Kimkim Trip Reviews for Portugal

Patricia orchestrated the most amazing 10-week journey through Portugal and Spain for us. She was professional, responsive, creative and, most importantly, a wonderful listener.
From cultural private tours and wine tastings, to picnics in vineyards, to hot air balloon adventures, this was an experience we will never forget.
We highly recommend Patricia!

We had a fabulous trip to Portugal and were extremely grateful for the knowledge, organization, and attention of our local specialist, Tiago. I could not have organized or managed this trip with out your advice and help. Thank you so much! We thoroughly enjoyed all the places we visited We loved walking the streets of Lisbon, exploring the countryside out by Evora (and the Casa Do Governador was a fabulous recommendation!). Even with the difficulties we encountered along the way, the addressing of which Tiago provided invaluable support, we were charmed by the southern coast and had great fun surfing -- even in the wind and cold! Also, your restaurant recommendations were excellent. I was initially pursuing those that I had researched myself, but once I tried one of yours, I realized that that was the way to go. Thank you for everything, Tiago, and we hope to visit Portugal again soon.

Our culinary and wine tour of Portugal was excellent! Our specialist was always available for communications and everything went very smoothly. This was our second trip with Kimkim and they go above and beyond. It won't be our last!

Hotel Reviews

Dear Lisbon - Palace Chiado Suites

Lisboa

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

H10 Duque de Loule

Lisboa

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Exe Almada Porto

Porto

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Wine House Hotel - Quinta da Pacheca

Lamego

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tivoli Lagos

Lagos

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Foodie Experience in Porto

Porto

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Get to know Porto by E-bike

Porto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Porto Cooking Class

Porto

This was one of our favourite experiences. Vitor and Andre were great and we had a blast!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wine Experience in the Douro Valley & River Cruise

Douro Valley

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Cooking Class

Douro Valley

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Evening of Fado

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rural Gastronomy Experience

Portugal

The location was nice, but it was 100km from our hotel. The food was minimal and we didn't eat with the local family. Dialogue with them was also minimal. This is one I would have skipped.

Quality of Experience

Food

Private Day Excursion to Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Get to Know Lisbon with a Local

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset Sailing Cruise

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wine Tasting & Lunch at a Portuguese Quinta

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Catamaran Trip to Benagil Caves

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The tours, guides, chefs and places were beyond amazing!

As mentioned in a text earlier, all the guides, places, chefs, bus drivers were outstanding. They were kind and did their best to please us with recommendations. The hotels were excellent especially the Convent & the hotel at Algarve.
The wine tours, boat ride to Douro Valley was wonderful.
The cooking class outstanding, loved the place we learned and Hugo. Fatima was super, it was also nice to spend a day of leisure where we saw the beautiful coastline of Portugal, the caves etc. The tiny Villiage on top of the mountain (Monsaraz)was just gorgeous and amazing along with the cork harvesting farm/ tour .
The boat trip was special as it was so thoughtful of Sam to think of one of our passengers birthday, went on the secluded beach as well. Lisbon just wonderful and amazing sights am to see, love all the castle tours as well. Loved being near the water. All hotels provided outstanding breakfasts and dinners were wonderful! Unexpectedly to me we’re 4 of my group with physical challenges, and everyone went out if their way to accommodate. So thank you for such a fantastic itinerary & people, the kindness of everyone was outstanding.

Beatriz was a great organizer and took care of all our needs and comfort. All the tours, along with the guides were just awesome. Except for one tour guide who took us on a trip to Sintra, Cascais, and Estoril. He did not give us the tickets for the shuttle along with the entrance tickets to Penna palace. He did not even mention that we have to buy those tickets. We had to waste 55 minutes back and forth.
We liked all the places in Portugal. My best pick would be Douro valley as well as Cascais.

Activity Review

Evening of Fado

Lisbon

A romantic getaway. Beautiful music to hear along with good food. Worth the money spent. But, we should have been picked up from the hotel.

Quality of Experience

Food

All the food and ofcourse, the wine.

First and foremost, accolades to kimkim, Espiritu Travel, and Karin Eckhard for planning my family’s trip to Portugal; it was extraordinary. We are still reminiscing about the culture, food, and people of Portugal. Karin did an incredible job developing our very thoughtful and organized trip plans.

