Who are we?
FULLY PROTECTED HOLIDAYS
Distinctive Portugal Lda. is an independent and professional fully licensed Travel Agency specialised in high standard quality accommodation in Northern Portugal. Our company is located in Portugal and licensed by TURISMO DE PORTUGAL with RNAVT number 2602 - the license for the practice of tourism and travel agency activities is granted by the TURISMO DE PORTUGAL - Integrated within the Ministry of the Economy, Innovation and Development, Turismo de Portugal is the national tourism authority responsible for promotion, enhancement and sustainability of tourism activities. TURISMO DE PORTUGAL website can be found at: http://www.turismodeportugal.pt/. A print out of our registration can be seen by clicking on this link or consulting the above website directly.
For this reason, for every booking you make with our company, you can be assured of complete financial security. Our Portuguese TAX number (numero contribuinte) is 507735234.
We are also a member of APAVT www.apavtnet.pt (Portuguese Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies), the Portuguese equivalent of ABTA (UK) and ASTA (USA), with whom APAVT has close formal connections. Our membership number is 1330.
At Distinctive Portugal we are always looking for high quality Portugal accommodation full of character in the more authentic corners of the country. Some of our properties are charmingly simple, others unashamedly luxurious, but they are all a far cry from the mainstream, in character as well as location. In addition to our unique selection of villas, cottages and apartments, we are pleased to assist with special requests to make our clients’ vacation in Portugal a memorable one!
Our team regularly visits all the areas offered on this website and is highly knowledgeable about the accommodation that we offer and have a wealth of first hand experience of the unique character, traditions and customs of each of our destinations. So whether you're looking for a relaxing family holiday, sports activities, short breaks, adventure holidays, golf or tailor-made travel arrangements designed to meet your specific needs, the travel professionals at Distinctive Portugal are the people you can trust.
We are based in Portugal, this website was created and is maintained in Portugal, and we know our country well. We'll be here to assist you in planning your holiday, but we'll also be here with you, should anything go wrong. We will endeavour to keep information on this site up to date and accurate, particularly with regard to prices and services/facilities available. To this end, we have an ongoing policy of property inspection to ensure that the properties and their services accurately match their descriptions on this site.
INSURANCE
We carry Liability Insurance covering Professional Indemnity (Seguro de Responsabilidade Civil) - policy number 9250329. Our insurer is
Fidelidade-Mundial S.A., Largo do Calhariz, 30, 1249-001 Lisboa, Portugal.
PRESS
"VILLA 270 - CASA DA PADEIRA: UM REFÚGIO NO MINHO PARA OS TEMPOS DE PANDEMIA" - SAPO VIAGENS (08/07/2020)
Viagens a 4: "Tivemos o privilégio de desfrutar - durante uma semana - da villa 270, a Casa da Padeira e temos de vos contar, foi perfeito."
Read more…"JÁ PENSOU EM PARTICIPAR NUMA CAMINHADA ORGANIZADA? A EXPERIÊNCIA DO VIAGENSA4 NA SERRA D'ARGA" - SAPO VIAGENS (09/07/2020)
Viagens a 4: "A nossa passagem pelo Minho ficou marcada pela maravilhosa Villa 270 - Casa da Padeira, em Afife, e pelas excelentes atividades que desenvolvemos como a caminhada na Serra D'Arga, uma dos pontos altos que partilhamos a seguir."
Read more…"AS FÉRIAS PERFEITAS NO MINHO COM A DISTINCTIVE PORTUGAL" - Viagens a 4 (04/07/2020)
"Ninguém tem dúvidas que vivemos um tempo único, têm sido meses difíceis (continuam a ser), mas existem momentos que nos devolvem um sorriso à face que perdura no tempo, esses momentos são normalmente passados com família e amigos, e nós graças à Distinctive Portugal tivemos um desses momentos em família que vai perdurar na memória de todos para sempre, aquelas férias em Afife, Minho"
Read more…"DISTINCTIVE PORTUGAL | MORADIAS COM PISCINA PRIVADA NUMA DAS ZONAS MAIS BONITAS DO MUNDO!" - Viagens a 4 (15/06/2020)
"Distinctive Portugal, paraíso a norte - 3 meses de confinamento também trazem coisas boas, uma delas foi a descoberta da Distinctive Portugal"
Read more…"7 Fantásticas casas de férias para famílias no Norte" por Elsa Lisboa - Viagens e Miúdos (27/05/2020)
Read more…"Summer holidays - Europe's 50 best villas" - The Sunday Times (24/02/2019)
"Costa Verde (Sleeps 6) Flexible changeover dates are a bonus at this sleek villa, four miles inland from the beaches below Caminha, a medieval border town across the River Minho from Spain. All rectangles and glass, with comfy terrace armchairs and beanbags around the pool, Casa do Sinal (villa 263) faces over field and sea. Chefs, massages and wine tastings can be arranged. Fly to Porto.”
Read more…"An excellent website for (...) high-grade and very elegant villas (...) throughout Portugal." - Aer Lingus
"Distinctive Portugal: An excellent website for sourcing high-grade and very elegant villas and historic houses throughout Portugal. Properties are well presented, there's a level of quality here that sets it apart and prices are not too high." Cara Magazine (Aer Lingus in-flight magazine) April / May 2011
Read more…"How to Arrange a Fabulous Villa Vacation for Yourself and (...) Friends" - Amazon
"Thank you so much, Diana! It's nice to hear from you. The villa you describe looks like it will be lovely and, although Portugal is not in our plans for 2012, we had a lovely time there last summer and will surely visit again in the future. When we were there in June at villa 219, I had mentioned that I was writing a book on villa travel, and as of last week it is now available. The book is called Friends, A Villa & A Travel Bug (the byline being "How to Arrange a Fabulous Villa Vacation for Yourself and a Few Dozen of Your Closest Friends") and it can be purchase on amazon.com, BarnesAndNobel.com or most any other book sale site. Here's the link to the amazon.com page
Thank you again for your help in making our time at Villa 219 lovely, and I look forward to contacting you to arrange our villa the next time we plan a visit to Portugal.Thanks."
Janice Davis (author) USA, May / June 2011
Read more…"Fashion shots" - BILD der FRAU
"Good morning Diana,
I do have to make you a huge compliment Diana! In all my years as a fashion editor and organizer of our fashion shoots I have never had contact to such well organized and cooperative agency! Thank you so far for everything you have organized for us. It has been a great help! Have a nice day, kind regards"
Julia Rebstock (fashion editor for BILD der FRAU Germany), 2009 and 2010 - Villa 223
Read more…"Portugal Holiday Is A Villa Thrilla" - The Sun, June 2011
"I wasn't sure I could report in glowing terms from the rather unknown, hidden Minho region of northern Portugal. Boy, was I wrong. From the minute I landed in Porto I had a good feeling. The airport was efficient and we were through with our bags in no time..."
Read more…