Kimkim Trip Reviews for Portugal

Our honeymoon trip to Portugal was absolutely amazing! I'm an event/travel planner in my day job, so I know I could've planned the trip on my own, but working with Kimkim and our specialist Beatriz made the planning experience SO much quicker and I appreciate all the time they saved me! I loved how we were able to customize our itinerary, ask specific questions, and tailor the whole experience to our interests + Beatriz was super responsive during our travels in case we had questions or last minute change requests (which was super reassuring). All of our onsite tour guides were all so friendly, knowledgeable, and passionate about making sure we had the best time. A few stand out experiences that we highly recommend: Duomo valley tour (100% ask to book a Quintas lunch experience!!!), our private cooking class in Porto (huge shout out to Vitor!) , and our kayaking excursion to the Bengali caves in Algarves. The hotel recommendations were fantastic as well - all located in convenient, central locations and were usually walking distance to our tours. Thank you kimkim and Beatriz for an amazing experience and we look forward to planning our next trip with you soon!

Hotel Reviews

Vivenda Miranda

Lagos

Stunning views, convenient location! The decor has a bit of quirkiness to it, but still felt high end!

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Cleanliness & Comfort

Octant Évora

Évora

Absolutely stunning resort property - we just wish we had more time to spend there since there is so much to do! Multiple pools, planned activities, onsite restaurant, farm/garden, hikes, the spa, etc.

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Location

Staff

We were late to the breakfast buffet and they had already cleaned it up, but their staff went above and beyond to fetch us two plates from the kitchen!

Cleanliness & Comfort

PortoBay Marquês

Lisbon

Great location and clean rooms!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

We had some issues with our wifi device being delivered and they were so helpful in rescheduling our delivery!

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Editory House Ribeira

Porto

AMAZING location and great breakfast! Appreciated the complimentary port glass upon check in. Rooms are a bit smaller, but didn't matter too much since we didn't spend much time there besides sleeping!

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Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Day Excursion: Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Portugal

Marta was absolutely amazing and beyond accommodating! She really knew all the secret back roads, local spots, and most interesting facts about all the locations we visited. We appreciated that we didn't have to wait in any lines and chose some of the "off the beaten path" places to visit - just our style! :)

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Food

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Private Porto Cooking Class

Porto

Vitor was the best! Amazing company, laughs, and food. We have a new friend for life :)

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Day Excursion to Douro Valley: Wine Tasting & River Cruise

Porto

Rui was an amazing guide and really hooked us up with such a special, delicious lunch/wine tasting experience at a local quinta. A highlight of the trip!

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Great trip well organized Marina is amazing

Trip was well organized. Transit from Lisbon to Carvoeiro via coast & Sagres was good. Carvoeira hotel & location was great. Caves boat tour was spectacular . Monchique/Foia was not very interesting. Day trip to Silves & Lagos was great. Same local guide for most of the local tours - good guide & flexibility (e.g, changed Tavira walking tour to trip to Castro Marim & across border to Spain to Ayamonte). Rio Fomosa boat tour - would have done the shorter excursion option . The only issue was the transit from Tavira to Lisbon. The driver was one hour late, as he was given the wrong hotel location.

The trip plan app was great for providing information

We had a 5 star service from Pedro and the team of tour guides and drivers he put together for us. The response on our questions were fast and accommodating. The itinerary was a perfect balance of culture , gastronomy , sights and introduction of Portuguese history. We were never felt rushed. The hotel selection was awesome and the upgrade that Pedro facilitated for us was very much appreciated. Our tour with Gui in Lisbon was amazing. He was very knowledgeable, informative and definitely proud of his Portuguese heritage. Our winery tasting and lunch in Douro Valley was comparable to a Michelin star restaurant. Andre in Porto gave us a good insight into local cuisine and wines. Our transfers were effortless and easy. With Peña palace staff striking the day we were to visit, Pedro came up with an alternative in matter or minutes and we were quickly rerouted.

