Kimkim Trip Reviews for Portugal

Ricardo made sure we got the most out of Lisbon. We walked to some Lisbon highlights. He brought us to a beautiful spot for lunch and then took us to historical site by the water where we tried pastel de nada, the best we had while we were there.

Intimate experience in a small restaurant that fit just our group of 25 and 2 other couples. Beautiful singing and food. A uniquely Portuguese experience. Not to be missed

At first we weren’t sure if this trip would happen because they were afraid the bus couldn’t make it up to sintra with its small streets but Joao and Ricardo worked their magic and arranged for tuk tuks to drive us up to the castle. The tuk tuks made the experience even better. The castle and its grounds were beautiful. The city of sintra also beautiful with quaint restaurants and shops. We then headed to casais for lunch and shopping. Ricardo picked a beautiful spot for us to leisurely enjoy a beautiful meal

We decided to skip Alcobaca and spend more time in Obidos and Nazare. Obidos was like walking into a different time. The medieval town has kept its charm from days gone by. E could have spent all day there. We then headed to Nazare for lunch at a restaurant on the beach which was absolutely delicious. We the. Drove up to the top of the cliff for views of beautiful Nazare.

I wasn’t made aware that the boats we would use were very small and we would be separated in different boats. But it turned out fine and the experience was great. The caves are beautiful and not to be missed

This is a lovely hotel and we had a wonderful stay. The building looks brand new and is beautifully designed. The room was on the smaller size but perfect for what we needed, and it was very comfortable and functional. The restaurant was excellent (we had dinner there one night and breakfast throughout our stay, both meals were crafted with attention to detail) and the bar upstairs was quirky and fun (they serve cocktails in mad hatter cups). The pool was small and you had to go through the bar to access it, but we still enjoyed using it. The only thing that bothered us during our stay is that I requested an iron multiple times and it was never delivered. In some hotels this is standard room equipment, and in others I haven’t had any issues getting in delivered on demand so I was quite surprised that it was such a problem for them to handle this quite reasonable request.

This was such a relaxing, luxurious experience. We had a room that overlooked the Douro river and the pool was always nicely warm from the sun. The restaurant had delicious food, and their coffee in the morning was my favorite from all the hotels on this trip. The only complaint that we had was that it was difficult to sleep due to all the flies in our bedroom, and there weren't many outlets or surfaces for electronics (the bedside tables were quite small and had large bedside lamps on them).

We loved our stay at this hotel. The rooms are themed after movies (we had the Avatar room with an oval bed!), they are located in a slightly remote area ensuring quiet and beautiful views, and the breakfast was delicious. It is such a unique concept and I loved the nature-y vibe of the place.

We had a great time here. We especially enjoyed the sky pool and the downstairs spa / gym area. The only minor negative thing I can say is that it felt a bit like a cruise ship - it is a large hotel, with many guests, and while for the most part you didn’t notice it so much, on our last morning there was a large number of people at breakfast and we were somewhat overwhelmed by the crowd / noise. I suppose that is expected since they also have the space to host conferences / events themselves, but it took us slightly by surprise because we’d been staying in slightly smaller hotels on this trip. The room was super cool, with a TV hidden behind a large mirror and so many (light) switches that we had a hard time figuring out how to turn everything off at night without activating the blackout blinds. On that note, there were plenty of outlets and USB chargers throughout the room, and the staff provided bottles of water throughout our stay.

We had a lovely stay here. The staff was extremely friendly and did everything in their power to make us happy. We loved both the indoor and outdoor pool, as well as the location close to the beach. Another plus is their focus on sustainability: there are water purification stations on every floor and you can refill a glass decanter to your liking with water. The reason for my lower rating: All extras are extremely overpriced. There is a jacuzzi, but you have to pay 15€ PER PERSON and sign up in advance to use it. There is supposed to be someone near the spa to help with the process, but the desk was almost always unmanned, making the process and the price rather prohibitive to the enjoyment of the spa. Further, the food was very expensive for its quality. For breakfast, lunch and dinner, there was a large buffet you could use against a flat fee. Dinner was 36€ per person! This did not include beverages. The variety was good, but if you didn’t feel hungry enough to wolf down multiple courses, it was hardly worth the money. We ended up getting groceries from a nearby store instead. We would have liked to take advantage of the snack bar and the cocktail bar but were deterred by their prices as well. The building was also complicated to navigate: reception, on the fourth floor, was the connecting hub. Even though the restaurant and some rooms were both on the third floor, you couldn’t go directly from your room to the restaurant - you first had to go up a set of stairs / take the elevator to the fourth floor and then descend again. There was plenty of parking, but there were three entrances to two separate parking garages, and two out of the three entrances were always locked.

