What to expect: Perched on a hillside overlooking the beach, this hotel is popular with couples in winter and both couples and families in summer. The lobby level faces a garden with palm trees, pines, bougainvillea, and a pond with a fountain. On the other side, a stone-paved deck overlooks the ocean, with nighttime views of the floodlit ochre bluffs and rock formations directly below. Portuguese and Moorish antiques accent the public rooms.

Amenity highlights: Two heated saltwater pools are on site: an indoor pool inside a two-story. glass-walled pavilion, and an outdoor pool with a vast sundeck overlooking the ocean. Accessible by a paved path and elevators, the beach below forms the eastern end of a three-km (1.75-mile) crescent, with three dramatic rock formations (Três Irm�os, or Three Brothers) offshore.

The hotelÂ’s sophisticated Almofariz restaurant serves a complimentary breakfast buffet daily. The dinner menu showcases Portuguese and Italian cuisine, and the ocean-view dining terrace is open in summer. Other dining and refreshment options include Harina, serving Moroccan fare; the Oceaneo Restaurant by the pool; and the Dom Henrique Bar, with live dance music nightly.

Insider tip: Several casual restaurants specializing in seafood lie along the beach directly below the hotel.