Kimkim Trip Reviews for Portugal

This is one of the best tours we had together, especially saneej and Tiago organising everything without much hurdles. So great that Tiago managed this big group. His hospitality was unconditional, also his patience and perseverance to make us know about protugal is beyond words. He always tried to balance thing so great that those who didn't participate also got good opportunity.

In short if someone say to make a mark of him of 10 being the biggest i would give 11 or more

Miss u Tiago , will be in touch

Now I have a friend in protugal

Tiago was amazing; one of the best guides ever. I would highly recommend him

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Dom Carlos Park

Lisbon

Évora Olive Hotel

Évora

Vila Gale Cerro Alagoa Hotel

Albufeira

Activity Reviews

Guided Tour of Lisbon

Lisbon

Cascais & Sintra Guided Visit

Portugal

Mountain Bike adventure

Portugal

Coasteering

Portugal

Évora Guided Day Trip

Portugal

Skydive (Tandem)

Portugal

Algarve à la carte - Full day guided tour

Algarve

Sagres and the west Algarve guided tour

Portugal

Surf Lesson

Portugal

Obrigado KImkim and Tiago
We had had an amazing 8 days of our life in Portugal.
Our stay and travel was superb. Special mention to our guide moreover a brotherly figure to us Tiago Silva He really kept the flock together from the very start. They way he planned the tour, it’s itinerary spacing of activities with adequate time for rest and relaxation was commendable. His command in English was noteworthy. He really helped us personally at times when required and was so much close to us. He really gave us the courage to do many of adventures. His selection of restaurants were superb to fell the real taste of local. Portuguese cuisine . Thanks Tiago and kimkim once again for the amazing experience and will always be fresh in my memory. Thanks and looking forward to meet you again.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Dom Carlos Park

Lisbon

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Évora Olive Hotel

Évora

Authenticity & Character

Location

Rooms where too small to accommodate our luggages

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Vila Gale Cerro Alagoa Hotel

Albufeira

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Guided Tour of Lisbon

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cascais & Sintra Guided Visit

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mountain Bike adventure

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Professionalism

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very helpful and

Transport

Tour trip

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coasteering

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Really breathtaking

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Évora Guided Day Trip

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Algarve à la carte - Full day guided tour

Algarve

Quality of Experience

Visit to caves was awesome

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sagres and the west Algarve guided tour

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Surf Lesson

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Timing and heat were a Hindrance

Transport

Marina was amazing! So great to work with and our trip was everything we had hoped for. When Marina was out, she had someone available for any questions. We had one hiccup our last day, when our car service for the airport did not arrive at 315am. We had someone still available and respnded promptly when we reached out. We ended up needing a cab that the hotel scheduled, and Marina and her team will be refunding us accordingly. Amazing service. Will certainly use KimKim for future travels. So happy with the outcome!

It was a marvelous trip. Well organised, relaxed and adventurous.
The activities were arranged in correct order to enjoy the most.
The accommodation and travel were smooth and safe.
The voice of restaurants for lunch was delicious and healthy.
Tiago, the tour agent was very polite, helpful, open minded and jovial. He was with us throughout the trip as a perfect guide.
Our 25th batch anniversary trip was made memorable and enjoyable.
The kimkim platform is really good for planning

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Dom Carlos Park

Lisbon

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Évora Olive Hotel

Évora

Small less practical layout of rooms and bathrooms

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Vila Gale Cerro Alagoa Hotel

Albufeira

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Not replacing the towels and linens unless specified

Activity Reviews

Guided Tour of Lisbon

Lisbon

Short walking tours planned mostly as downhill

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cascais & Sintra Guided Visit

Portugal

A good walk through the history

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mountain Bike adventure

Portugal

Amazingly beautiful and very adventurous activity

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour trip

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coasteering

Portugal

This was the most adventurous and fearful activity. Jumping off the cliff was very difficult

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Évora Guided Day Trip

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Skydive (Tandem)

Portugal

Adrenaline Rush

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Algarve à la carte - Full day guided tour

Algarve

The pre planned trip would have been better with boating and kiaking

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sagres and the west Algarve guided tour

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Surf Lesson

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our Portugal trip guided by Tiago was one of my best life time travel experiences so far. Very well planned. But more importantly Tiago is a passionate and well read person who knew portugese history inside out. On top of it he was down to earth, jovial and and so patient with us.
It was never going to be easy to control a group of 20 boys on a college reunion but Kim Kim and Tiago pulled it off fantastically .

