Renting a place to stay when on holiday is great, but even better if you have decided to go to Portugal. More and more people are choosing Portugal as their premier holiday location. With its pristine beaches and Mediterranean climate it is hard to find s0mewhere better. You have such a wide choice of accommodation as well, from a modest self catering apartment, to an expansive villa complete with its own pool.

Portugal is different from a lot of places that people go to on resort style holidays, in the sense that it has such a strong identity. Due in no small part to its culture and heritage. A lot of families like to base themselves in a self catering abode. And then go off on various adventures. Filling their days with life long memories.

What with the landscape being so varied in Portugal, it is nice to have to make the decision of where you want your accommodation to be. Do you want to be up in the mountains, where the view is truly breathtaking? Or do you want to be next to a beach? With so much variety in the type of accommodation as well as the location, you really are spoilt for choice.

A lot of families choose to stay in self catering apartments close to the sea when going to Portugal. A reason for this is because as well as being cheap, it allows them to get a good feel for local life. They can sit among the locals and sample the delicious food and wine that is on offer.

Even though Portugal is not the biggest of countries, it still attracts millions of sun seekers to come and enjoy its 800km of coastline. This expanse of coast is home to so many cottages and holiday homes that can be rented directly from the owner. You have the Atlantic Ocean to the South of you, and Spain to the North.

If you feel like you want to hit up a capital then there are not many better than Lisbon, which boasts a wealth of picturesque harbours. This is another part of Portugal that has loads of lovely holiday homes available for rent. You can rent one overlooking a stunning harbour view, if you like.

The Algarve is perhaps the most well known area of Portugal, and has its own coastline of 171km. The area is filled with happy families that have chosen to take a holiday there. There are a lot of vacant abodes that are just waiting to be hired out by their owners. It is also a part of Portugal that is rich in golf courses.

The greatest part about the Algarve, in terms of the golf that it has to offer, is that the golf is geared towards people with different levels of ability. If you do want to punctuate your golfing with a stay in a big fancy villa with its own swimming pool then you are able to do this, which is great. But also you can stay in more meagre accommodation.

When people are asked why they go to Portugal, a lot of them say it is a combination of the sun and the beaches. But Portugal has so much more to offer. The people are lively, the food is magnificent. The accommodation is top notch. With all this and more, it comes as no surprise that Portugal only grows in popularity from year to year.

This article is written by Jonathan L Walker, on behalf of ValeDoLoboHoliday.com, specialising in holiday rentals in Vale Do Lobo