The tours and private transfers that Karin arranged were above outstanding. Our tour guides and private transfers were prompt, professional, and very personable. Our tour guides were extremely knowledgeable about the various parts of Portugal that we visited and each one made our experience a true five-star delight: Porto (Sergio, Pedro), Douro Valley (Nelson), Aveiro (Marta), Coimbra (Marta), Tomar (Marta), Lisbon (Marta), Sintra (Nuno), Cascais (Nuno), Evora (Miguel), and other various locations in the Alentejo Region (Miguel, Joanna) and the Algarve (Pedro).

The hotel accommodations that Karin arranged were beyond expectation. The beauty and quaintness of Infante Sagres Hotel in Porto made us feel like we stepped back in history. Corpo Santo Hotel in Lisbon enveloped us in a part of history pampered by the staff and remarkable amenities. The M’ar de ar Aqueduto in Evora was classic and serene offering an exceptional gastronomy experience. The Tivoli Carvoeiro Algarve Resort was a beautiful, ocean paradise.

Special shout out to Marta for taking us to several quaint cafes off the beaten path that were special to her.

Karin was accessible throughout our trip. Her messages were timely and she assisted us with restaurant reservations on a number of occasions. She made us feel like VIPs. We are already talking about our next trip, and we will definitely want Karin to be our point person. We are also highly recommending kimkim, Espiritu Travel, and Karin to family, friends, and coworkers.

Obrigada!!!

Hotel Reviews

Infante Sagres

Porto

The beauty and quaintness of Infante Sagres made us feel like we stepped back in history. Excellent breakfast and very lovely staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

M'ar de Ar Aqueduto

Évora

The M'ar de Ar Aqueduto hotel was classic and serene offering an exceptional gastronomy experience. The spa was great and the hotel grounds are beautiful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

M'ar de Ar Aqueduto

Évora

The M'ar de Ar Aqueduto hotel was classic and serene offering an exceptional gastronomy experience. The spa was great and the hotel grounds are beautiful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Privately Guided Visit of Porto

Porto

Embarking on our first full day in Portugal we met our lovely guide, Pedro, and immediately delved into Porto’s history through a walking tour. Pedro was warm and patient, adjusting the pace of our tour as necessary to help accommodate the elderly. He was extremely knowledgeable about Porto’s history, and he answered all of our questions along the way. Engaging in conversation was a breeze and very insightful. We truly felt Pedro went above and beyond. We highly recommend this tour!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Porto Foodie Experience

Porto

Shortly after arriving to Portugal, we met with Sergio for a walking culinary experience. Sergio was very personable and knowledgeable about Portuguese cuisine (cod, sardines, traditional dishes, and pastries) and wine. Sergio guided us through the city center experiencing great dishes, cafes, and restaurants along the way, then he led us off the beaten path to experience more local treasures. This tour was an excellent way to begin our Porto experience!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Day Excursion to Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Portugal

Our excursion to Sintra and Cascais with our amazing guide, Nuno, was pretty magical. The Quinta da Regaleira that we visited in Sintra was like something out of a fanciful novel. Every bit of it was picturesque and at the risk of sounding corny, exploring the grounds was full of wonder. Nuno then took us to Restaurante da Adraga, the best beach-side, seafood restaurant we’ve ever been to. The food, wine, dessert, and service were top notch. After lunch, Nuno made sure we had an opportunity to visit and enjoy the shops and sights of Cascais. To top off our experience, this particular day was Freedom Day. Sharing in that moment with Nuno was a heart-warming experience. We feel blessed to have such wonderful and vivid memories of this day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer {{start_location}} to {{end_location}}, via Tomar & Knights Templar

Portugal

If you have a curiosity or enthusiasm for the Middle Ages, Tomar is a place that transports you to the period of the Knights Templar. Here, in Tomar, we visited the Castle of the Knights Templar. This site is an architectural marvel, and we were graciously allowed time to really take in the expanse of the castle and its grounds. Moments were powerful, serene, and haunting. A must-see for any history buff!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Visit of Aveiro with Tuk-Tuk & Boat Tour