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Dom Carlos Park

Lisbon

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Vila Gale Cerro Alagoa Hotel

Albufeira

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Évora Olive Hotel

Évora

Excellent design and ambience

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Guided Tour of Lisbon

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Transport

Cascais & Sintra Guided Visit

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mountain Bike adventure

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Tour trip

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coasteering

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Évora Guided Day Trip

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Skydive (Tandem)

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Algarve à la carte - Full day guided tour

Algarve

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sagres and the west Algarve guided tour

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Surf Lesson

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tiago was one one of the most amazing guides you could ask for. Inspite of having a large group (22) with diverse requests and tastes, Tiago ensured that each and everyone gets what they had ordered for. Be it kayaking, swimming or surfing. He would be with us more like a friend rather than a guide. People like Tiago makes trips more fun than you can imagine !!! Thanks

Tiago was an amazing tour guide. 7 stars all the way. Well planned. Amazing attention to detail.
Custom made itenary.
Support was excellent all the way through from start to finish.
Could have wished for a better guide and tour compmay!

José & his associates did an AMAZING job creating a fabulous trip for us. He gave us just what we asked for in terms of lodging, activities, food recommendations & guides. I can’t forget the guide they got for us—they were phenomenal. We had access to their staff 24/7 via WhatsApp, & they were responsive when needed. The islands of São Miguel & Madeira are a must see for anyone that has the time to go to Portugal beyond the mainland. We also LOVED almost every restaurant recommendation they offered.

Excellent tour guide,he went beyond being a tour guide and became family. I had only to come to Portugal 🇵🇹 , see and enjoy and all the rest was Tiago

Regards
Dr Mishal Johny
India
[email protected]

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Dom Carlos Park

Lisbon

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Évora Olive Hotel

Évora

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Vila Gale Cerro Alagoa Hotel

Albufeira

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Surf Lesson

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of Lisbon

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cascais & Sintra Guided Visit

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mountain Bike adventure

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour trip

Portugal

Quality of Experience

⁸

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coasteering

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Évora Guided Day Trip

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Skydive (Tandem)

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Algarve à la carte - Full day guided tour

Algarve

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sagres and the west Algarve guided tour

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day 1, Rui picked us up the first day and drove us to Obidos and Aveiro, and finally to our hotel in Porto. He balanced giving us information and quiet time perfectly. He even bought us some Ovos Moles! Very personable and a superb driver/guide.

Day 2, Celia took us on a walking tour all around our Porto. Our first hotel was perfectly situated and was an amazing hotel. Celia was wonderful to walk around with and provided a lot of information. We really enjoyed our 5 hour walk. The bifana and petiscos were tasty.

Day3, Pedro drove us to Guimaraes and Braga. Two amazing cities and we learned a lot of historical information about Portugal. Pedro was informative and personable. Almost forgot to mention the treat he bought us in Guimaraes, very good!

Day 4, Gea (sp?) drove us to Douro Valley. Fast and efficient. Stayed at Six Senses hotel - amazing place.

Day 5, Pedro picked us up at hotel and we toured Douro Valley. He took us to some awesome places/wineries and educated us on how port wine was made. We learned a lot. Lunch was at Quinta Nova, wow, amazing 4 course meal with wine pairing!

Day 6, Rui picked us up and we left Six Senses hotel and headed back to Porto. Rui gave us a lot of additional information about Porto, lovely city. This time we were across the river at The Yeatman Hotel. Perfect spot and allowed us to experience the other side of the river. Well thought out plan.

Day 7, Rui picked us up and transported us to the airport. Sad to leave Portugal, it was an amazing trip.

The planning, guides, hotels and whole experience was incredible. Kimkim did a really great job planning our trip.

We highly recommend Kimkim. Our guides were the best!

Good food recommendations.
Interesting sites to see (Belem, Sintra, Cascais)
Our specialist, Tiago, was very responsive and helpful. He helped us avoid some tourist traps.
I would definitely use Kimkim again.

