Located within a 545-acre national park in the southern Sintra Mountains, Penha Longa Hotel Spa & Golf resort is a sprawling, luxurious enclave with rolling hills, lush gardens and ancient fountains. The site traces its origins back to a 14th century monastery and for many years hosted the Portuguese royal family. Just 25 minutes from downtown Lisbon, Penha Longa is also just 10 minutes from the beaches of Estoril and Cascais.

The facilities

Extensive recreation amenities include indoor and outdoor swimming pools, tennis and squash courts, jogging tracks, horseback riding and a fully-equipped fitness centre. A 1,500-square-foot  Six Senses spa features nine treatment rooms for sophisticated holistic treatments, part of a complex that includes a chic pool and Jacuzzi, breezy gazebos and a platform for yoga and meditation. Two championship golf courses, designed by the renowned Robert Trent Jones III, offer a breathtaking tour of wooed vales, idyllic hillsides and dramatic mountain views.

The rooms

194 luxuriously furnished rooms all feature private balconies with views of the golf courses and the impressive grounds. Plush beds, flatscreen plasma televisions and iPod docks are standard, as are marble bathrooms with separate showers and bathtubs.