Portugal

The day in Aveiro and Costa Nova with Marta was a treat! Marta is an incredibly knowledgeable guide with a well-rounded repertoire of places to visit and things to try. First, we spent the morning and early afternoon touring Aveiro, learning about the city’s large array of Art Nouveau buildings as well as its history as a once, major exporter of sea salts. We viewed the active salt flats via tuk-tuk and visited local shops by foot to collect a variety of local salts, canned fish, and egg yolk treats. Perfect for culinary aficionados or home cooks! We also enjoyed a boat tour on the canals of Aveiro where we learned that many of the guides are indeed local fishermen. It was a charming city. After Aveiro, Marta took us to dine in another town called Costa Nova. Here we enjoyed a fresh and delicious seafood lunch at Canastra do Fidalgo. Conversation with Marta was intriguing. We felt like we understood Portugal and way-of-life in the country much more holistically through her insights.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Excursion to Alentejo - Jeep Safari Through a Cork Fork & Visit to an Olive Oil Estate

Lisbon

Now into the wild: the safari cork tour was a quiet diversion from our city excursions, as we made our journey south to the Alentejo Region. Our safari’s guide, Joanna, was both personable and quite knowledgeable about the lands that produced cork and wine. Always interested in understanding origination, production, and distribution, our visit to a cork factory after our safari tour was appreciated. One of us is now happily awaiting a unique piece of cork furniture directly from Cortiçarte. Our primary guide in Alentejo/Evora was Miguel. Miguel was outstanding! He truly went above and beyond to maximize our experiences in the region with care, consideration, and kindness. Amongst the most enjoyable of the experiences that we shared in the Alentejo was our visit to the small olive orchard, the Monte da Oliveira Velha estate, where Amor é Cego is produced. There, our hosts João and family warmly greeted us and shared the history of the estate before welcoming us to their table for an olive oil tasting and lunch. This experience was truly special.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer Hotel to Hotel

Porto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Get to Know Lisbon

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Evening of Fado

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Food

Private Transfer Évora to Lisbon Airport

Évora

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

4X4 Algarve Sunset Experience

Portugal

There was no better way to end an amazing trip to Portugal than with an Algarve sunset experience guided by Pedro! Pedro was very personable, courteous, and possessed a wealth of knowledge of the Algarve. En route to St. Vincent Cape of Sagres via a 4WD jeep, Pedro took us to see some of the most picturesque views of beaches and breathtaking landscapes, particularly Cordoama Viewpoint! Pedro planned our experience perfectly giving us plenty of time to take in these views along the way. Our trip concluded at St. Vincent Cape of Sagres where we witnessed the most captivating sunset while enjoying great wine and bread with chorizo.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Excursion to Douro Valley, Wine Tasting & River Cruise

Porto

Our day started with meeting our incredible tour guide, Nelson, who guided us on our day excursion to Douro Valley. He filled us with the history of Douro Valley; Portuguese history and culture; and, insight on the vineyards' planting, harvesting, and production. One of the highlights of our tour was our lunch at Toca da Raposa, a quaint, family-owned restaurant that featured an excellent menu and wine selection. The wine tasting at Quinta da Pacheca was a charming experience, which we thoroughly enjoyed.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

KimKim is the service I needed and didn't even know it!

We were super impressed from start to finish with the KimKim format and the complete ease of booking with the help of Bea. I used to work as a travel agent and like to plan our trips with a lot of detail and thought...but frankly I just don't have the time to do all the necessary research on a new destination every time anymore. KimKim exactly fit the niche that I needed.

Bea was great to work with - super responsive and helpful as we planned this last minute trip to Portugal.

Portugal was amazing! We're so glad we went and are already talking about going back. Highlights were the walking food tour in Lisbon (which sadly my husband missed due to jetlag but he feels like he was there because I haven't stopped talking about it) and the entire stay in the Douro valley. Porto has some really charming elements, but we found it to be overwhelmingly flooded with tourists that this relatively new tourist destination hasn't figured out how to envelope yet. One day there is plenty. We did an e-bike tour there which we would not recommend. The guide was perfectly nice, but conceptually a bike tour in Porto just doesn't make sense. We were biking on crowded sidewalks and through narrow streets where it felt rude and/or unsafe to be biking.

Hotel Reviews

Casual Belle Epoque Lisboa

Lisbon

Location couldn't be better - hotel was clean and had a great breakfast. Room was pretty small, but you expect that in Europe.