Gosh, Portugal was never on my radar till a few weeks ago. We spontaneously cancelled our planned trip to Ba Hamar and went in a different direction. Being familiar with KimKim, my wife found Pedro to be the most experienced/ highest reviews on the KimKim sight when it came to Portugal. We stayed in Lisbon for 3 nights at the Tivoli. Pedro scheduled our hotel, and a walking tour, as well as coordinated our driver around our schedule.
Then the driver drove us to Algarve. Pedro put us in the Vila Veda Parc resort, which, was the most picturesque place I'd ever been to...Period. This says a lot b/c people would say I'm a seasoned traveler, and I stay at 5 star hotels when we do travel. This was it. Vila Veda Parc.
The final destination was Cascais, where we stayed at the Miragem Hotel. Cascais was more international, vs. Algarve which was 100% touristy. Cascais had culture, little streets to walk around into where you can get "lost" but the center of Cascais is not too big to not be able to find your way a back to the hotel. We would 100% do this again.

Marina with KimKim was amazing travel agent! KimKim asked great questions to get a sense of the type of trip you are wanting. Marina created an incredible itinerary using small tour guides who were passionate and well spoken. They provide a user friendly app with all day to day details / phone numbers that are accessible and event a chat feature with direct contact to Marina. They were able to accommodate a few small changes to the trip.
We will be using Marina for our next trip to Greece! We cannot wait for our next adventure.

Hotel Review

The One Palácio da Anunciada

Lisbon

Beautiful and cozy hotel in a great location. They have a rooftop pool that is great to use for the afternoon nap time needed after exploring the city in the morning.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Golden Coast Catamaran Cruise

Portugal

What a treat! Take a private catamaran for the day! We saw dolphins, paddle boarded to a private beach, swam and ate lunch. The captain and mate were top notch. Highly recommend! Full service with wine and lunch served to us. We just enjoyed the experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Day Excursion: Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Portugal

Our guide was so full of knowledge and passion. He told us he curates each tour after meeting his guests. He picked up that we like a more unique experience upon meeting us. He gave us lots of tips and restaurants to try.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kimkim schedule in Lisbon became confused when we tried to confirm food tour. Resulted in hurry- up-and-wait in blazing sun; finally made connection with delightful guide two hours off schedule.
Enjoyed provided dining and fell in love with fado music. On our own we walked (always uphill) to the Botannical Gardens--impressive green oasis in the middle of the city.
Bullet train to Porto great experience. 203 km/hr and smooth as silk.
The cabbie in Porto (not Kimkim) could not find hotel--tried to drop us in the middle of a street. But we stuck with him until a passer-by pointed out where the hotel was (name and number hidden). Our excellent assigned guide walked us all up and down over the old city and market areas. We were able to talk ourselves into a reservation at the highest restaurant in town, where we enjoyed the sunset and an excellent meal.
Kimkim-provided transport to and from train station and airport excellent, on time, and friendly.
We would have liked to visit the sea shore--maybe next time.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Lisboa

Lisboa

Simple accomodations, friendly and informative staff, excellent breakfast. Elevator very welcome. Centrally located between uptown and downtown, on main avenue. Be ready to walk.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Porto Charming Hotel

Porto

Tiny accommodations, but not uncomfortable. No lobby. Very friendly staff. Two/three rooms per floor, steep steps, no elevator. Simple but ample breakfast. Location 15-minute walk to tourist markets, 30 minutes (down- and then up-hill) to large cathedral plaza overlooking harbor and shore. Good guide, knows everybody in town.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Day Excursion to Douro Valley: Wine Tasting & River Cruise

Porto

Wonderful up and down countryside laced with vineyards . Narrow, lightly traveled roads. River Douro at bottom of valley carries port-wine freighters, sightseeing ships and large cruise ships. We stopped at a small vineyard along the road and were treated to a tour of growing grapes, curious pigs, gaggling geese, alert dogs, and a traditional farm kitchen probably a hundred years old. Just the two of us, and I don't drink wine. So my sister got to taste four different vintages, and I ate all the cheeses and meats and olives on the bountiful charcuterie plate!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tiago did an excellent job both planning our trip and helping us to navigate. He provided a comprehensive and well organized document, complete with links, that described our itinerary, recommended points of interest and gave useful information on accommodations. He also included other useful resources, such as advice on driving in Portugal.

