Kimkim Trip Reviews for Portugal

We loved our trip to Portugal both in Lisbon and Algarve. Pedro was fantastic. He was fast to support and quickly understood our interest of both active and relaxing vacations. We enjoyed all our actives and hotels were great ! His restaurant recommendations were spot on and really gave us a sense fro different locations to experience. Everyone loved the Cave Kayaking in Lagos as our best experience but it was all excellent. Pedro also checked in with us daily to ensure we had a great time and remind us on what the next adventure would be. I literally didn’t have to think which is what I liked best. We will definitely return to Portugal where the weather was spectacular and the people were so friendly .

Hotel Reviews

The One Palácio da Anunciada

Lisbon

Beautiful hotel and very close to everything but quiet and serene. Breakfast was awesome in the beautiful outside garden.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palmares Beach House Hotel - Adults Only

Lagos

Beautiful view of the ocean (just note you can’t walk to it). Restaurant was fantastic and service was very helpful and attentive. We got a shuttle to the beach and rented beach beds for the day and it worked out well. Dinner at this restaurant was our favorite on our entire trip. Very quiet and peaceful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

A bit far so you need a car or Uber but it balances the bush with quiet

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pestana Cidadela Cascais

Cascais

So cute and very Artsy! It was a great stop on our last night. Staff was very helpful and friendly. So many places to explore in the hotel and the art work was so great.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Boat Voyage to the Spectacular Benagil Grottoes

Portugal

Highly recommend. It’s so beautiful and cool to see the caves.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

To Eat Suggestion: Luca´s Rooftop Restaurant

Portugal

Food was great, view beautiful and staff friendly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Enchanting Ponta da Piedade Grottoes on a Thrilling Kayaking Expedition

Portugal

Excellent guide and amazing way to see the caves. It was fun, easy going and beautiful. Blue fleet did a great job.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Immerse Yourself in the Portuguese Culture by Experiencing a Fado Dinner

Lisbon

The Fado as amazing once they started but they took a long break after 3 songs so why it goes for a long time into the night. Food is not worth it. We were told that was the case so all fine . I would suggest find a place to drink and listen to Fado so your not disappointed before the music starts.

Quality of Experience

Food

To Eat Suggestion: Baía do Peixe

Cascais

Very good. Friendly staff and overlooking the water. Excellent seafood

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exploring Lisbon's Riverside on a E-Bike Adventure to Belém

Lisbon

Beautiful bike ride. And great views over the water and monuments.

Lisbon Walking Tour + Delicious Portuguese Flavours

Lisbon

Excellent guide and walk. He adjusted our walk based on what we had seen the day before which we loved. The wine tasting was a great way to end the walk and we covered a lot of ground.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Unveil the Fairytale Villa of Sintra with a Private Driver Service

Portugal

Very crowded so just be prepared. Our driver was great and recommended a great restaurant for lunch which was outstanding over the ocean and away from the crowds of Sintra. Hiking in the Pena Palace was our favorite and I would recommend if the lines are too long explore all the outside area and gardens and you could skip the inside if you don’t want to give up too much time on your day. Outside is beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tiago helped me plan a perfect 12 day itinerary covering Portugal from the north to the south. My family is still raving about the trip! He was very helpful an extremely responsive. I wanted something partly guided and partly on our own with a driver. He was able to accommodate this and tailor the itinerary to our needs. Once in Portugal, our driver João took excellent care of us. He was very friendly and flexible with our plans. We had a great time chatting with him during our longer car rides between cities. Our guide Joel in Lisbon was also very good. Extremely knowledgeable and passionate about showing others his beautiful city. We started in Porto, went to Duoro Valley, then Lisbon and finally Algarve. Tiago had many suggestions for accommodations, and we were very happy with those we chose. 10/10 would recommend Kim Kim and the local company in Portugal.

