Portugal with Kids: Our Family’s Summer Sabbatical
Taking a family sabbatical before your child starts school can be especially meaningful. Starting school is a big milestone — not just for your child, but for the whole family. It marks the beginning of a new chapter where routines, responsibilities, and outside influences start to play a bigger role in your child’s daily life.
A sabbatical gives you precious, uninterrupted time together before that big transition.
Today we chat with Chloe AKA @That Holiday Mum she reflects on her 6 week sabbatical in 2024 - just before her son started school, how she prepared, budgeting and why they chose Portugal.
The Azores by @ThatHolidayMum
As soon as I had my little boy, I knew that the 5 or 6 weeks of annual leave we would get a year would not be enough for us to explore the world with him in the way we wanted to. So we set about planning a sabbatical for the last summer before he started school. My partner and I both have long service in our roles and so I was able to agree a four month career break and my husband took a 6 week sabbatical. We agreed the time about 9 months in advance using the various policies available to us and supported by going in with a plan of how to cover our work. We were both surprised and delighted at how easy it was to agree this time off.
Once the leave was agreed we started to build a plan - we knew we wanted to go outside of school holidays (to grab the last of the bargains) and really get the chance to explore one country in depth, in a way we haven’t had the time to do before. We narrowed our list down to Sri Lanka, South Africa and Portugal and went for Portugal as in June the prices were great and the weather was the most consistent.
(Although Sri Lanka and South Africa please note we are still coming for you at some point….!)
It took us a few iterations to land an itinerary for the 6 weeks of travelling that we were happy with. We had a budget of around £1k per week which needed to include flights, accommodation and car hire and so we started with flights as this would then bookend our trip. We knew we wanted to take this opportunity to explore the Azores Islands and so making this work formed the basis of our plans. There are only a handful of flights a week from the UK to the Azores and you can then rejoin the Portuguese mainland flying from the Azores to Faro, Lisbon or Porto. We chose Faro and then drove the length of Portugal, flying home from Porto.
6 week itinerary
Sao Miguel, Azores Islands - 7 Nights
Algarve - 5 Nights
Camporta - 3 Nights
Cascais + Lisbon - 7 Nights
Sintra - 3 Nights
Coimbra - 2 Nights
Aveiro - 2 Nights
Duoro Valley - 3 Nights
Peneda Geres + Braga - 6 Nights
Ponte de Lima - 3 Nights
With our flight placeholders in, now for the fun part, choosing the route and accommodation! This is what we went for and from our perspective it struck the perfect balance of sun, sea, exploration and relaxation (and we managed it all for an average of £147 a night!):
Sao Miguel, Azores Islands
We split our seven days here between Senhora da Rosa boutique hotel and a villa on the north of the Island. I could write a lengthy blog about the absolute magic of the Azores alone - it is an unbelievable stunning location, which was super family friendly. It was a week of breathtaking views, swimming in hot springs and waterfalls and seeing dolphins and whales in the wild. It would be a stand out holiday on its own and made the perfect start to our adventure.
Read more about our stay in the Azores here
The Azores by @ThatHolidayMum
Algarve
This was also a two location stop to grab a few hotel days! We stayed at an Airbnb in Alvor and the fantastic family hotel - Memmo Baleeira. The endless sunshine, crystal clear water and sandy beaches of the Algarve are well known for a reason. We adored our long sunny days here.
Comporta
Accommodation in this area is seriously chic (and can come with a hefty price tag) but we snagged a great stay with B Hostel. Where do I start with Comporta? It’s been a long time since we have seen beaches this beautiful (and relatively empty!). Everywhere you turn there are golden beaches and design-led beach clubs. We even saw dolphins playing in the shallow waves one day.
Cascais + Lisbon
Cascais, in my opinion, was such a great holiday spot. A beachside town just a 40 min (and 3 euro!) ride from Lisbon it was the perfect hybrid beach/city break. We actually had an Airbnb disaster here and so ended up in a beautiful studio apartment in the centre of Cascais. I would definitely pick Cascais as a stand alone holiday location. Sandy beaches, great food and a wealth of entertainment options both there and in Lisbon.
Sintra
Sintra was one of the great surprises of our trip. We knew about it from viral reels of the primary coloured Pena Palace but had no idea of this fairytale-esque town, with horse and carts trotting across the cobbled streets of the centre and more princess palaces than you can shake a stick at. We stayed at the NH Collection there.
Coimbra + Aveiro
Here, our accommodation was a little outside the centre in the country hills of Lousa at the Octant hotel (the family friendly Octant brand did not disappoint). Coimbra is a university city which gives Oxford and Cambridge a real run for its money! Historical, oh-so-pretty and very foodie we were so pleased to get the chance to explore it.
Aveiro, also known as the Venice of Portugal, is a canal town on the sea. You could easily extend a pre-planned Porto trip here as it is easily accessible by rail. We loved the botanical garden, the gondola style canal rides and the colourful fishing houses along the coast.
Duoro Valley
I knew about the wine delights of the stunning Duoro Valley but was absolutely thrilled with it as a relaxed family holiday destination. Staying in a pool villa nestled in a lemon grove we filled our days with long vineyard picnics and swim days.
Peneda Geres + Braga
Our penultimate stop was in the Portuguese national park of Peneda Geres. As our trip was nearing its end we knew we would want to maximise slow days and so booked a stunning pool villa in a quiet location to hole up for the closing days. We broke up our time with day trips to Braga, Portugal’s third city which felt like such a hidden gem.
Ponte de Lima
All too soon it was time for our trip to end and we wanted to do so in a *little* extra luxury. We went for the boutique Terra Rosa Country House and Hotel - a seriously gorgeous hotel set in a winery. Luxurious design, a heated pool and delicious sunsets in the vineyards made for the perfect end to our Portuguese adventure.
We got so much from this time. The ability to travel and not feel rushed, the chance to really explore the hidden corners of another country and most of all unbroken time with each other. If anyone is thinking about taking extended time out with their family I really recommend looking at your organisations sabbatical or career break policy and your entitlement to 18 weeks additional parental leave as ways to carve out time for your own family adventure of a lifetime.
Thank you so much Chloe for sharing your story with The Little Adventure Club readers, it has been so interesting reading about your incredible journey! Its made me think of where I would go if I were to take a sabbatical, probably Sri Lanka, my favourite country I have travelled to!
Don’t forget to follow @thatholidaymum on Instagram and head over to her blog for more travel adventures!
At The Little Adventure Club, our aim is to share real stories from families who love to explore. Every trip is different, and I hope this piece gives you ideas for your next journey with little ones. Want to contribute your own story? Visit our Write for Us page!