Tips for future travelers

There are two "secret" elevators nearby that locals use to avoid the hills. We found them towards the end of our stay - both are a left turn as you leave the hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Quinta de la Rosa

Pinhão

Stunning hotel! We would be very happy to stay there again. Our room was very recently refinished (it smelled like they had finished that morning) and had a couple of odd quirks. Namely the front door was abnormally short such that my husband had to duck to come in. And despite the room being HUGE, the bathroom didn't have a door on it which we found uncomfortable. Views were incredible, breakfasts were great.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Add a door to the bathroom

chic&basic Gravity

Porto

Great location, friendly staff, very clean, good breakfast. Almost too trendy...looks like it was designed to be instagrammed. A small thing, but they could use sheer curtains on the windows, it was either blackout or be fully exposed to the courtyard and guests on the other side of it.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Lisbon Foodie Experience

Lisbon

Amazing! Loved it! Highlight of my trip (I say "my" because my husband missed it due to jetlag). I learned so much, the guide Daniela was superb, and it was the perfect way to spend four hours in Lisbon.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Group Excursion to Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Lisbon

So, the destinations were lovely. But our "guide" Rui on this was really pretty terrible. This was originally meant to be a small group tour and we really wish it had been. Rui was our private "guide" but he was really more like a driver. He didn't have anything to tell us about about the sights even we asked him really easy questions. As soon he picked us up he started to try to sell us on booking a walking tour with him in Lisbon and using him to book stuff for Douro where we were going next. Since he didn't have anything useful to say about the sights he was more like an awkward third wheel that we wanted to ditch. We overheard some of the stuff other guides were telling their guests and really felt like we missed out.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

He was a fine driver.

Get to know Porto by E-bike

Porto

Our guide was nice and the bikes were in good condition, but we would not recommend this excursion. Porto is not at all a cycling city. We were riding bikes on crowded sidewalks and through narrow streets where it felt alternately super rude and super unsafe to be biking. Our guide mentioned that we were a small group (seven of us) and I literally cannot imagine having any more of us do that at once. Avid cyclists will be mortified and anxious cyclists will panic. Stick to walking tours.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Get to Know Lisbon with a Local

Lisbon

This was a good tour of the city and our guide was very knowledgeable and personable. Through no fault of her own though she followed the SPECTACULAR guide I had had for the food tour, who is a hard act to follow and had already shared a lot of the same information. At this point we had already walked some of these spots as well, albeit with less context. I would recommend doing this tour before the food tour to help set overall context for Lisbon.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Evening of Fado

Lisbon

This vastly exceeded our expectations. I really expected this to be a tourist trap dinner and a show type deal - and I mean yes, mostly there were tourists there, but the quality of the performances and the food were very high. And a few locals even came in later on! Definitely recommend.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wine Cellar Guided Visit with Lunch

Douro Valley

We loved everything about Quinta de la Rosa - I would just recommend leaving out the lunch portion of this or adding some expectation setting. It was a huge (delicious) lunch that ended up being the same thing as I had ordered for my dinner at their restaurant the night before. It was huge and lengthy and ended up taking a huge chunk of the day when I think we would have preferred a light salad and to move on to another tasting instead.

Quality of Experience

Food

Food was amazing, just a bummer that it was the same dish I had the night before without knowing.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I cannot stress enough how happy I am with our experience with kimkim and our local specialist Tiago Filipe. Our trip evolved from start to finish. And at each step of the way Tiago was patient and accomodating to ensure that the end result was exactly what we wanted. The trip met all our asks and more. We traveled from Lisboa to Porto and everywhere in between. I am so glad I found this service and recommend it to anyone I know who is traveling. My friend and I appreciated him checking in with us to make sure we arrived safely at our next destination or if we returned back to hotel safely after a day of making a day trip. Loved our experience!!

Marina was outstanding in our quest to get to Portugal and Spain. She listened to our feedback and am made adjustments as needed. Marina’s quick responses took the worry out of planning our trip. Once we arrived in Lisbon, it was clear to us just how much work Marina put into our trip. From the food and historical tours to the highlight of the trip of cooking a dinner with a Portuguese chef we had an outstanding week. Thank-you Marina and Kim Kim. You are a top notch travel agency. Most importantly….you have our gratitude.