Hotel Reviews

Sé Catedral Hotel Porto, Tapestry Collection By Hilton

Porto

Authenticity & Character

Location

In the heart of old city! Everything walking distance

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ventozelo Hotel & Quinta

São João da Pesqueira

This was by far my favorite hotel in Portugal. The location and views were stunning. It was a magical experience staying in this property in the Duoro Valley

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sheraton Lisboa Hotel & Spa

Lisbon

Good location

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cascade Wellness Resort

Lagos

Fantastic location with access to cliff walks. Great amenities. However, during the peak tourist season, the hotel needs more staff. Everyone was very friendly and doing they best they could, but service was slow. I would consider it more of a 4 star property, though my family and I had an amazing time.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Explore Porto (Half-Day Guided Walking Tour)

Porto

We had a great time doing the walking tour of Porto. We definitely covered areas we would not have made it to otherwise. Highly recommended.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lisbon - half day guided visit

Lisbon

Joel did an amazing job at showing us Lisbon in one afternoon. He knew to use a vehicle in order to cover more neighborhoods and included some stops for walking and getting some local drinks and pastais de Belém. He was extremely knowledgeable and very experienced. We thoroughly enjoyed this tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cascais & Sintra Guided Visit

Portugal

Joel was also our hide for the day of visiting Cascais and Sintra. We saw many different areas on this beautiful drive. He even hooked us up with a lunch reservation at one of the most coveted restaurants by the beach, and we got the best table! We had an amazing day visiting all these areas.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tiago is detailed, considerate, thoughtful and helped my wife and me plan a great trip around Portugal for our 5th wedding anniversary. He helped us research all the good hotels (AND book them) and multiple suggestions (food, wine, places to see, walking tours etc) for our 9-day trip. Tiago even picked us up from Lisbon airport, he is a super friendly and fun person - highly recommend him. Oh yes, he is very responsive too, it was very easy chatting with him and arranging everything prior to the trip - which gave a us a peace of mind as we were in Portugal for the 1st time.

I had a wonderful and memorable time in Madeira, in particularly in Funchal. Marina did an exceptional job in selecting my hotels, activities, and guides. I spent three unforgettable days with Lido, from Green Devil Safari. I left the island with tears in my eyes because I wasn't sure that people as nice, accommodating, and generous as Lido still existed in this world. Both Marina and Lido were instrumental in creating memories that will last me a lifetime and beyond. I can't thank them enough. I will be back to the island soon, and I won't hesitate to hire the services of Marina and hopefully Lino. I want to thank them both from the bottom of my heart. My vacation on the beautiful island of Madeira well exceeded my expectations. Thank you, Marina.

Hotel Reviews

Castanheiro Boutique Hotel

Funchal

The room was extremely clean. The location was perfect, and the staff was exceptional.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The fact that it was at a walking distance from the promenade.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Eira Do Serrado Hotel & Spa

Funchal

Authenticity & Character

The view into the Valley of the Nuns was exceptional.

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Funchal: Dolphin and Whale Watching

Portugal

It was unfortunate that we got to see the dolphins just for a brief moment but I understand that there are very elusive.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Great trip. Everything worked well and having a driver for pick up and between cities was wonderful. Tours were excellent with Anabel and Paula as our tour guides. Take a tour!

Hotel Reviews

Vila Gale Ericeira

Mafra

Great hotel on the beach and close to town. Super staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casual Belle Epoque Lisboa

Lisbon

Great location!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Older hotel.