Hotel Reviews

Porto Royal Bridges Hotel

Porto

Location , location! This hotel was perfectly located for us as we had a quick access to the river, restaurants snd shops. The room was stylish and adequate. The staff was very attentive . The breakfast was delicious.

Authenticity & Character

Modern and stylish

Location

Proximity to downtown, attractions

Staff

Top notch and attentive

Cleanliness & Comfort

Firm bed and super comfy

HF Fénix Lisboa

Lisbon

Super great location and access to downtown and all the neighborhoods. Busy location than Porto. We had an eight floor room with incredible views! Very spacious and roomy. Bed was super comfortable and got a good nights sleep!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Proximity to attractions and downtown

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Exploring Porto's Rich History on an Exclusive Gastronomic Tour Through Time

Porto

Nice introduction in Porto, wine , food and culture

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very courteous, and also shared recommendations and history

Transport

Very courteous, informative and shared historical information

The Flavors of Port Wine - Sip & Discover

Porto

Nice cave tour and tasty wines.. cheese board was amazing

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

Portugal

The beautiful and stunning Douro valley floored us! We had an incredible wine tasting, tour and lunch.. this was an excellent choice by Pedro. Boat ride was ok. Not much different scenery from boat.. would have skipped that had we known

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very polite and knowledgeable about the area. Prompt and knew the picture stops on the way

Transport

Indulge in Elegance on a Guided Winery Tour Infused with Tastings and a Delicious Lunch

Portugal

Amazing winery and views. Excellent setting among the vineyards. Lunch was well presented and yummy. Tour was informative and staff was very friendly. Did not feel rushed.

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Scenic Voyage along the Douro River aboard an Exclusive Boat

Portugal

Slow boat ride with nothing much of a different view. Would skip in future.

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Private Historic Odyssey Walking Tour of Lisbon

Lisbon

This was one of the best walking tours we have taken! Gui was very informative and shared his culture, history in a fun way. He had numerous stops on the way.. pointed out souvenir stops. The hours flew by and we were sad to be done with the tour. He answered our curious questions and made sure his talk was engaging us!

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Unveil the Fairytale Villa of Sintra with a Private Driver Service

Portugal

Peña palace officials were striking the day.. so we ended up going to another palace which got crowded soon. But amazing gardens , caves and mystery routes

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Transport

This was a great trip. Diogo and Joao were terrific hosts. Attentive and funny. All the hotels were well chosen especially Quinta de Pacheca. The itinerary was perfect. 4 people and each of us left with beautiful memories and stories to tell.
Obrigada😘

Hotel Reviews

The Wine House Hotel - Quinta da Pacheca

Lamego

There is only one word for this hotel - Wow!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Just beautiful!

Mercure Porto Centro Santa Catarina

PORTO

The Mercure Porto Centro was very well-located, making it easy for us to explore Porto. We initially had an interior room with frosted windows, but the staff kindly offered us a different room with real windows, which was great. Overall, our stay was smooth and trouble-free.

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Activity Reviews

Guided Tour of Lisbon

Lisbon

Joao was a great tour guide. Welcoming and flexible. Funny and knowledgeable. 😘

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Clean and comfortable 😊

Sunset Cruise of Lisbon

Lisbon

Beautiful. Great captain. Perfect sunset😊😎

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Tell people to bring a snack with them. And try the green wine!

Enjoy Dinner with Live Fado Music

Lisbon

Beautiful music. Intimate space. Just right😘

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Wine Estate Visit in the Douro Valley

Portugal

The Douro Valley wine estate visit was simply extraordinary. The landscape and vineyards were unbelievably beautiful, and we really enjoyed our time there. We decided to cut out one of the additional stops on the way back to Porto, but didn't feel like we missed anything important.

