Great service!

Portugal | Dec 27 - Jan 4, 2024

By far, our favorite of the three hotels we stayed at while in Portugal. We arrived prior to our check-in time, but the front desk staff got us into two of the three rooms within 30 minutes. And they suggested a place for lunch within walking distance. The concierge was equally helpful with dinner reservations a couple days later. The breakfast buffet was outstanding: no need to seek out breakfast anywhere else. All service encounters were professional and courteous.

Recently remodeled but still full of historical charm. Good breakfast and great staff.

We were only in this hotel for about 12 hours due to an early-morning international flight, so we didn't experience much. The rooms are spacious and the staff was friendly and courteous.

This cute bookshop has exploded in popularity thanks to Harry Potter, but we would like it regardless.

Driver was fun with lots of stories. He drove us to some nice viewpoints and sights.

Nelson was the perfect driver for this experience: since he grew up in Sintra, his knowledge of the area was astounding. The line moving through the palace moves at a comfortable pace, allowing time for reading the signage along the way. The palace is so well-maintained and is a captivating snapshot of 19th century regal life. We loved the gardens and especially the Valley of Lakes area. We also made a quick visit to the Moorish Castle, walking a portion of the wall. Amazing to see Neolithic artifacts and tombs from a thousand years ago.

This was probably the overall favorite activity of our trip. The food was great (lots of fish and seafood, as expected) and very attentive service. Even if you don't speak Portuguese, the music is gorgeous. We had front row seats and enjoyed watching the guitarists. There were three singers, each performing about 20 minutes, with breaks in between. One of those breaks allowed for the dessert course to be served. Yum.

Unfortunately we had a rainy morning for this tour, but rain jackets helped a lot. Sara was a trooper, and tried to get us out of the rain whenever possible, but she could tell we were tired of being soggy. We appreciated her knowledge of the city and specifics about various churches, government buildings, the train station and monuments. Her recommendation for lunch (francesinhas!) was spot-on.

Elsa was so fun! Kept us moving at a comfortable pace, making a loop from our hotel down the Avenida Liberdade to the riverside, up through the Chiado neighborhood, and back to the Avenida for a tasty lunch. So much history and culture to see, and she gave us pointers for visiting other places on our own, such as the best funicular routes, the easiest way to the Castelo de Sao Jorge, and using the Metro escalators to climb hills.