Eurostars Porto Douro

Porto

Great hotel! Rooftop bar overlooking the river. It is off to the side of downtown, but the location was terrific. A funicular is close by and it is right next to the double pedestrian bridge.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sintra Boutique Hotel

Sintra

Wonderful hotel and staff! Hotel is super nice!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Lisbon Jeronimos Monastery, Castle of San Jorge, Torre de Belem and Panoramic City Tour

Lisbon

Wonderful tour! Anabel was great! Very helpful to tour with a local who can navigate lines and point out the richness of the city!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Monumental Porto Walking Tour

Porto

Paula was wonderful. Tour was great and wear sneakers! You will navigate windy, granite streets from hilltop to the river.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Really liked that we could make adjustments to our itinerary according to our needs, e.g. switching up order of countries, adding on/ removing activities, etc.. Our favorite activities were the boat excursion in Lagos, the Douro River Wine Tasting & River Cruise in Porto, and the Fado evening in Lisbon. Least favorite was the Algarve Sunset Experience, mostly because it was extremely windy and therefore cold and we weren't dressed appropriately. Please let future guests know they MUST take a jacket and dress warmly for this! All in all it was a great experience and appreciate all of Rita's help coordinating it! I'll use Kimkim again!

Hotel Reviews

Be Poet Baixa Hotel

Lisbon

It was warm in the room. Air conditioning was insufficient and would not go below a certain point.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Porto Charming Hotel

Porto

Door was locked when we arrived and no one answered when we knocked. We had to call Kimkim for help to call the hotel and let us in. It was early afternoon, so during normal work hours. Very basic room. Bathroom shower not great. It was what you expect for a 3 star hotel though.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Mãe Lagos

Lagos

Amazing!! We absolutely loved this hotel! It was the highlight of our trip. Such a great vibe, food was good, property was beautiful. Loved all the health and wellness touches, like herbal tea, relaxing music, lavendar sachet for under your pillow. The welcome wine was great, as well as all the treats they left in the morning and at evening turn down. They kept the towels, water, coffee bar, etc. replenished twice a day. Highly recommend this hotel!!

Authenticity & Character

Wonderful, as per the overall review.

Location

Loved the Lagos town. Great hiking and beaches nearby.

Staff

Very professional and attentive.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Our room and the whole premises were super clean. Bed was comfortable, and all the spaces (dining area, pool, etc.) were relaxing and comfortable.

Activity Reviews

Foodie Experience in Porto

Porto

We definitely enjoyed it. Guide was very friendly and wanted to ensure we had a good experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Douro Valley Excursion with Wine & Olive Oil Tastings & River Cruise

Porto

Really enjoyed this day.

Quality of Experience

Food

Enjoyed the lunch with Douro fish.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was great!

Transport

Catamaran Excursion to Benagil Caves & Carvoeiro Beach

Portugal

One of our favorite activities. Stunning coastline and this was the perfect way to see it up close.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

4X4 Algarve Sunset Experience

Portugal

They were 30 min late and we were put in the back of the van (not a Jeep Wrangler as specified) and it was uncomfortable and very hard to see back there. It was extremely windy and cold so we couldn't really enjoy it although the places he took us to were pretty. We could only run out of the car for a quick photo and run back in. It should have been emphasized that you need a warm jacket (at least) to enjoy it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Luis tried to make the experience as good as he could, but too many factors made it unenjoyable.

Transport

Should not put people in the back of this vehicle! A jeep (as advertised) would have been better.

Guided Tuk-Tuk Tour

Portugal

Enjoyed this tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fado Dinner Experience

Lisbon

Food & wine were great and singers were amazing. Really enjoyed it!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our waiter was fantastic. Great sense of humour!

The trip planning process was very good, but with a little learning curve due to the more unique nature of the model. Pedro was very helpful, adaptive, and facilitative during this process... very accommodating and professional! One aspect that I had to adjust to, was the level of scheduled activities built into the initial plans, but in the end, we arrived at a good mix of planned and unplanned time. For reasons of managing kimkim's total cost (100% paid upfront for us) and maintaining our flexibility, we dialed back a considerable amount of planned activities. It seemed a bit much, and it would have been stressful to proceed as originally planned... especially traveling with a 20-year-old. But again, the final product was an appropriate level of planned (booked) activities.

We thoroughly enjoyed our hotels in Lisbon (PortoBay Marques), Lagos (BoaVista Bela Colina Village), Evora (MAR De AR Muralhas), and Porto (Hotel Dom Henrique)... tasty breakfast buffets AND separate rooms for us and our son (nice!).