Tiago was most responsive during our trip when we had questions. Prior to and during our trip, Tiago would promptly respond when we contacted him. He contacted us immediately I’ll arrival and greeted us at the airport. Prior to picking up our car rental, Tiago drove us to our hotel, showed us some sights along the way, and showed us where to lock up our rental car. He also picked us up the following evening to bring us to two of our planned events. When one of our events had to be rescheduled, he most effectively integrated it into our next day’s itinerary.

The trip that Tiago planned was excellent. Every accommodation he selected exceeded our expectations. Also, he recommended that we go off the beaten path and visit Évora. This city was a highlight of the trip.

We really enjoyed working with Tiago and would most defiant key recommend him to anyone visiting Portugal.

Marina planned the most amazing trip to Portugal! The hotels and all the tours/excursions were amazing! Will 100% use her and KimKim again for future travel!!

We reviewed the guides, the hotels, and the itineraries every day with Pedro so refer to him. Generally speaking, the guides were very good and professional and spoke English quite well. The drivers were always punctual, well dressed, spoke English well and drove us to our destinations in E- class Mercedes. Certainly, kudos to the drivers. Although we had 4-star hotels, a couple of hotels were a little disappointing. They didn't have wash cloths, they didn't have tissues, the final hotel, the Villa Galé Cascais, didn't have an iron or an ironing board, suggesting we use their laundry service and they wanted to charge for the safety deposit box. Power went out in the room, but was corrected within 10 minutes. The hotel in Porto was good, but the safe deposit instructions were confusing. They need to get a simpler safe deposit box like other hotels. All in all, the hotels were good and the breakfasts were great! The itinerary that Pedro did for us was comprehensive and we saw a lot of the important cities and places of Portugal. Pedro acceded to our requests to change the times of pickup by the drivers to modify our itinerary and is trying to get us a refund for the Pena Palace which we paid for twice due to the Palace not honoring our tickets on a day when the palace was closed due to fires raging in Portugal. That was stupid. They wanted us to go online to request a refund instead of simply replacing our tickets with new tickets. There was constant contact from Pedro to confirm what each upcoming activity was, the driver's name and WhatsApp # and the time of pickup at our hotels. We had constant communication texting both ways. This was excellent. We reviewed everything from each day's activities for him. The walking tour in Porto was a bit redundant and and we could have done without the honey and chocolate tasting tour. It fell short and felt like a time filler. Yet, we loved Porto. In contrast to all the churches, monasteries, palaces, and other historical places, we loved the nature hiking tour in Serra da Estrela and the follow up picnic. The walking tour in Évora was also quite good.

Hotel Reviews

Octant Hotels Palácio da Lousã

Lousã

This hotel was beautiful. The reception was great. The hotel was designed beautifully. The rooms were comfortable and the breakfast was amazing. The manager greeted everyone personally in the dining area during breakfast. And, they gave us hats to take away with us. What a nice touch. The only thing that out tour planner didn't anticipate was to arrange a dinner reservation when we arrived. They were fully booked for reservations and we would have loved to have dined there.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Évora Olive Hotel

Évora

Very good location, great breakfasts!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lagos Avenida Hotel

Lagos

Great location, excellent breakfast, very attentive reception and staff, rooftop pool w/bar.

Authenticity & Character

Authenticity & Character

Location

Location

Staff

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Unveil the Fairytale Villa of Sintra with a Private Driver Service

Portugal

Driver was excellent with knowledge of the area. He pointed to things we should try. Not his fault, the Pena Palace was closed due to fires in the area.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Seamless Discovery - The Ultimate Douro Valley Experience with Private Driver Service

Portugal

The driver added personal history to enhance the trip. He grew up here and related what he did on his family's farm.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike & Bite with Peaks, Paths, and a Delicious Picnic in Serra da Estrela