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Port Wine Tasting Tour

Porto

The port wine tasting tour in Porto was a great experience. We got to taste various kinds of delicious port wines and learn more about the history and process of making them. It was well-organized and enjoyable.

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Wow, so much to mention. The hotel accommodations were excellent and well located. The entire agenda was very well planned and detail oriented. The guides were very good, special kudos to Joao. Diogo was extremely responsive to all our needs.

I would definitely recommend you to friends and other relatives.

Hopefully we can plan another trip with you as well.

Great time, thank you so much for a first-class vacation!

I recently had the pleasure of working with KimKim and Catarina while planning a trip to Portugal with my friends. I must say, they are an exceptional team. From the very beginning, they were incredibly responsive and paid great attention to detail. Catarina, in particular, went above and beyond to ensure that every aspect of our trip was taken care of.

Catarina worked closely with us to create a custom itinerary that perfectly matched our preferences and interests. Throughout the trip, she was always available to answer any questions we had, and she made sure that everything ran smoothly.

What impressed me the most about KimKim and Catarina was their dedication to providing a personalized and authentic travel experience. They truly took the time to understand our travel style and preferences, and as a result, they curated a truly unique and unforgettable trip for us.

Overall, I can't recommend KimKim and Catarina enough. Their commitment to their clients is truly inspiring. If you're planning a trip to Portugal (or anywhere else, for that matter), I highly recommend reaching out to KimKim and specifically Catarina for their expertise and support.

Mathilde Almas was such an incredible guide. She was as thoughtful as she was knowledgeable. Mathilde anticipated our every need and did everything she could to ensure that our trip was fantastic. Pedro was very attentive, albeit remotely, and we always felt that if there were a problem, Pedro and his team were available. We loved the hotel choices in Porto and Alcobaca and the decision to stay in Alcobaca rather than Nazare. The drivers were equally excellent. All and all, Pedro and Mathilde plus the wonders of Portugal ensured a trip of a lifetime for us!

We just returned from Portugal and had an outstanding vacation. A great part of it was because of the tour designed by Tiago and the tour guide that he had assigned to our care. Tiago put a package together that checked all the boxes that we asked for and everything was handled with perfection and not an issue with anything. We were picked up at the airport and in their care until we were dropped off 5 days later. Excellent job by our tour guide. We hope we have the pleasure of returning some day and will definitely, start our dream vacation again with KimKim tours. Thank you again Tiago.

I want to start off by saying that Kim Kim is hands down the best travel agency I have ever worked with. From start to finish, they made the planning process simple and stress free and curated the most amazing Portuguese experience we could have ever asked for! Tiernan, our local specialist, worked very hard to plan a dream Portugal vacation for my husband and I to celebrate our anniversary! He was extremely helpful, communicative and attentive and made appropriate changes to the itinerary when needed. We both work in the wine industry in the United States and wanted a true wine experience in Portugal and Tiernan went above and beyond to make sure we had just that! It was also very easy to get in touch with him while on our trip if we had any last minute needs or questions. The hotels that Tiernan chose were perfect and convenient to everything we wanted to do! The tours and suggestions he made throughout our trip were all amazing! If you are traveling to Portugal, I highly recommend reaching out to Tiernan and letting him plan the vacation of your dreams!

A few experiences that we want to point out:
We had a lovely dinner at a local's home on our second night in Lisbon. Our host Margarida and her son were fabulous! We were only supposed to stay for 2 hours and ended up staying for 4! Margarida was so friendly and welcoming and cooked us an amazing 3 course meal paired with wine! She is definitely one of the highlights of our trip and we will never forget our night with her!