We really enjoyed our planned activities and respective guides.
* The Lisbon Walking Tour was very well rounded - enjoyable and educational, and tasty at the end (wine, cheese, etc). Our guide Margarida was wonderful, and provided a true two-way experience. She even went "overtime" with us!
* The kayak tour of the grottoes around Lagos was extremely fun and beautiful (a little strenuous too :-), and our guide Bruno was a delight... engaging, thoughtful, and a character too.
* The Porto Walking Tour was good and interesting, but we all thought that our guide Bernardo was too heavy with the lecturing - it was quite one-sided, with little room for questions and engagement. Our son said it felt like he was sitting in History class.
* The Porto Bridge Climb was fun and provided beautiful vistas. Our guide Kika was a great, personable host, and allowed us to join a bit late after our delayed arrival to the starting point.

Our two drivers, around Lisbon and from Porto to Lisbon, were fantastic... very professional, flexible, and generous with their knowledge and travel tips!

We truly enjoyed soaking in Portugal... the kind people (everywhere), the pharmacist helping me out of a jam with my meds, the meals!, the wine, the architecture and history, the geology of Ponta da Piedade and Benagil, and the vibrant downtown city life... especially in Porto. Evora and its history was a nice stopping point along our trek to the North. Overall, it was a rich travel experience, and we're grateful for the opportunity.

The glue for this entire travel adventure was Pedro Luis! He is awesome... very knowledgeable, connected, forward thinking, extremely adaptable, and quite personable. He worked with us the entire way, answered important questions quickly and at all hours, anticipated issues before we knew of them, made on-the-fly changes to planned activities as we learned more about what we wanted to do, how, and when. He really got to know us, and is the ultimate in travel advocate. Thank you, Pedro!

Hotel Reviews

PortoBay Marquês

Lisbon

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Boavista Golf & Spa—Bela Colina Village

Sítio da Atalaia - Lagos

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

M'AR De AR Muralhas

Evora

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Dom Henrique Downtown

Porto

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Lisbon Walking Tour + Delicious Portuguese Flavours

Lisbon

Guide Margarida was wonderful, and provided an interesting and interactive tour. She was professional and personable!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Visit: Lagos

Portugal

Old town Lagos was fun and vibrant... and delicious! The beach was nice, though didn't spend much time there.

Quality of Experience

Explore the Enchanting Ponta da Piedade Grottoes on a Thrilling Kayaking Expedition

Portugal

Interesting and beautiful scenery among and in the grottoes of Ponta da Piedade. And it was nice to get some exercise paddling the kayak. Our guide was fantastic and funny.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Visit: Évora

Évora

Interesting old town with historic sites, like the Chapel of Bones.

Quality of Experience

Porto's Historic Odyssey on a Private Walking Tour

Porto

Interesting, with lots of history and context. But this tour was too heavy on the lecture, and it became one-sided. Needs to mix it up some with more client interaction.

Quality of Experience

Less one-way lecturing.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit: Porto

Porto

Great city, with great sites and vibrant activity. Warm and welcoming people.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Scaling New Heights Ascending Arrábida Bridge for a Truly Unique Adventure Experience

Porto

Fun activity, with very nice views, and a great host.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Transfer from Porto to Lisbon with Scenic Stop***

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Transport

Our trip to Portugal was perfectly planned out with much attention to details. Our drivers, including Josef and Rui, were very informative and went out of their way to make our outings and long drives comfortable. We had an amazing walking tour in Lisbon with Elsa, who was very knowledgeable and managed to answer the many questions our son had. Pedro was our super star who kept in touch with us daily, updating is on our next day and all the activities planned. He answered all questions and made excellent suggestions. Obrigado!!