Serra da Estrela Nature Park

Our guide was well versed in the terrain, pointing out vegetation as well as geological formations. He spoke well in English and made the hike go smoothly. He topped it off with a "picnic" which was a full lunch. This activity, in contrast to the churches and other historical places, was a highlight of the trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wanting a stress free anniversary trip, we booked with Marina. It was smooth sailing until we got the documents 1-1/2 weeks before the trip and had to make changes. Marina had us in for a 10am food tour when we were flying in at 7am. The original plan was for a dinner food tour. She also had us in for a car rental on a day we couldn’t pick it up. We needed to have payments refunded for these 2 services, and the refund was 1/2 what you see as the retail rate. The lack of transparency with KimKim pricing meant that we didn’t know what we actually paid, or if the refund was a fair amount. Marina said it was.
After flying overnight with little sleep, we arrive at the airport at 7am and the private airport transfer to our hotel didn’t show up.. After an hour wait, we took a cab. Marina said they thought we were arriving close to noon, not sure why they would think that. Again, we were reimbursed for a private car at the same rate as a public cab That didn’t make sense to us as we could have just grabbed a cab to begin with. Why book a private transfer?
We had a lovely Jeep tour with Natascha to Set Cidades. Unfortunately it was foggy at the top of the crater, but we saw the blue and green lakes, and had a nice time with her. She was personable and informative.
We had a great day with Wilson, our guide for a 5 hour hike up to Lagos de Fogo. The picnic lunch was a bit meager, but we discovered these fabulous little cakes called quejadas, and then went to the shop in Villa Franco do Compo to eat more of them with some cappuccino. We also went to a swimming hole and drove along the coast on the way back to our hotel.
Our tour to Furnas with Paulo was very good, but he picked us up 25 minutes late. After our no-show driver experience at the airport, we were afraid that he wouldn’t come at all. It would have been great if he phoned our hotel to say that he was running late. However, Paulo was terrific, knowledgeable, and personable. We had a dinner of cozida in Furnas, and went to the the Ponca da Beira hot springs which were very relaxing.
Friday was our anniversary and Marina had booked us a table about 2 months ago, at our request, at the Associacao Agricola. When we arrived, they didn’t have our reservation! We were pretty upset as the restaurant was jammed. The maitre de took pity on us (it was our anniversary!) and we got a table after about a 1/2 hour wait. It would have been good if Marina confirmed the reservation a few days before the actual date.
All in all it was a lovely vacation but not stress free. We would have appreciated the itinerary a month before (as the original documents said) so that we weren’t going back and forth about arrangements and refunds days before we traveled, more fee transparency, and confirmation of our bookings so that we didn’t have to deal with no shows and back up plans.

Hotel Review

Octant Ponta Delgada

Ponta Delgada

The hotel staff was wonderful, very helpful and accommodating and there were plenty of them at any given time. The buffet breakfast was outstanding.

Authenticity & Character

Could have been a hotel anywhere in the world.

Location

On the harbor, a little bit of a walk into town.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sete Ciudades Jeep Adventure

São Miguel Island

Natacha was wonderful. Too bad it was foggy, but that is not her fault!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike Adventure to Lagoa do Fogo

São Miguel Island

Wilson was a quiet and competent guide. He took this at our pace, which is great because it was quite a climb! He offered some history and local context. The picnic lunch was meager and we carried it up ourselves. Somehow I was expecting more. Wilson was flexible in how we spent the rest of the day and we visited coastal towns. We were tired and happy at the end of the day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Hot Springs in Furnas

São Miguel Island

Paolo was a wonderful guide, setting the tone for a van full of strangers to have a good time together. He knows the island so well and shared his own story and knowledge generously. Dinner was great, the hot tubs were lovely. The only suggestion: he picked us up late, and could have called ahead to tell us that. Also, there were about 8 of us. After a private tours, we weren’t expecting 8 in a van. The drops offs at other hotels made it a longer night. But, the other folks were great company.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I know some people who plan trips on their own and feel travel agents don't add value. I have to say that Marta and Karin proved their worth as travel agents every step of the way. it was easy to message them during the planning process. They figured out pretty quickly what kind of hotels I liked. They provided a very nice mixture of activities (in city food and cultural tours, hikes, day trips to surrounding areas, kayaking etc.). Every detail of the trip was planned perfectly. Having drivers already scheduled and ready to go saved us so much time and were hassle free. The app they used to store all of our travel plans was fabulous. During our trip, they were available by phone or by chat. Everything went off without a hitch. Our tour guide in Porto, Tommy, was entertaining, friendly and knowledgable. Our hiking guide Carlos, who to us to Peneda-Geres National Park was so knowledgable about nature. Bernardo our guide to our Sintra day hike was great! Ana-Luisa, our food and cultural tour guide in Madeira was fabulous too! Luis who led our kayaking snorkeling adventure was great too. Thanks for a fabulous trip. We can't wait to use you again when we travel to Spain!!!