Great tour. The guide was extremely knowledgeable and friendly, plus his English was impeccable. All the wines we had on this tour were very tasty. I have to admit that the food items weren't so much my favorite (and we did make the mistake of having some breakfast beforehand), but overall I really enjoyed this tour, especially the visit to the market where we had canned fish.

This was a fairly standard wine tasting trip. It was good, but nothing stood out in particular.

The garden of this place is absolutely incredible, well worth a visit! The guide was also extremely friendly and knowledgeable. The wines were tasty, but I was surprised that none of the places we went for wine tastings had any snacks or food pairings. It might be nice to add some food to some of these tours so you don't get too tipsy ;)

We were initially a bit skeptical about the museum (Douro museum? What is that??) but our skepticism quickly turned to enthusiasm. This is such a cool place! The tour was amazing, and we learned so much about the region and the history of Port. The guide even took us past their back rooms where they are restoring art, showed us a special exhibit (unrelated to wine), and we got some free port at the end of it! This museum is anything but stuffy - they even have some interactive exhibits, where you can smell aromas that are present in wine, and they have exhibits of old machines used to put corks in bottles.

Nice tour and wine tasting. I didn't actually like their wines as much as some others we had on this trip, but the experience overall was still very nice.

When we first arrived at the dock, they gave us a hard time about not having a ticket. Eventually, the magic words seemed to be "The Host" and we were allowed to board, but by then a huge group of other passengers had taken up most of the available seats. We were also expecting some kind of "tour", but we were supposed to download an app for the audio tour which seemed like a huge hassle and we couldn't get it working. The boat ride was only 1 hour, we would have liked to go for longer.

Coimbra is such an amazing city. The university library is phenomenal! Our guide was also very knowledgeable and we enjoyed hearing about the thesis defenses of doctors and other such student experiences. We felt like we saw all the important parts of Coimbra and it was all very interesting.

We hadn't done a cooking class before so we didn't know what to expect. We were surprised by how much prep they had already done - we didn't have to do any chopping, just basic assembly, which was a bit anticlimactic. Of course we never would have finished in time otherwise, since we made three courses. We really liked our starter salad, but the main dish for me was too much to eat. Dessert was probably my favorite part, we had a lava cake with raspberry sorbet. Our cooking instructor was very friendly and we enjoyed spending the time with her. I think I was expecting more of a group class, and more "pro tips" that you can generalize, instead of just putting together someone else's recipe, but we still had fun!

It would have been better to have a guide for this day. We went to Fatima first and were mostly confused by what everyone was doing (like walking on knees), then spent too much time in Nazare and ended up missing the Batalha monastery (we did go, but it was already closed unfortunately). It was still a good day though!

We had a nice guides and learned a lot about the area. Our favorite was definitely the Convent of Christ - what a magnificent church!

Obidos is such a cute town, and their cherry liquor in chocolate cups is to die for. Loved this day!

After an initial mix-up where our TukTuk didn't show up on time, we still ended up going later in the day. I really enjoyed riding in the Tuk Tuk, but the guide didn't have much new information to share - I felt like I'd already heard most of the things from other guides on this trip. Overall, I could've sat in the vehicle for longer, but the churches and descriptions fell a bit flat.

It was nice that everything was paid for in advance so we didn't have to worry about paying, and the food was nice, but I was hoping for a bit more Fado. I loved the music, but they only performed 4x during the course of the night.

I'm not sure how much this trip cost, but it felt like we could have saved some money driving ourselves to Cascais and Sintra, especially since the driver didn't come to the monuments with us. Sintra boasts a gorgeous castle, but it is also very overrun with tourists. We were not prepared for the crowds. We're also pretty sure we missed part of the castle - was there supposed to be an interior? Overall, it was nice to have a day to just sit and let ourselves be chauffeured around, but the car was TOO nice and we were suspicious how much we'd paid for this.

We had a nice time in Evora. The Chapel of Bones is really something else. Our guide was very friendly and we really enjoyed our last guided tour!

This was phenomenal, the lady who ran it has amazing energy and was so wonderful with my son who was feeling a bit off from jet lag! She also personally delivered our tiles to our hotel to help us out which was much appreciated.

This was so fun!!! Even as an adult there is novelty to it when you go splashing into the water, plus the guides are hilarious!

Our driver/guide was really nice and took us to a few different extra sights which was much appreciated. Knowledge level for guiding was lower, perhaps he was just a driver? If so he went way above and beyond as a driver, but for this one would have appreciated more of a guide especially at Sintra. I thought this was going to be a “kid” tour, definitely wasn’t tailored to kids, but we still enjoyed it.