Portugal-- what an amazing country. The people, the food, the culture and the beauty. We both felt like home in Portugal and loved our whole experience. Our local specialist Joao checked in daily and had us in the most beautiful hotels, with wonderful transportation and drivers who were very engaging and knowledgeable. He was available for any last minute changes and had great recommendations. From start to end it was a wonderful holiday and we look forward to visiting again with our children some day. Thank you.

All drivers were courteous and prompt and some were most entertaining. We trusted them to get us safely to our destinations. Your staff made speedy contact as necessary but really everything went without a hitch. Vivenda Miranda was heavenly. The tours of Porto were memorable as were the areas around our hotel.
We touched 13 countries in almost three months of travel. Our favourite is Portugal! Please thank Racquel and her support team.
Wendy McTavish

Our trip to Portugal was exactly what we hoped for. João was extremely helpful and responsive throughout. He made the planning process so simple. João seemed to understand exactly what we were looking for as a family and set up the perfect trip for us. Throughout our time in Portugal he made sure that we were taken care of and ready for all of our activities.

Matilde was our guide in Lisbon for the first day of the trip. I was amazed at her knowledge of absolutely everything relating to Portuguese history and the city of Lisbon. She answered all of my many questions, and I had a lot. Matilde was also very kind and friendly. She got our trip off to the perfect start.

Eduardo was our driver while we were in Lisbon. We were very thankful for him. He expertly maneuvered our van all throughout the city and was great to talk to. He was happy to make all of our silly detours and helped us find everything we were looking for. He even found us a music store so I could get a Portuguese guitar!

All together the trip was awesome and the people were so nice! While we hope to explore more of the world, we are definitely planning to return to Portugal!

Rita did a great job interacting with us to plan a very comprehensive tour of Portugal in 10 days.

We loved the tours and “getting as much as we could”out of our time in Portugal.

Portugal is an amazing country and we can’t wait to return.

We had an amazing vacation! Working with Joao and his team was great. They planned the perfect hotels for us and we loved every excursion, even every guide. Pedro was fantastic on our walking tour of Lisbon; he was friendly, funny and so knowledgeable. I cannot say enough things about our driver Antony….He was the best. The day trip with Simone, with Inside Lisbon was long but so worth it! She was a great guide and kept us entertained. We just wish we had more time in Obidos and Nazare. Not enough hours to really soak it in. I guess we’ll have to come back. Then the grottos tour with George and Fred of Bluefleet- just amazing! George was the best.
Hotels- the Britannia was so lovely. A little out of the way but the room and staff were worth it. Everyone was so kind and helpful. We enjoyed our stay there.
Cascade Wellness was no doubt a beautiful property and well situated to the walkways along the coast. The apartment was so lovely and we appreciated the upgrade Joao arranged for us. If we had been paying more for the apartment however, we would have been upset. There were some issues- ants, the shower didn’t work properly, the door handle fell off, the AC was “out of sync” so we were rather hot the first night until the repair man came (who was very nice and friendly) and we had to request wash cloths the first night as we had none. Also it seemed we were at the end of the house keeping rotation so every time we returned to the apartment at the end of the day, to get ready for dinner (around 4:00), housekeeping was there and it was inconvenient. We sat outside waiting for them to finish. We just expected more with the reputation they have. I will say the informal restaurant was great- the food and staff were fantastic.
The Miragem- WOW! A remarkable hotel and room! We were not expecting the room we stayed in and we were blown away with it. We wished we had more time to stay there. We were so exhausted we ate at the hotel buffet for dinner and it was fantastic. Sitting out by the pool with that view of the water was the perfect way to end our stay in Portugal. We loved Cascais and Joao was so helpful with last minute suggestions of where to go and what to see.
The only thing that was a little bit of a let down was the restaurant with the Fado -Mesa de Fradas; it was just okay. The service was not that good and the food was not outstanding. We kept waiting for the singer to come and we had to wait until after 10:00 pm, well after we finished our meal. She was amazing and we would have loved to hear more but we were just so exhausted after walking all day; we left after her first set.
Other than that I really cannot say enough wonderful things about this trip and Joao and his team. I didn’t think anything could top our Italy vacation last summer (also with KimKim) but I was wrong! Thank you so much for such a wonderful vacation.

