Portugal Hotels on Points for Families of 4

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.

Portugal is quickly becoming Europe's hottest destination, with an estimated 170 hotels currently slated to open in the next few years and TAP Air Portugal expanding its service between the United States and the country starting this month. Lisbon and The Algarve are fashionable and more affordable counterparts to London, Paris and Rome, so they are the next stop in our series of hotels for families of four on points. As a bonus, you can take advantage of a more-advantageous-than-normal exchange rate (about $1.12 to 1 euro at the time of publication).

Hilton Honors Portugal Rewards for Families

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Lisbon - Fontana Park

• Family Rooms: Points required vary per room type and season (tests showed around 50k points for a standard room and 70k–96k points per night for a "premium award")
• Location: Lisbon, Entrecampos neighborhood

• Food: While breakfast is not included, elites get a free breakfast at Gold status or above, which is easy to obtain as a benefit of a number of credit cards.
• The Room: The King Family Room is 365- to 441-square-feet, with a king bed and up to two rollaway beds plus large, bright windows.
• Extras: Entrecampos is a well-located neighborhood with easy connections to the airport and anywhere you might like to visit in Lisbon.

Here are our favorite Hilton credit cards for families so you can ramp up your Hilton Honors points balance in a hurry.

Marriott Bonvoy Makes Portugal Comfortable for Big Families

Pine Cliffs Residence, a Luxury Collection Resort, Algarve

One of the only hotels that became an esteemed Category 8 hotel under the new Bonvoy award chart, the Pine Cliffs Residence is an all-suite resort on the famed Algarve coast of Portugal. This is a true high-end family resort.

• Family Rooms: 85k points for a two bedroom suite that fits five. For an extra 75 euros you can snag a three-bedroom residence that accommodates eight.
• Location: Algarve Coast (Vilamoura Area), closest airport Faro

• Food: Free breakfast for Platinum and above. The hotel also has a convenience store with sundry items on site and several restaurants.
• The Room: The "Family Residence, 2-Bedroom Residence" has a balcony and resort view and fits up to five family members legally in its comfortable 1,087 square feet. It has two bedrooms and two bathrooms. One bedroom has a king or queen bed while the other holds a twin bed and a double pull-out sofa bed. There is a full-sized living room with a dining table that seats six, kitchen plus laundry facilities (with a washer and dryer!) in your "residence." The three-bedroom residence is 1,506 square feet and has an extra room with a queen bed and an additional sofa bed.
• Extras: Parking is free, including complimentary valet parking. Families often rent cars in this area to explore the nearby beaches. The Algarve is a golfing haven and Pine Cliffs has a nine-hole scenic course on site. A kids club, spa and tennis are also available. It has an enormous outdoor play area with swings and a pirate ship for children plus a trampoline that operates in summer only (10 minutes for 7 euros). Kids love the electric car rental (also summer only), where they can drive around the resort in a mini electric car (15 minutes for 10 euros).

You can earn Marriott points with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card, which is currently offering a 75,000-point welcome bonus after you spend $3,000 in three months. Or, look to the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card that offers the same welcome bonus and includes an up to $300 Marriott statement credit. Alternatively, Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to Marriott at a 1:1 ratio.

IHG Points Hotels for Families in Portugal

Hotel: Holiday Inn Lisbon

• Family Rooms: from 30k IHG Rewards Club points per night
• Location: Lisbon, between Saldanha and Alameda stations. If you're looking to be out and about in Lisbon by subway but return to a hotel with a pool to cool off in the heat, the Hotel Inn Lisbon could be a good hotel for your family via IHG points. This hotel is located in the flat part of Lisbon (rather than on one of its seven hills) and is less than a mile north of the historic center toward the airport.
• Food: Rooms include breakfast for two adults, and up to four kids (under 12) eat free at any time during your stay. The make-your-own pancake station at breakfast is a hit with kids. Families report having the option of a breakfast box when leaving at dawn to catch flights.
• Room: The "2 Double Bed" rooms actually have two queen beds that comfortably fit four. Request a room higher up to avoid street and traffic noise.
• Extras: The rooftop pool and bar are the standout at this property. The pool is unheated so best in summer. It's a good alternative to an airport hotel, as it is halfway between the downtown and airport with an underground parking lot (9.60 euros per day); guests also report ample on-street parking. Platinum members rave about suite upgrades.

If you have the IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card, you'll get the fourth night free on any award stay.

Portugal With a Family Using the World of Hyatt

While there are now several gorgeous Small Luxury Hotels of the World options within Portugal bookable from 12k World Of Hyatt points, none have standard rooms that can sleep a family of four. You can try contacting the hotels directly to see if you could book a standard room with points and then pay to upgrade to a suite or larger room, though success isn’t guaranteed.

The World Of Hyatt Credit Card can get you started with your Hyatt points collection. If you don’t have the points necessary, you can also transfer them in from Chase Ultimate Rewards if you have a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve or Ink Business Preferred Credit Card.

Bottom Line

With more than 150 hotels opening in the next few years in Portugal, we expect to see this list increasing to compete with the traditional villa and apartment rentals that dominate the tourism landscape in Portugal. Having just returned myself from the Conrad Algarve booked through Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts (also bookable on points if you have a family of three), I can highly recommend a trip to Portugal for families.

Featured Image by PEC Photo/Getty Images.