3 Best Hotels in Caldas da Rainha, Estremadura and the Ribatejo

This rural retreat is ideal for rest and relaxation, with its sprawling, flower-filled garden and terraces with views. The guest rooms and apartments are decorated simply but tastefully and dotted with quirky ceramic figures by artists from the Caldas region. Casa da Eira Branca is run by a friendly couple who are often on the premises; there are already offshoots in Óbidos and Lisbon.

A knight serving King Dom Filipe I built this large manor house in the 16th century, and 20-some generations later it is still owned and operated by the original family. The complex includes stables and a corral for the family's prize Lusitano stallions. The guest rooms—with luxe touches like underfloor heating—are large and comfortably furnished, and a few downstairs have French doors opening to the back terrace; from upstairs there are views of the Óbidos Lagoon. Ask to visit the on-site chapel, with an inscription in old-world Portuguese on the floor dated 1592.

A famous Victorian-era showplace that was neglected for years has been transformed into the most highly rated hotel between Lisbon and Leiria. Decoration throughout is modern—black, gray, and white, with blocks of bright color—with historical touches. In the Lisbonense restaurant, which serves reliably good international fare, stands a landau like the one Portugal's king Dom Carlos I was riding in when he was assassinated in Lisbon in 1908.