Bea did a wonderful job planning my trip to Portugal. All the drivers arrived promptly and were professional and friendly. The hotels were in perfect locations and the staff very helpful and hospitable.

Hotel Reviews

Palácio Ludovice Wine Experience Hotel

Lisboa

Beautiful hotel with a roll out the red carpet staff. Perfect location to walk for walking.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The towels were extra big and bed so comfortable.

Sé Catedral Hotel Porto, Tapestry Collection By Hilton

Porto

Perfect location. The breakfast was excellent. Needs a full length mirror in the room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

A great lounge area and bright colorful decorations in the lobby.

Quinta de la Rosa

Pinhão

The Quinta overlooks the river and the views are spectacular. The restaurant is amazing and the wine tour on the property very informative.

Authenticity & Character

Family owned hotel and staff very kind.

Location

The scenery and the beauty.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Guided Tuk-Tuk Tour

Portugal

A definite plus and fun way to see Lisbon.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Excursion to Sintra & Sailing Experience: Cascais to Lisbon

Lisbon

A definite must. Wear your walking shoes as it is hilly to climb to the palace.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lisbon Roots, Food & Cultural Walk

Portugal

Small group. We enjoyed tasting the foods in the market and going to 2 restaurants.we

Quality of Experience

I

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Transfer {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} via Coimbra

Portugal

Driver was great. Coumbra is a small area to visit and enjoyed the shopping.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Foodie Experience in Porto

Porto

The food is excellent and many restaurants.The

Quality of Experience

Many steps and hills. Funicular is a must.

Wine Cellar Guided Visit with Lunch

Douro Valley

The owner Pablo took the time to show us his family's winery and lunch in their beautiful home.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wine & Sail in the Douro Valley

Douro Valley

Perfect and relaxing boat ride.

Quality of Experience

J9

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Quite simply......without Pedro, we wouldn't have enjoyed such personalised experiences so completely tailored to our likes and our interests. It made our holiday to Porto and Lisbon so enjoyable. When you're away in holiday, time is essentially limited. You want to ensure it's effectively invested. So that the memories are enduring.

Pedro and kimkim ensured this was the case. The itinerary was just excellent. In order to construct this, Pedro ensured he got to know us and what we like doing. His suggestions hit the mark: the walking tours, boat rides, ebike trips and personal guided tours. We wouldn't have known of these if it hadn't been for Pedro, let alone booked them.

And the organisation was flawless. Even when we needed to reschedule something because my wife was unwell, it was done swiftly without fuss.

When we go away again, we'll use kimkim. Simple as that.

Activity Review

Porto's Historic Odyssey on a Private Walking Tour

Porto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

João created an itinerary that was fun,informative, and relaxing over 12 days.
The guides were very informative and had great communication skills.
João reached out to us each night to inform us of the next days activities and with suggestions for local highlights.
We feel we came away with a feel for the history and the people of Portugal.
We certainly have a feel for the fish and the wine of Portugal.
We would highly recommend João and Kimkim for a trip there!

Marina was a huge help from start to finish! My friend and I were so excited to visit Portugal and Marina took much of the stress out of all the planning. We had great private tours and excellent guides chosen for our many tours in the different places we went visit. We loved so many of the unique experiences provided on this trip, for example, the private tour of Tomar, the Peña Palace, our small group tour of Douro Valley, our private hike in the national park, and our jeep tour on the Azores. There were a few bumps in the road as one of our tours was cut short in Sintra (two hours instead of 8) and one tour in Porto started at a different time than given. The hotels were well chosen for each location and close to many things that we wanted to see and experience. On the whole, I would definitely use Kimkim again for a trip in the future. Marina (and those coewas very quick to respond when there were any issues and helpful when we needed information. I appreciate all of the time and effort that went into the planning and organization of our Portugal trip! I will have memories for a lifetime!

