal's 'second-city' Porto offers a more traditional holiday experience to Lisbon and is positioned on the bank of the beautiful Douro River. It's traditionally an industrial city (hence the name, given Porto means 'port'), but is becoming increasingly popular as a travel destination and has enough going on to keep you occupied for days. I wrote a Porto city guide for Australia's Big Bus Tour & Travel Guide, where you can read my picks of things to see, do and eat in the city; and also prepared an article about Where to stay and what to do in Porto for The Telegraph.

Make sure to also check out my post Interesting facts about Porto to learn some interesting facts, and browse the Porto album in my photo gallery.

]]><![CDATA[Best hotels in Porto]]>Fri, 11 Nov 2016 21:50:13 GMThttp://www.theportugalwire.com/portugal-stumble-guide/best-hotels-in-porto

I've been lucky enough to test out some of Porto's best hotels while compiling a list of recommended accommodation options in Porto for The Telegraph UK.

Here are my favourites with links to my full reviews.

M Maison Particulière

A mother and son team has taken the concept of a five-star hotel and applied it on a small scale to create personalised luxury in central Porto. Clever redesign of a 16th-century house balances historical charm and practical comfort, and is complemented by excellent service.

Read full review

InterContinental Porto

The five-star InterContinental lies in the heart of Porto’s historic centre and is the gem in Porto’s accommodation crown. As a converted monastery-cum-palace, the hotel exudes character, and when paired with the staff’s diligent hospitality, it offers an outstanding all-round experience.

Read full review

NH Collection Porto Batalha

The NH group offers modern accommodation in Porto’s city centre with a hint of historic charm. Providing excellent service and food, the hotel is a great choice for those wishing to stay in the local area with all the conveniences of a big hotel.

Read full review

The Artist Porto Hotel & Bistrô

The Artist Porto Hotel & Bistro, Portugal

Guided by a team of supervisors, students from the local hospitality school do a fine job managing this creative hotel inspired by its art college heritage. With big rooms, a unique dining concept and a trendy bar, it makes for a memorable stay.

Read full review

A.S. 1829 Hotel

One of Europe’s oldest stationary shops has been converted into a modern yet cosy hotel in the heart of Porto’s downtown area. Artefacts from the fifth generation store add to the hotel’s stylish interior design and a street terrace provides a pleasant spot to unwind.

Read full review

Porto Palácio Congress Hotel & Spa

Porto Palacio Congress & Spa hotel, Portugal

The five-star Palácio is one of Porto’s most stylish accommodation options, and its capacity as a spa hotel makes it the perfect place to enjoy some self-indulgence. Laze about in the underground pool after a relaxing massage, then enjoy sweeping city and sea views from the rooftop bar.

Read full review

Flores Village Hotel & Spa

Smack bang in the middle of Porto’s bustling downtown area, Flores Village combines the feel of a hotel with the convenience of an apartment, and when staff ask how your day was, you can expect they’ll be genuinely interested in your reply.

Read full review

Mercador Guest House

Returning to the Mercador Guest House is like coming home. A sweet yet subtle scent wafts through the halls, soft music plays in the quaint dining room where complimentary tea and biscuits await, and a quiet garden provides a peaceful escape from the city’s bustle.

Read full review

Pestana Palácio do Freixo

Pestana Palacio do Freixo, Porto, Portugal

The unlikely pairing of an 18th-century palace and neighbouring flour mill creates one of Porto’s most luxurious accommodation options, and offers quiet reprieve for guests seeking comfort and relaxation. It is positioned three kilometres from the city centre on the bank of the Douro River.

Read full review

]]><![CDATA[Take a scenic coastal walk from Leça da Palmeira to Vila do Conde (Porto)]]>Mon, 21 Mar 2016 18:57:33 GMThttp://www.theportugalwire.com/portugal-stumble-guide/-its-long-but-its-worth-it-take-a-scenic-coastal-walk-from-leca-da-palmeira-to-vila-do-conde-porto

A half marathon sounds like a flippin' long way, but if you’re strolling along a flat wooden boardwalk hugging Portugal’s northern coastline, it’s really not so bad.

