There has been a significant increase in the amount of tourist accommodation, from the seriously luxurious to inexpensive rural retreats.SUCH AS?Portugal’s pousadas, for a start (The name means simply “places of rest”). They began in the 1940s when the government decided to build new lodges that would provide reasonably priced food and accommodation while reflecting the traditions of the areas in which each is set. In the 1950s, the remit expanded beyond construction and a number of historic buildings – castles, convents, monasteries and the like – were restored and converted into hotels There are now 43, most with 30 rooms or fewer. They generally offer swimming-pools and bars as well as local cuisine and wines. And expansion is in the pipeline: last year, the Portuguese hotel group Pestana bought into the operation and is now handling the promotion of the network and overseeing the opening of six new pousadas over the next two years.In Britain, Keytel International (020-7616 0300; ) is the appointed agent for the organisation, and will send out a full directory on request. Otherwise, consult the 1980s, concern about the dilapidated condition of many of the country’s rural manors and stately homes prompted the government to establish a grant system, which continues today.

The scheme also comprises a number of self-catering options on old estates, or quintas, and casas, or rural homes. Of several umbrella organisations marketing this accommodation, the best known is Solares de Portugal, with about 100 properties (00 351 258 931 750; ).SO WHERE CAN I LIVE LIKE A LORD?Head for the green and temperate Minho region in the far north of Portugal, where many aristocratic families established their country seats. Manor Houses of Portugal Promotions (0871 871 6745; ) – a rival group to Solares de Portugal – has a range of noble B&Bs. For example, Casa de Esteiro, in the small town of Caminha, is an 18th-century hunting lodge.

It was built by the Visconde de Guilhomil and has been owned by the Almeida Villas Boas family since the 1850s. The present incumbent is Jose-Maria do Patrocinio de Almeida Villas Boas, formerly Portugal’s ambassador to China and the USSR. He entertains his guests with tales of diplomatic life while serving wine from his ample cellar. The lodge, complete with chapel and hung with portraits of ancestors, is a few minutes’ walk from a long, windswept beach. Double rooms from €85 (£61), including breakfast.HOW ABOUT A GREEN AND PLEASANT PLACE I CAN CALL MY OWN?An increasing number of inland villas with swimming-pools are available to rent in the verdant countryside of the north.

Destination Portugal (01993 773269; ) has such properties on its books, including Moinho da Porta, a converted watermill near the small town of Povoa de Lanhoso. Set beside a trout river, and with ultra-modern furnishings, it sleeps four and costs from £770 per week with a twice-weekly maid service.The Individual Travellers Company (08700 773 773; ) also offers a range of rural retreats. Among the more remote is a cottage for four in the hamlet of Lazaro, 20km north of the medieval town of Arouca. Furnishings and facilities are simple (although there is a working bread oven) and its mountain setting is glorious – many of the slopes are terraced with tumbling vineyards.