Catarina did a phenomenal job from start to finish. She recommended 6 local guides at various cities in our trip and all were extremely knowledgeable, friendly and fluent in English.

In addition, all of the restaurant recommendations she made were fantastic and all of the booking was seamless.

We will highly recommend her for anyone visiting Portugal and will use KimKim again for our future trips.

We loved our trip to Portugal! Booking through KimKim made everything so easy, and Bea was incredibly responsive both during the planning phase and for questions that came up when we were traveling. Would 100% recommend the trip and Bea!!!

Hotel Reviews

Be Poet Baixa Hotel

Lisbon

This place is right in the heart of a million restaurants, shops, street performers, etc. This was perfect for us, but also meant the rooms were a bit smaller, and there was sometimes a bit of noise outside. It didn't keep us up, but others may be bothered by it. Front desk was very helpful, and they greeted us with wine and pastries! Breakfast was only okay. Totally fine for a quick bite before tours, but we sometimes opted to venture off for a coffee at a cafe somewhere else.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

PortoBay Teatro

Porto

Location was perfect and breakfast was great!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Do Colégio

Ponta Delgada

Location was perfect - we could walk to lots of great restaurants and the marina. Hotel even decorated our bed with rose petals for our honeymoon. The front desk was very helpful - they called taxis for us, made recommendations, and lent us towels for all of our day trips. We also had the best meal of our lives at Otaka, not to be missed!!! The pizza place right next door was also great. The hotel breakfast here was only okay, but it was nice to have somewhere to grab a quick bite before leaving for the day.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Foodie Experience in Porto

Porto

We had a lot of fun doing this on our first night! Only thing that could have been better is if we had known what all of the tastings were going to be in advance. We started out finishing the wine they provided at the first stop only to find out there were ~4 more glasses of wine coming!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Privately Guided Visit of Porto

Porto

We loved walking the city with a private guide. Meant we got to break for a while and sit at a cafe while hearing about life in Porto. He also adapted the tour so we could end at the book shop we wanted to see! Walking tour was especially great in Porto because we really felt like we saw all of the city highlights. We ended up taking the guide's recommendation and taking an uber/spending the rest of the day along the beach starting at Praia da Luz and walking toward Matosinhos. So many fun beachfront restaurants for drinks and food!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sete Ciudades Jeep & Hike Adventure Full Day

São Miguel Island

Really beautiful, just wished we had gotten to do more hiking rather than jumping in and out of the car at the lookout points!

Volcanic Experience in Furnas Full Day

São Miguel Island

We really liked this day - we requested that we start with a hike so we did a ~2 hour walk around the whole body of water which meant we could take in the beautiful scenery!

Get to Know Lisbon with a Local

Lisbon

Cooking Class with Market Visit

Lisbon

We had lots of fun making the delicious food, but be warned that this was supposed to take 3 hours and ended up being a 6 hour activity instead! That being said, the market visit was great and was basically a tasting before the whole thing started. We just wish we had known how long everything was going to take!

Private Day Excursion: Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Portugal

We had lots of fun, and this was our last day of vacation! Be warned that the guide will not come into Pena Palace with you, so if you want to learn more about the rooms while you're walking through, you need to make sure you either have a guide inside or download an audio app for a self-guided tour. This didn't end up taking away from our experience, but we didn't realize that other groups would have tour guides leading them, so we were a little taken aback at first. As we kept walking though, we didn't feel like we really needed it. The town of Sintra was also very cute. We wish we had just been able to get lunch there rather than the designated spot which was tasty, but was essentially a food truck in a parking lot. Cascais was also gorgeous, and we probably could have spent a full day there lounging at the beach instead of just a few hours!

Tiernan did a great service to Susan and I during our visit to Portugal on our 30th wedding anniversary .