The walk from Leça da Palmeira to Vila do Conde is around 23 kilometres and is a wonderful way to spend the day (well, five or six hours, depending how fast you go and whether you cave to caffeine along the way).

Starting from Porto's coastal area of Matosinhos it's a short stroll to the Leça da Palmeira lighthouse. Up ahead, the obelisk of Memória pops into view and the industrial area of Porto begins to fade from your rear vision.

As you walk you’ll see vivid green quintas (small Portuguese farms/country villas) and tumbledown farmhouses to your right, as well as a few prospective beachside reno projects.

The walk also takes you through a number of small fishing villages including the cute and colourful Angeiras, where tangles of rope are strewn across beached fishing boats and seagulls circle overhead. Further on you’ll pass neat rows of colourful huts and can follow your nose to fresh seafood being cooked on footpath barbecues. Stop in for a local Super Bock beer or espresso if you need a pit stop.

You can see women hanging washing from balconies as you wander the cobbled lanes of blink-and-you'll-miss-them towns along the way before the main thoroughfare sets you off again into the sparse coastal landscape, which includes small streams, seaside veggie patches and rolling sand dunes.

Points of interest, such as Roman tanks used for fish salting, are highlighted along the way on information boards.

While there are stretches of beach where an adaptation of ‘Clean Up Australia Day’ might be a worthy undertaking, all in all, the scenery is stunning and there is a sturdy boardwalk almost the entire way.

The endpoint, Vila do Conde, is a charming town on the Ave River and there’s a row of cafes overlooking the park where you can rest and refuel. In the town you’ll also find remnants of the second-longest aqueduct in Portugal, which once had 999 arches over four kilometres and was built to supply water to the Monastery of Santa Clara.

From Vila do Conde you can catch the metro back to Porto.

Then deal with the leg ache tomorrow.

View the full photo gallery.

]]><![CDATA[Traditional food in Portugal: Leitão]]>Fri, 18 Mar 2016 14:01:29 GMThttp://www.theportugalwire.com/portugal-stumble-guide/this-little-piggy-porto

When a restaurant has a pig-shaped clock, paintings of pigs on the wall and a picture of a pig on the window, you know you should probably try the pig.

Suckling pig to be exact, which is a common dish in Portugal (Spain too). It’s one of those foods you really shouldn’t think about too hard, given it’s a piglet (probably a very cute piglet) fed on its mother’s milk and nothing else – hence the term suckling.

At ÉLoios in Porto, for example, it’s served on a super fresh, crunchy bread roll with a side of hand-cut chips and, I must say, is pretty tasty. All in the name of research of course… (note the cork placemat above too, which is very Portuguese given more than half the world's cork comes from Portugal.)

If you’re in Porto you can find this place at Rua dos Caldeireiros, 13. Simple food done well and service with a smile.

Got other recommendations for good suckling pig in Portugal? Post them below.

]]><![CDATA[CCStop: a community-driven urban renewal project in Porto]]>Fri, 18 Mar 2016 13:53:26 GMThttp://www.theportugalwire.com/portugal-stumble-guide/ccstop-a-community-driven-urban-renewal-project-in-porto

Sometimes my photographs don’t cut it, and this is one of those instances because this place is only cool if you can hear it.

So the rather bland-looking pics below show the interior of a former three-storey shopping centre in Porto. Built in the '80s, it was a major flop and within five years the place had closed down. Ten years passed before a few musicians decided the empty shops would make good rehearsal studios, and slowly but surely the musos moved in. Nowadays the old shops are rented out to hundreds of musicians, and as you walk through the dark, empty corridors you can hear music pumping from behind closed doors – with every few metres the soundtrack changes. It’s a nifty little community-driven project.

If you’re on the hunt for this building it’s called ‘Stop’ (or CCStop - short for 'Centro Comercial Stop' - where 'centro comercial' is what shopping centres/malls are called in Portugal, and 'Stop' is the name of this particular former shopping centre), and is right near the Heroísmo metro station on Rua do Heroísmo. There's a small, grungy cafe on the ground level where you can grab a cheap beer.

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