Hotel Reviews

Lisbon Marriott Hotel

Lisbon

Perfect for our purpose. We had one last night in Lisbon and wanted to be super close to the airport to catch a 5 am flight in the morning. The only thing that just meh, was the restaurant. That is typical of Marriotts however. Anyway, this hotel was perfect if you need a place close to the airport and want a good night sleep.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to airport

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel AlmaLusa Baixa/Chiado

Lisbon

The location of this hotel is its finest attribute. This hotel is within walking distance to a ton of restaurants, outdoor cafes, shopping, the waterfront, the tram.......pretty much everything! The rooms were beautiful. My only issue is the rooms were on the small side but other than that, this is a lovely hotel. The staff and concierge were very helpful in finding restaurants or anything we needed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Fabulous!!! It is so close to many attractions and we really did not have to get in a cab to go where we wanted to go. We walked everywhere from this hotel

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Yeatman Hotel

Vila Nova de Gaia

This is a first rate hotel. We would go back again and take advantage of the World of Wine tour. We didn't have time this time around. The only issue with this hotel is it is about a 17 minute cab ride to most places. Ideally I like to stay in hotels where I can walk to restaurants and shopping. Other than that, it was fabulous. Also, net time we will definitely book their one Michelin star restaurant. Also I did not realize until we got there that this is a Relais & Chateaux property. Every detail of your stay is thought out and fabulous! I forgot to mention the breakfasts, which are included, were the bomb. Everything was delicious and plentiful. My favorite detail was the decorations they would put on top of the cup of cappuccino!

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful and spacious property. First class attention to all details of the stay.

Location

Beautiful views. Wish it were closer to town though

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Reid's Palace, A Belmond Hotel, Madeira

Funchal, Madeira

What can I say other than it was like I died and went to heaven. This hotel is soooooooo gorgeous. They were also very accommodating at this hotel and very attentive to service. We had an early flight to Madeira so we arrived at our hotel around 9:30am. They sent us to have a fabulous breakfast by the pool while we were waiting for our room. They were able to get us in our room by 11am. They also let us have a late check out on our last day of 1:30pm. I know these sound like small things but when you only have two days in Madeira, you want to maximize. The entire facility was gorgeous. It is set on a cliffside over looking the ocean. The rooms weren't spacious but so gorgeously decorated. Lovely gifts were left in the room, like a travel journal, a beach bag and a water bottle. They had two pools, a salt water and a chlorine pool. They were both large and gorgeous. The vegetation on the property was gorgeous. They breakfasts, which were included were fab. They had plenty of outdoor shaded seating for breakfast and lunch. The William, which is a one Michelin star restaurant was top notch. There was a deck down by the ocean, which you need to take a long stair case to reach. That was absolutely a gorgeous place to just to lounge!~ and watch the ocean and listen to the surf. This is such a special place! I can't wait to return!

Authenticity & Character

This is a renovated mansion. They kept photos and details of a previous area. You definitely felt you were at a very special place.

Location

Set on a cliff overlooking the ocean with absolute gorgeous views!

Staff

Attention to every detail and sooooooo polite and lovely!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Perfection!

Activity Reviews

Porto Foodie Experience

Porto

We loved Sergio our tour guide. He was friendly, knowledgable and entertaining. It was a nice format so that we were able to chat with the other people in the small group. The wines we had were really good. My only criticism is that the food was just ok. The cheese and the sardine courses were good. The desserts/food they paired with the port were just meh. Some of the other courses, I plain old can't remember because they weren't memorable. In summary, the tour guide was great, the wine and port, really good and the food could be improved.

Quality of Experience

Food

Please improve the food that is paired with the port at the end.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sergio was funny, entertaining and knowledgable.

Privately Guided Visit of Porto

Porto

Tommy Hogg reached out two days before the tour via What's app just to connect. He was easy to find at our meeting point because we were already connected on What's app. He was knowledgable and entertaining. He asked us a lot of questions to get us engaged with the subject matter and the tour. At the end of the tour, he helped us with directions for our next stop, a restaurant which was close by. I would highly recommend Tommy and the tour!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hiking & Cultural Excursion in Peneda-Gerês National Park

Porto

This was a lovely trip to add on to a City stay. Having a day trip to a national park day trip to be outside with nature was a nice contrast to restaurants, tours and shopping. Carlos was a great guide. He was very knowledgable about nature. Everything about the day went smoothly, including the picnic, which was a nice touch. Carlos found out we had never been to Spain, so he took a little extra time to drive over the border, so we could say we have been to Spain!