Hotel Reviews

Dear Lisbon Bordalo House

Lisboa

Nicely appointed historical hotel. Made us feel a part of the culture.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Exe Almada Porto

Porto

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Lisbon Foodie Experience

Lisbon

Denielle was an incredible tour guide. We’re pretty sure she knows everyone in Lisbon and they knew her! Food was great, drinks were great and she made us feel a part of this awesome culture.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Porto Cooking Class & Market Visit

Porto

This was the highlight of our trip. Vito and his staff not only attended to our every need, he ensured we were involved in every aspect of our experience. Vito’s talent, passion, and negotiation skills ensured we had the best ingredients! The fish market was great!!! Once arriving at his kitchen we were quickly immersed in an awesome culinary experience of which every aspect was carefully choreographed with passion and fun! The sea bass, crab and shrimp main course was outstanding! The fish soup was even better. Vito never hesitated to give us credit for cooking our own dinner, but we all knew better. Without his passion for quality ingredients and free spirit for fun -it could have been just another dinner. Vito has our strongest recommendation. If your passionate about great food and making new friends, this the experience for you. . We consider Vito and his staff family now. Thank-you for all you do!!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vito drives an awesome old Land Rover. Unfortunately…he won’t sell. 😀

Privately Guided Visit of Porto

Porto

Tomash or Tommy was incredibly knowledgeable about every aspect of our tour. More importantly he was a blast! Tommy made our day with him very fun and we learned many things about the incredible city of Porto. Touring with Tommy is highly recommended!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Privately Guided Visit of Porto

Porto

Tomash or Tommy was incredibly knowledgeable about every aspect of our tour. More importantly he was a blast! Tommy made our day with him very fun and we learned many things about the incredible city of Porto. Touring with Tommy is highly recommended!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bea planned an incredible itinerary and worked with us so closely to develop the perfect, custom plan for our trip. She suggested activities and accommodations we would have never found they made our trip unique and extremely memorable.
It was such a positive experience, the team was so responsive to feedback and we were so thrilled with the outcome. I had incredible peace of mind knowing every detail was taken care of and they were always there if we needed assistance.
I recommend KimKim to all of my friends and we will definitely use them again.

Hotel Review

Quinta de S. Bernardo Winery & Farmhouse

Mesao Frio

This was our most favourite place of our whole trip and we adjusted our itinerary to meet their 2-night requirement because nothing else compared in the Douro. The facilities, the views, the wine, the food, the amenities and the service were unparalleled. It’s a most special place that we’d want to return to every year. Truly a hidden gem.

Tips for future travelers

Allow yourself a few days here to enjoy the property and surrounding areas

Authenticity & Character

Third generation family working the land and making wine - so authentic

Location

Most incredible and breathtaking views of the Douro

Staff

The staff were amazing - such attention to detail and always moving in the background

Cleanliness & Comfort

Every last detail was thought of and attended to

Activity Review

Privately Guided Visit of Porto

Porto

We had the most fantastic tour with our private guide. It was hands and away the best way to experience Porto. The four hours we had together flew by and the tour was one of the highlights of our trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I really appreciated the service that went into planning our trip. We stayed in Estoi at Palacio de Estoi. I appreciated staying out of the way of the more touristed areas. The food was good, the room and view was lovely, the pool was very nice. Taking a car to where we wanted to go worked out really well. We had a really nice boat trip out of Rio Formosa with a guide Joao from Fantastikspirit out of Olhao. Loved the hotel Almalusa hotel in Lisbon. The breakfast at the Almalusa was really nice and the location perfect. We rented electric bikes and rode to Belem to see the monuments and monastery which was great. We also saw a a great exhibit at the Museum Colecao de Berardo- Berardo's personal collection. We did have to call a couple of times for some minor hiccoughs and the team handled it. We are vegetarians and it was easy to find good food in Lisbon.

Hotel Review

Pousada Palacio De Estoi—Monument Hotel & SLH

Faro

The palace is away from the most touristed areas but nestled in the hills of the Algarve with lovely grounds and view. It was really nice to stay away from a crowded area. It felt special. The restaurant was good. The pool has a lovely open view. The location was good and we drove to all the spots we wanted to see- old town Faro, Lagos, Sagres and Cabo Sao Vicente, Rio Formosa. We even drove to Sevilla Spain - 1.5 hour away to spend the day.

Tips for future travelers

You need to book your dinner meals as the restaurant has limited seatings.

