- 1In Ericeira, the Ribeira d'Ilhas WSL Championship Tour break and World Surfing Reserve clifftop viewpoint, the heavy Coxos right-hand reef and the Praia dos Pescadores fishermen's harbour, and the UNESCO Palácio Nacional de Mafra with the 800-hectare Tapada royal forest 10 km inland are within reach of every hotel on this list, good for morning and evening outings.
- 2Ericeira is a 10,000-resident Atlantic fishing town 40 km north of Lisboa, designated Europe's only World Surfing Reserve in 2011, with seven world-class breaks including the Ribeira d'Ilhas WSL Championship Tour venue and the heavy Coxos reef, a clifftop old town of whitewashed tasca terraces above Praia dos Pescadores, and the monumental UNESCO Palácio Nacional de Mafra with its 800-hectare Tapada royal forest 10 km inland, pets are a normal part of street life, café terraces, and local shops.
- 3Hotels selected for this guide are specifically in the clifftop old town around the Largo das Ribas and Praça da República, the seafront promenade above Praia dos Pescadores and Praia do Sul, and the surf-spot coast north to Ribeira d'Ilhas and Coxos, where pet infrastructure is densest and local restaurants routinely provide water bowls and terrace access.
Best season: spring & autumn