Quality of Experience

Hiking and being outdoors with nature. The hike was challenging enough but not overly so.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Carlos is just a very nice likeable and knowlegable guide!

Transport

Private Transfer {{start_location}} to {{end_location}}, Guided Visit of Coimbra

Portugal

This was a nice way to get from Porto to Lisbon and squeeze in a day trip to Coimbra too. The only glitch we had was the driver didn't really know the game plan as to where we should be dropped off and he didn't speak much English, which would have been ok, we were just thrown off because most of the other drivers were able to communicate well. Anyway, that was the only hiccup. Fabiana was a great tour guide and she also went out of her way to make sure we got reconnected with our driver as the tour was done. Coimbra is a university city and home to the country's most prestigious university. It was a nice bonus that Fabiana was a graduate of that University and she also is returning in the fall for her Master's degree. Coimbra is another picturesque city in Portugal! What is not to love! Fabiana was multi lingual (Portuguese, Spanish, English and I'm sure other languages). She was very knowledgeable! Thanks for the great tour!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fabiana receives 5 stars, the driver receives 3 for not knowing where we were supposed to go and not reaching out to the company for information.

Transport

The drive was fine but as stated above, it is important that the driver be sure about where to drop tourists off in Coimbra. He just dropped us off at a random gate and it was really hard to figure out where to go from there.

Guided Tuk-Tuk Tour

Portugal

This was a fabulous way to get around Lisbon. If you haven't been on a Tuk Tuk tour, it is essentially being driven around on a golf cart type vehicle. This is the perfect way to get around Lisbon to see the highlights. I love walking but Lisbon is pretty spread out and very hilly. Ines was our tour guide and was so friendly and knowledgable. I know the tram (cable car) is famous and really cool but I have to say it was super crowded, which doesn't seem like a good idea during COVID times. The Tuk tuk tour was still ourdoors/open air but it was just the three of us and our driver. They essentially followed the same route as the tram tour. This trip was definitely worth doing and I would recommend it!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ines was great!

Transport

Loved the Tuk Tuk. It is perfect for the narrow and bumpy roads of Lisbon !

Sintra Heritage Hike: Hidden Secrets

Portugal

Sintra is a must see if you are in Lisbon. The car ride was only 35-40 minutes. You could do the bus tour to get up to the palace and the fortress but hiking was much more enjoyable and we really had great weather. The line to get into the palace was insanely long/crowded so we opted not to go inside. People were packed in like sardines. It was still well worth the trip to see everything from the outside however. Bernardo was knowledgable and guided everywhere so we didn't get lost. Hiking the stairs up to the fortress was a little scary. Once you make it to the top, the stairs back down are way less scary. People without guides didn't know there was a back staircase to get back down. Our guide was very helpful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Introducing Funchal - Food & Cultural Tour

Portugal

We had only a few days in Madeira and this tour really hit all the food and cultural highlights. It was a small group and a nice way to meet tourists from all over the world. It is essentially a walking tour throughout Funchal with several stops at restaurants and cafes along the way. The quality of the food was great. Ana Luisa, our guide was very welcoming, knowledgable and fun. She was multi lingual also able to switch from English to German to Spanish. Don't eat much before you go on this tour because you will be absolutely full by the end!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Garajau Nature Reserve: Kayaking, Snorkeling & Cliff Diving

Portugal

The description of this made it sound like we were going somewhere remote. It actually started from a hotel water front. This was fine with us however because our hotel did not have this option. This was a fun activity and my first time kayaking. The guide was great and I felt safe. Going out was easy because we were with the current. Save you energy for the way back against the current. The water was a little too rough to snorkel at the half way point (which was a more remote location)so we snorkeled close to the hotel when we returned. It was still lovely and the guide was very smart to be safe.

Quality of Experience

Super fun, out in nature

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Luis was great and entertaining and he kept us safe

Transport

Driver who picked us up and dropped us off was great