Bank transfer to pay for hotels in Portugal

Wow, have never had to do a bank transfer for a hotel. But that type of deposit can be typical of apartments or longer term rentals. Bank transfers are expensive - around $50/per transaction. Have you suggestion Paypal as an alternative? And with bank transfer once the money is gone - it is really gone.

On principle I refuse to do bank transfers as they are expensive and you have no protection. Personally I would keep looking.

Using a self guided booking agency is not the cheapest way to go but a !lot more convenient. We have used booking agencies for self guided walking and biking tours that book accommodations and provide luggage transfer service along with maps and route instructions.

We have NOT done any Portugal tours and give no personal experience with any of the agencies sourced in the following but it seems safer than wiring funds to unknown properties:
http://www.rotavicentina.com/?pg=agencias

On this page you find Travel Agencies and Tour Operators, partners of
the Rota Vicentina network. These are specialists in organizing tours
and trips and preparing all the necessary details, so that all you
have to worry about is enjoying the trip. Follow the links and get
more info on each of the partners, and what they have to offer.

My bank's transfer rate was $50 but the only time I had to do it was for a deposit on a monthly rental so the larger amount of $ made it worth the $50. It was a pain in the patoot though.

You might check this website and see if it would work for you. I don't know anything about it and what is involved but it's rates are low, something like $5 per transfer and I do remember someone on here posted about it a year or two ago but I don't remember what they said about it - I do think their comment was positive though.

http://www.usforex.com/our-services/transfer-money/europe

Personally, I would never do this. I have a trip to Rota Vicentina already planned and booked .
I booked the hotels through booking.com, with the advantage of no charge to cancel or deposit .
You can view my itinerary in the previous post.
Taxis are relatively cheap, distances are short for the most part, much cheaper and more convenient than renting a car, with the advantage of calling a taxi from the end of your walk for return to your base.
I am beginning in Arrifana and ending at Vila Nova do Milafontes.
According to my research, the 22 km from Porto Covo to Vila Nova is a long walk on sand dunes.

Thanks, everyone, for all your helpful responses. I've been in contact with one of the hotels and they will accept an alternative form of payment (whew!), and I am going to try to book the remaining nights via booking.com or some other means. Should be an amazing adventure and am very much looking forward to it!

My trip is in March, so I do a trip report when I return.

I've never been asked to do a bank transfer for an apartment until this year. A gentlemen in Austria asked for one. He had good reviews both long term and very recent, so I looked into the cost: $45 for me plus $15 for him which he would have wanted reimbursement for, so $60 total. I asked him if there was another way given the cost and risk and he suggested all cash on arrive and no down-payment at all. But by the time he'd answered, I'd found a nice apartment from another gentlemen who accepted Paypal and taken it. I suggest you ask if they'll accept a different method of payment.

I hope this isn't coming too late--I'm an American currently living in Lisbon. After living here, the bank transfer doesn't surprise me, although I don't blame you for not wanting to do it. Portugal was hit really hard by the financial crisis a few years ago, and the effects are still rippling through. Credit is virtually unheard of here, and the vast majority of places insist on cash or Portuguese bank cards (in other words, real money they can count on) to pay for things. Small hotels in rural places asking for a bank transfer don't surprise me in the least.

So, a word of advice: set out on your trip with ample cash. At the very least, have a debit card that will allow you to withdraw money from foreign ATMs without huge fees. In Lisbon, ATMs are everywhere, but I can't speak for smaller towns. You're going to need to do a lot of paying in cash in Portugal! I can think of less than a handful of places (in Lisbon, the capital city and a major metropolitan area) who will accept my foreign debit OR credit cards. Nine times out of ten, I need cash. This includes restaurants! It's the only place in Europe I've ever had this issue. Portugal is charming in more ways than I can count, but their practices with money and credit are probably a bit different than what you're used to. Hope this helps!

I did transfers twice for my last trip to Germany. I did from 2 different banks since I found a cheaper rate at the second bank. Still a charge of over $30. I will have to do it again next summer. There is a site - transferwise.com that looks promsing.