Obrigado, Portugal!
Portugal
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Jul 17 - Jul 27, 2023
The trip planning process was very good, but with a little learning curve due to the more unique nature of the model. Pedro was very helpful, adaptive, and facilitative during this process... very accommodating and professional! One aspect that I had to adjust to, was the level of scheduled activities built into the initial plans, but in the end, we arrived at a good mix of planned and unplanned time. For reasons of managing kimkim's total cost (100% paid upfront for us) and maintaining our flexibility, we dialed back a considerable amount of planned activities. It seemed a bit much, and it would have been stressful to proceed as originally planned... especially traveling with a 20-year-old. But again, the final product was an appropriate level of planned (booked) activities.
We thoroughly enjoyed our hotels in Lisbon (PortoBay Marques), Lagos (BoaVista Bela Colina Village), Evora (MAR De AR Muralhas), and Porto (Hotel Dom Henrique)... tasty breakfast buffets AND separate rooms for us and our son (nice!).
We really enjoyed our planned activities and respective guides.
* The Lisbon Walking Tour was very well rounded - enjoyable and educational, and tasty at the end (wine, cheese, etc). Our guide Margarida was wonderful, and provided a true two-way experience. She even went "overtime" with us!
* The kayak tour of the grottoes around Lagos was extremely fun and beautiful (a little strenuous too :-), and our guide Bruno was a delight... engaging, thoughtful, and a character too.
* The Porto Walking Tour was good and interesting, but we all thought that our guide Bernardo was too heavy with the lecturing - it was quite one-sided, with little room for questions and engagement. Our son said it felt like he was sitting in History class.
* The Porto Bridge Climb was fun and provided beautiful vistas. Our guide Kika was a great, personable host, and allowed us to join a bit late after our delayed arrival to the starting point.
Our two drivers, around Lisbon and from Porto to Lisbon, were fantastic... very professional, flexible, and generous with their knowledge and travel tips!
We truly enjoyed soaking in Portugal... the kind people (everywhere), the pharmacist helping me out of a jam with my meds, the meals!, the wine, the architecture and history, the geology of Ponta da Piedade and Benagil, and the vibrant downtown city life... especially in Porto. Evora and its history was a nice stopping point along our trek to the North. Overall, it was a rich travel experience, and we're grateful for the opportunity.
The glue for this entire travel adventure was Pedro Luis! He is awesome... very knowledgeable, connected, forward thinking, extremely adaptable, and quite personable. He worked with us the entire way, answered important questions quickly and at all hours, anticipated issues before we knew of them, made on-the-fly changes to planned activities as we learned more about what we wanted to do, how, and when. He really got to know us, and is the ultimate in travel advocate. Thank you, Pedro!
Hotel Reviews
Activity Reviews
Guide Margarida was wonderful, and provided an interesting and interactive tour. She was professional and personable!
Old town Lagos was fun and vibrant... and delicious! The beach was nice, though didn't spend much time there.
Interesting and beautiful scenery among and in the grottoes of Ponta da Piedade. And it was nice to get some exercise paddling the kayak. Our guide was fantastic and funny.
Interesting old town with historic sites, like the Chapel of Bones.
Interesting, with lots of history and context. But this tour was too heavy on the lecture, and it became one-sided. Needs to mix it up some with more client interaction.
Great city, with great sites and vibrant activity. Warm and welcoming people.
Fun activity, with very nice views, and a great host.
Hello Kenny,
Thank you for your comments on the trip and Portugal :)
I am really happy to hear that you found my services and assistance quite helpful and that you had an overall great experience in my beautiful country.
It was great to have you, Kelleenn and Kyle travelling with us.
Your friend in Portugal - Pedro