Authenticity & Character

What's not to like about a restored Roman villa?

Location

On a hillside with amazing grounds and views.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

the room was large

Activity Review

Nature Excursion in Ria Formosa

Portugal

Beautiful ride. We didn't see a lot of birds but the excursion was beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

This trip was curated well. I would give it 5 stars had the hotel in Lisboa have been better. Turim Restoradores was well situated however, the rooms are painfully outdated. My bathroom was so narrow( and dirty on our last night). Both rooms' temperature was not regulated and when asked, we were told that there is NO AC just heat. I'd hate to be in that hotel in the summer. Imagine dreading going back after a full day of walking(I would have given 5 stars otherwise)As a tour company, I think the hotel tax should be included in pricing. While I was told it was mentioned in the agreement, that the hotels in different cities/countries charges different rates(isn't the tour company's business to know it, after all you picked the hotel)Its not much but that's besides the point.
Our first taste of the city was a Tuk Tuk tour, unfortunately the guide was late and lacks the desire to make the trip personable as he darts around the city. I was the told by him that he is not a native(which is fine) but only on the job for 2 months(I can tell, he was rambling off points of interest like it was in a tour guide book). Thankfully for the next two days, Rosa(walking food tour) and Marta(Sintra/Cascais) were both fantastic. The guide in Coimbra was also very informative.
Hotel in Porto was a refreshing change from Turim. It has been tastefully updated/front desk was informative and helpful/breakfast spread was amazing! First adventure, motorised bike tour. Thankfully our family of 4 weren't novice bicycle riders. I think if one was new to biking, it would be challenging(not due to the hills) for all the difficult terrain and navigating through tourists in the area we when through. Food and cultural tour was so-so, not once was port served/Apparently that would be a port tasting tour(one would think that both food and port is combined) after all wine was served. The day excursion to Duoro Valley was fantastic! Nelson our guide made our trip very memorable. Obidos was just so so beautiful(at least 3 hours needed with lunch). Alas our last night was back in Turim. Having to compare the accommodation of Eurostar Porto to Turim was a hard pill to swallow on our last night in beautiful PT.
Marina as a guide was attentive and very quick to address any issues/questions during the planning and while we were there. As a tour company, I'm certain you would want to know the condition of the lodging your guests are put in. I write with no malice. In life you win some and lose some. Being in the service industry myself, I'd like to know the good and the bad as only then improvements can be made.

Hotel Review

¡NO USAR! Turim Restauradores Hotel

Lisboa

Location-Great. Accommodation was ok. No regulated air. NO AC only heat. Made sleeping through the night challenging. Breakfast spread has seen better days. It was included in our reservations, otherwise I wouldn't pay $15 euros for it.

Tips for future travelers

Do not stay if you like AC

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Guided Tuk-Tuk Tour

Portugal

Just not the right tour guide. While we were waiting, another guide(from the same company) was way more pleasant.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

A huge thank you to Tiago and his team! They made planning our trip, on short notice, a pleasure. The hotels, tour guides, restaurant recommendation and our travel book where all spot on! We will definitely be using KimKim again!

Had an absolutely amazing time thanks to the great planning by Marina. Hotels were fantastic as were the guides that were arranged. The driving trip to Sintra is a can’t miss event and our guide Rui was incredible, making it feel like a trip with our Portuguese cousin. All our other guides (Miguel and Pedro in Porto) and Felipa in Lisbon were top notch.
Truly had a great experience thank you Marina!

Hotel Review

Portugal Boutique Hotel

Lisbon

Very nice hotel. Great service. Very central to all key Lisbon locations

Tips for future travelers

No controllable AC

Activity Review

Private Day Excursion to Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Portugal

The guide really makes the trip. Rui was our guide replacing Nuno at the last minute. I couldn’t think of a better and more enjoyable person than him he was terrific!

We really enjoyed everything that was planned. All of our guides were great. Sintra was probably our favorite outing. The accommodations were perfect. The hotel in Porto was very beautiful but it was a little far from everywhere we saw or ate. It felt like it was a 20 minute walk everywhere we went. It would have been nice to be a bit closer. The hotel in Lisboa was in the perfect location. There was no way to change the weather. As we could see a couple of days in advance that there was a 99% chance of rain, I should have made a backup plan in Porto. It would have been fun to do the tile making or cooking class instead of just walking around the city seeing more sights. Really everything else could not have gone better. We appreciated the restaurant recommendations. It was so nice to be able to check in with you with questions. You were very accessible and easy to work with. Thank you so much for helping us have such a wonderful trip.