Driver/guide and car excellent! Might have preferred a smaller boat ride (with less people) if that was an option, but still enjoyed. Winery was awesome to allow my 7 year old to come with me.

One of my favorite stops on the trip! Our driver made amazing recommendations for kids and gave us extra time than originally planned so we could do everything we wanted !

Excellent guide who tailored a fabulous itinerary for us! Great info and selection of stops to see. Enjoyed personalization of tour.

Nice rooftop/restaurant lounge for view of the city

Perfectly located. Clean comfortable, friendly staff. Decent breakfast

Perfectly located, right outside the walls of the city. Great breakfast. Nice pool with slide for kids.

This was a one bedroom condo unit with plenty of space and kitchen. Gave us a lot of flexibility. Very nice amenities within the Resort. Golf , tennis. Best breakfast selection with omelet bar

Great location

This place was magical! Joao had us visit in the morning, and he had suggestions to visit in Sintra! I would t change a thing about this day!

This was an amazing tour! Our guide Rita was so incredibly knowledgeable and shared so much of the history culture and food. She took us all over and we learned so much! Definitely a highlight of our trip!

Our guide Sara was amazing! She taught us so much about the history of this city, the cathedrals, the past conflicts of the kings! She taught us about the food and took us to a few of her favorite places! Highly recommend Sara!

This was an incredible night! The staff were so helpful, kind, and knowledgeable! They pointed out interesting and popular areas in Porto! And treated us to amazing wine!

This was an amazing adventure! Pictures won't do this place justice! We rode all the way to the top to a small little village where we were able to get refreshments and ice cream which was perfect for the hot day! The Douro valley is magical!

Magical Magical Magical!! Reta, the owner and her staff were amazing! This 200year old vineyard/ farm was so charming and special! The lunch was amazing and delicious and the wines we got to sample were also amazing! We ate lunch in the wine cellar and it was so intimate and special! They gave us a private tour of the vineyard and explained how the wine is made from vine to finish We cannot say enough great things about this day trip and experience!

Perfect day to see the Algarves from the ocean!

Great location, perfectly situated between the river and city. My room was beautiful, and staff was friendly.

I loved the idea of staying in a former winery! The location was great - really nice view of the river and vineyards from my room. I had dinner at the hotel and the food was great. If I had had more time, I would have spent some time at the pool.

A great location I’m Lisbon, especially if you’re looking to shop. It’s also close to a couple Metro stations, and not a far walk from the the plazas throughout Lisbon.

The drive from Porto to Douro Valley was beautiful … every time I would say “wow, this is gorgeous,” my driver, would say, “wait, it gets better,” and it did! Miguel was incredible - very knowledgeable about the region, the wine and port, and recommended a great extra stop (Amarante) because we had plenty of time before my winery tour and lunch.

My guide (Bernardo) shared so much about the history and culture of Porto. I loved every minute!

Interesting tour of the cellars. And great tasting. Mine was the only o e paired with a cheese plate, so that was a little awkward (I sat at a table by myself). But enjoyed the experience overall.

Interesting tour; good info about Quinta da Pacheco and how it’s different from the other wineries in the area. And for the tasting, they didn’t hold back - offered two reserve wines, and 30 yr port and a vintage port. Very impressive! The lunch with wine/port pairings was also great. Food was amazing, and the view of the property was spectacular!

A nice boat ride, but there was no one talking/sharing info about what we were seeing. As a solo traveler, it was a little boring and awkward (though still got to see some beautiful wine country so not all terrible).

My guide, Pedro, not only provided a great tour of the city and its history and culture, it shared really great tips for how to navigate the seven hills of Lisbon via elevators and cables cars! Felt like I was hanging out with a good friend.

I absolutely loved this day trip. My guide (Pepe) didn’t give me a time limit, so I spent close to three hours exploring Peña Palace and gardens, and then visited the Sintra National Palace and had lunch on the main square in Sintra (recommendation from my guide for a great restaurant - Cafe Paris.

Amazing hotel. Very fancy. Profesional staff. Great location. Amazing family suite rooms. Quiet. The hotel restaurant has high quality food (Italian rest). Very tasty. Restaurant staff where great. Overall, highly recommend this hotel if you want a high quality stay in a great a location

The staff here is out of this world. So warm and welcoming! they really went above and beyond

Great location

It was not a traditional boat and no descriptions of what we were seeing.

A moving and memorable experience. Our private guide Paulo was superb. It was over an hour drive each way and yet he allowed as much time as we need at Fatima. We attended Mass, lit candles and he even ensured our statues/artifacts purchased were blessed by a priest. He went above and beyond and we are so grateful!!!

