This is such a hard conundrum on which country I prefer and it really does come down to so many factors. I have been to Spain over 15 times in my life, visiting areas like Barcelona, Huelva, San Sebastian, Tenerife (if that counts…Maybe I’ll stick to the mainland) just to name a few. I have also been to Portugal a number of times, including my stag do last year.
The Food
When it comes to Spain, my top tip is to avoid the restaurants full of tourists, which often means avoiding the beachfront ones, as the food quality dips massively and you don’t get the real local cuisine.
Ok, I used to not rate Spanish food, as I found tapas to be quite overrated, but as I ventured over to Huelva and tried a number of local dishes people ate everyday, I fell in love.
My favourite was cuttlefish roe. They tasted like a mix between eggs and cheese, but almost a meaty texture and they were cooked in loads of garlic. I have since tried to find them in the UK and it’s simply impossible, even a specialist required me to spend £24 getting them imported over from Spain, so I decided they’ll remain on my list for when I eventually go back.
Of course, paella is always a great dish, but if you’re not a fan of seafood then you can go for Valencian paella, which has chicken, rabbit and beans instead and I actually prefer this one, but everyone’s taste is different.
I don’t want to go without a shout to the famous tapas dishes, as they’re such a key part of the culinary options on the menu, while croquetas are always mesmerising, especially when it includes cheese. You can expect to see patatas bravas, olives, jamon (soooo much jamon), manchego and Spanish omelette (something Raquel is a professional at cooking thanks to her Spanish mum).
There are some Spain travel packages which can even include a food tour, which I think is worth getting booked into, as you do see a completely different menu to the one you might naturally opt for.
Now over to Portugal, as I’ve focused purely on Spain so far. I want to give a quick shout out to a dish I had in Switzerland, as many of the locals loved it, so I thought it would be French, German or actually Swiss, but it was Portuguese, a Francesinha, also nicknamed the ‘heart attack on a plate’, which should give you an idea of the calorie count.
The Francesinha involved a Portuguese cheese toastie on top of chips, with an egg on the top and inside that toastie was steak, ham and sausage, coated in a beer and tomato sauce! Yep, my mouth watered while I was writing that, not so much at the beer sauce bit though.
But back to traditional dishes and off my wandering mind. If you’re a seafood fan then you have to eat sardines. I never used to be a fan, as my experience of them was that they were tiny fish out of a tin, then suddenly I was eating this great big fish on a plate which was salty and fresh.
Portugal is famous for the pastel de nata, not a big fan personally of the egg custard tarts and I have given them a good few goes (I’ve probably had about 20 in my life), but they’re just not for me.
Bifanas are another famous dish from Portugal, involving pork in a bun. Ok it sounds dull on paper, but the pork is actually marinated in this white wine and garlic mix which gives it a beautiful flavour.
If you’re near the coast, as you will be if visiting Lisbon or Porto, then seafood is inevitably a huge part of the menu and clams are spoken about by waiters as their top recommendation in many restaurants.
Winner: Spain has to take it, if I hadn’t been to Huelva I might have swung the other way, but Huelva made me fall in love with Spanish dishes. I just think you have to venture away from the traditional options that you see in touristy restaurants.
Beaches
Starting with Portugal, the Algarve has some incredible options, including Lagos, Dona Ana, Praia da Marinha and Praia do Camilo, but to name a few. Beyond the Algarve, there are some amazing beaches at the Costa da Caparica and Comporta.
But the beach in Portugal brings a very different type of tourist, surfers! In fact, one of my colleagues goes there every year to do wind surfing, claiming it’s the best in Europe and arguably the world.
My experience was that I had to find a calmer beach for my wave hopping, which you can easily spot, but you just have to be aware of which part of the beach is safe, look out for those red flags, as those waves can be intense!
In contrast, Spain offers a much more traditional Mediterranean experience, with amazing beaches on the Balearic or Canary Islands, or on the Costa del Sol or Costa Blanca.
The beaches off Northern Spain are a bit different; they can often have hillsides alongside and are more commonly visited by hikers, so this greener experience offers a bit of contrast to what you might imagine.
Winner: If you want a traditional beach holiday then Spain, if you want a surfing activity holiday then Portugal.
Sport
Not everyone is going to be focused on sport when it comes to holidays, but a huge portion of the trips to Portugal are actually for golfing holidays.
That’s not to say Spain doesn’t get a fair portion of people flocking to Estepona and Marbella for a golfing trip, but the Algarve is chockablock with large golf resorts and it allows you and your mates to have some beers and smash some balls in the sun.
When it comes to football however, Spain slightly pips this one thanks to two of the most illustrious clubs in the world in Real Madrid and Barcelona. That’s not to overlook the amazing Benfica, Sporting and Porto, all of which have had strong European experiences, but Real Madrid is the most successful football team of all time.
A tour of Camp Nou is breathtaking, albeit I wouldn’t want to be watching the game from the back rows, as you really can’t see much.
As previously mentioned, the surfing is better in Portugal and is arguably the best in the world, so if that is a key factor for you then Portugal becomes the winning destination.
Winner: Portugal
Nightlife
I have lived through my party days, but now closer to 40, those days are largely behind me. Having said that, I have visited both these countries for wild weekends with friends, partying in Barcelona, Benidorm, Lisbon, Albufeira etc.
Many people naturally jump to Ibiza, as this is known as the party capital of the world, but I think it’s overrated. With £80-£100 charges for club entry, plus £20 for a bottle of water (because many people are on certain substances), it’s just too expensive.
Barcelona has some of the best nightlife in the world, but you do have to be very careful on your walk home as pickpockets and muggers are common in the area and they target drunken Brits on their way back to their hotel room. Several friends have been mugged after a night out, including at knife point, so I will stress caution.
You then have Magaluf and Benidorm, both known as party places completely taken over by Brits during the summer months and with wild reputations.
In contrast, the Portuguese party scene is wild but has less Brits and still has a more local feel to it, which I actually prefer, or at least in my 30’s I do. Albufeira is definitely a party town, but Lisbon really had a wild scene if you wanted to party all night.
Winner: Spain