Hotel Review

Rossio Boutique Hotel

Lisbon

This hotel is in the perfect location. It is centrally located and close to almost everything we wanted to see. It was clean, had a good breakfast and the staff were nice to work with. The rooms on the Main Street are noisier but our room that wasn’t on the Main Street was quiet.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Lisbon Foodie Experience

Lisbon

This exceeded our expectations. The food was good, the guide was knowledgeable and interesting. We learned a lot about the history of Lisbon, the different neighborhoods as well as tasted good food. We even went back to one of the restaurants later in the trip.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset Sailing Cruise

Lisbon

It was a beautiful way to see the city. We really enjoyed it. The employees were nice and accommodating. It felt like it could have been a little shorter, just because it was chill. We were there with our kids and it felt like we watched people get more and more drunk. It would be nice if there was an option that didn’t involve wine, maybe geared for families.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sintra Heritage Hike: Hidden Secrets

Portugal

We loved this outing! Our guide Susannah was wonderful. She was happy and fun to talk to and very knowledgeable. We loved where she took us to the castle and palace and the way down through the forest. She made us a yummy picnic lunch which we really enjoyed. We would highly recommend her and this excursion.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Get to know Porto by E-bike

Porto

This is a great way to see Porto. The bikes make it so easy to get around and see a lot of places. Our guide was fabulous. She knew a lot and was fun to inerrant with. We highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Beatriz was extremely responsive and created the perfect itinerary for our once in a lifetime Honeymoon! She was available for any additional help while we were in Portugal which gave us peace of mind for anything from where to get a bite to eat to ensuring our drivers arrived on time. Beatriz and the KimKim team created the most PERFECT honeymoon above and beyond our wildest dreams! Thank you for giving us the most MAGICAL trip to celebrate our marriage!

We had the best time! All of our guides and transfers were amazing. Thank you Marina for helping us book an amazing trip. You were the best.

John and Donna

We had an amazing time in Portugal!  Marina was wonderful; we absolutely could not have planned this trip without her help. While we were in Portugal, the support we received from Karin was also so helpful.  I will definitely use KimKimin in the future.

Some of the highlights included: 
-Porto was a favorite! Thanks to Nelson, the day trip to Duoro Valley was one of the best activities/days that we had on our trip. Nelson went above and beyond to ensure we enjoyed the day, learned more about Portuguese history and culture, and saw sights we may have missed otherwise.  I honestly cannot say enough good things about Nelson; he was absolutely wonderful.  

-Also the tour of Porto with Sara was great.  Sara did a great job taking us to some unique points in the city.  Additionally, she assisted us with restaurants and other recommendations in the city.  Sara is really lovely.  

-The day trip to Sintra was also a fantastic experience.  Sintra is magical and Marta was wonderful.-The Lisbon walking tour was also very good.  This tour helped us understand so much about the history of Portugal as well as see a lot of the city.  Our tour guide Filipa had a great personalityand kept the tour interesting. 

-Lagos is absolutely beautiful!  While we enjoyed the Catamaran, we really enjoyed the Sunset experience with Pedro.  This activity allowed us to see the surrounding areas outside of Lagos and understand just how much more there is to see and do in the Algarve region.  Pedro really did a great job; he was very personable and made the whole experience really fun.

Other:
-It would be good to mention that flat shoes are required for pretty much all of the streets in Portugal. :)
-The Tivoli hotel in Lagos did not meet expectations.  While the rooms were clean, the service and the breakfast were lacking.  For example, every time we went to get towels for the pool, the front desk did not have any available. This is not a hotel I would stay at in the future. 

Our trip was absolutely wonderful, and it's hard to say what our favorite part was. Marina was absolutely fantastic in helping us plan our trip, and responded quickly and kindly when we asked for changes. A few standouts...4x4 adventure near Porto, Douro Valley wine tour, day in Coimbra, Knights Templar tour in Tomar, lunch at the olive tree farm near Evora. Overall an absolutely amazing trip! Thank you again to Marina, and to Karin for serving as POC for one week.