Enjoy luxury trips to Portugal and Spain for budget prices.
An upscale vacation to either Spain or Portugal is possible even if you don’t have a big budget to spare, said Virginia Irurita, founder of Made for Spain and Portugal, a company in Madrid selling trips to the two countries. “The cost of living in both Spain and Portugal is lower compared with other popular European destinations, so your money goes that much further,” she said.
Here, Irurita shares her advice on how to get maximum luxury for the lowest prices on a Spain or Portugal getaway:
Stay at independent hotels. Spain and Portugal have an abundance of small, family-run luxury hotels, which are often half the price of five-star chain properties. Irurita said these locally owned properties, in some respects, can be more luxe than chains because their rooms tend to be comparatively more spacious and the service more personalized. If you mention during your stay, for example, that you are interested in the local architecture, don’t be surprised to find reading material about the area’s top architectural sites waiting for you in your room. Find these independent hotels on her company’s site, Madeforspainandportugal.com; through Rusticae.com, a site that lists boutique properties in more than a dozen destinations around the world; and on the hotel listings site GreatSmallHotels.com.
Hire private guides on weekdays. They are more affordable on weekdays because their services are in less demand. In Spain, a guide who may charge 250 to 300 euros ($277 to $333) for a half-day weekend tour (a standard price) will be around 30 percent less expensive Monday to Friday. In Portugal, the going half-day weekend rate for a private guide is from 150 to 200 euros, but on weekdays, it’s 40 percent lower.
Use private drivers in Portugal … Booking a Mercedes sedan with a driver for a full day is around 250 euros — a reasonable cost compared with other European countries. “Portugal doesn’t have the most efficient public transportation system,” Irurita said, “so not only is having a private car and driver luxurious, it’s also the most convenient.”
… and the train in Spain. The country’s reliable, clean, serviceoriented high-speed train system, Alta Velocidad España, is an affordable and easy way to get around. A one-way ticket from Madrid to Málaga, in southern Spain, for example, costs as little as 50 euros.
Eat a big lunch. The Spanish and Portuguese count lunch as their main meal, Irurita said, and tourists will fare better to follow in their footsteps, because most restaurants in Spain and Portugal offer attractively priced set menus for lunch. A starter, main course and dessert, along with a glass of wine or beer, can cost from 10 to 20 euros a person. Lunch is also a good bet for Michelin-starred or otherwise expensive restaurants because the set midday menus are 50 percent to 70 percent less expensive than dinner prices.