The staff was friendly and very helpful, Our room was amazing with wonderful views. The restaurant also served good food. We could not have asked for more. While this hotel is still know by the locals as the Palacio, it has apparently been acquired by Octant and is now going by that name.

A modern, well-located hotel with a courteous and helpful staff.

One of the best restaurants we ate at. The black pork was delightful and the wine was so good that we took a couple of bottles with us.

Our guide was great. She even showed us how to use the subway, which was a breeze. Her knowlege and love of Lisbon was apparent.

The dinner was amazing, the performance not so much. They took a break after 3 songs at which time most of the restaurant cleared out.

The first tuk tuk broke down, but a replacement was immediately sent. Our driver was amazing and knowledgeable. The only negative is that we did not know that we should have purchased tickets before hand to visit the cathedral. Because of the long line we missed touring it.

Driver was great and very helpful.

Breakfast was nice every day. The hotel staff was nice and the property was very clean. Also the location was convenient to everything

Excellent location. Rooms were generous and we had a double balcony view of our area

This was a resort property that was very nice. Breakfast was yummy every day. The staff were very helpful

Only there for 1 night. It is close the the main city area.

Wow! Is all I can say. An absolute must do! Our guide was fantastic!

Our guide was great and the stops were fantastic. We got a great overview of the food and wine of Portugal

What a great activity! Our chef was fantastic and we had a great time

Our driver was great!

Very nice dinner and Fado. Room was a little warm

A bit quick and could have been a little more time seeing sights. It was a good overview of the old city but could have been a little more in depth.

The trip was great and views amazing. Crew of catamaran was super nice. Had drinks and snacks available and provided water activity equipment as well

This was the perfect end to our trip! Site’s beautiful and our guide great

Staff were friendly, clean, good selection of food for breakfast, well positioned for sight seeing the area by foot.

Andre was an excellent guide with a great deal of knowledge of the history of Porto and especially the history of the jewish people. His english was excellent. I would like to suggest that a breal for a coffee or suchlike in the middle of the 3 hour walkabout would have been nice for us older people.

If old elegance is your jam, this hotel is for you. Recently renovated, it's maintained its art deco feel -- even has time-capsule vignettes. The staff is lovely. They have port, tea, coffee and snacks available at no charge, from afternoon to evening. And by "snacks" I mean pastries. Yum. Our room was large, with a foyer, high ceilings and tile floor. A bottle of port is kept refilled, daily, and if you don't (like me) drink, they provide juice or sparkling water or whatever you'd prefer, instead. The staff moved furniture, the first housekeeping day, to better accommodate our two-suitcase-living. On our departure day, after joking with the breakfast staff that I was going to steal the whole tray of pastiche de nate, they arrived at our table with a container packed with a dozen of them! So nice! We loved this hotel.

Great location: easy walk to the waterfront, bridge and city center. This hotel, the "newest in Porto" suffers from new construction quality... the bathroom door handle fell off, the shower drain is incorrectly vented, so the room smelled like sewer if the bathroom door was left open. On the bright side, the windows opened. Mostly clean: nail clipping behind the bathroom door --not ours: pet peeve! The restaurant breakfast buffet has lots to offer and was tasty. Dinner was disappointing as the meat and fish were overcooked. Waitstaff was friendly and helpful. Front desk was efficient.

Awesome view! Efficient design. Helpful staff. Great breakfast. Nice, small, outdoor seating on room deck. Rooftop pool. No bathroom privacy as it's just a glass partition. Only stay with people who know you poop, and don't care if they hear or smell the process.... Very efficient layout.

If you have a large crowd you are travelling with, this would be great. Our travel agent booked us into a huge suite: big outdoor deck, large living room, large bedroom, 2nd balcony, huge foyer. Too big for the two of us, but made me want to come back with more people. It did allow us to have plenty of space to hang our laundry. Lots of spaces to gather and hang out at this hotel. The decor is an odd combination of antiques-style and Ikea.

Fabulous view, great staff, and comfortable space. Balcony overlooking the harbor is where we spent our last day in Portugal. No need to go anywhere else with a view like that!

We were skeptical going into this, because the Fado we'd heard on TV was not enjoyable. These performers were amazing! At least the 2 we got to hear. It starts late (10:30) and some of the performers were late arriving. We had an early start, the next day, so left at midnight while they were still waiting for the next act to arrive. The dinner is a fixed menu and was disappointing. Entrees were cold, and overcooked.... The highlight were the starters: little taste sensations that were all delicious! The singers set up in front of the exit doors. Don't plan on leaving, mid-performance!