We visited several vineyards throughout our stay and all were incredible. We would highly recommend visiting all of these amazing operations and we bought several bottles from each that we visited! Tiernan did a great job choosing some wineries that were larger commercial operations and much smaller, family owned operations as well! We enjoyed the experience and the wines at each stop! If they are offering tapas with your tasting, we highly recommend trying them as they enhance the experience!
Wineries we visited:
Casal Santa Maria
Adega Belem
Prova Wine Bar
Quinta De Crasto
Quinta Do Infantado
Sem Igual
Vale dos Ares

I also want to give a huge shout out to two of our drivers: Ronado Santos and Pedro!! Ronado took us to Colares and Sintra and we had a wonderful time getting to know him! We took him up on his suggestions for lunch and dinner and both were absolutely delicious! He was extremely helpful and friendly and didn't mind when we took too long at our first vineyard stop! Tiernan then set us up with Pedro, our local guide/winemaker, who met us on our first day in Porto and was with us for the rest of our trip! He truly was the best guide we could have asked for and we appreciated how helpful, friendly and passionate he was! His knowledge of Portugal's history is extensive and there wasn't a question he didn't know the answer to! Pedro took us to Douro Valley and Vinho Verde and we enjoyed every minute of getting to know him! It was very exciting being able to spend so much time with a local winemaker so that we could compare notes on everything wine! I cannot recommend Pedro enough and we hope to see him again on our next visit!

Again, we cannot thank the Kim Kim team and especially Tiernan enough for a magical, dream vacation to Portugal! We could not have asked for a better anniversary trip and learning experience. We look forward to working with Tiernan again in the future! Obrigada!!!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Convento do Salvador

Lisbon

We truly enjoyed our stay at Hotel Convento do Salvador! It is located in the beautiful and historic Alfama district and is within walking distance to great cafes and restaurants. A short walk up the hill provides one of the best views in Lisbon and you can easily walk to the city center! The staff was amazing and very helpful throughout our stay! Our train went on strike and the staff helped us book the correct bus to get us to our destination! If you are visiting Lisbon and don't want to be in the middle of the hustle and bustle every night, I highly recommend staying here!

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Aeminium Coimbra Hotel

Coimbra

We only spent one night in this hotel but it was beautiful! A very convenient location to the bus and train stations and a beautiful walk to the river front where there are lots of great restaurants! The rooms were clean and spacious and the staff was extremely helpful! They made our reservations for dinner and also helped us get a taxi on time to make our train! We would definitely stay here again!

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Cleanliness & Comfort

Legendary Porto Hotel

Porto

This hotel was beautiful and in the perfect location, convenient to any attractions or restaurants! Maria at the front desk gave us a room upgrade which had a marvelous view of the cathedral from our balcony! She made our stay extra special and was always smiling! The staff was extremely helpful and gave us great recommendations throughout our stay! They also helped us a lot in the process of shipping wine back over to the United States! The breakfast was delicious! If Antonio is working the lobby bar, be sure to try his famous Port Tonic! We would definitely stay in this hotel again!

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Activity Reviews

Portuguese Dinner at a Local Home

Lisbon

This experience is one that will always be a fond memory for us! Our host, Margarida and her son, were absolutely wonderful people! They were so friendly and welcoming and we enjoyed spending our evening with them! Margarida cooked a delicious meal and paired it with some of her favorite wines! Everything was superb and it was a very special evening on our trip! Obrigada, Margarida!

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Explore Colares, Cascais & Sintra

Lisbon

Pena Palace is beautiful and definitely worth seeing! Be sure to take your time to take in the amazing views and history! It may be a bit crowded but the experience is worth it!

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Casal Sta. Maria Winery Visit & Tasting | The Most Western Vineyards of Europe

Lisbon

We visited Casal Santa Maria for a wonderful wine tasting experience! We toured the vineyards with our guide and she was extremely knowledgeable! The wine tasting and tapas were absolutely delicious! We spent so much time enjoying the wines that we had to skip Cascais but it was totally worth it!

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Urban Winery Experience

Lisbon

We visited Adega Belem and had a beautiful experience. Catarina and her husband, the owners, were extremely knowledgeable and passionate about their wines! The tapas provided enhanced the entire wine tasting experience! We spent several hours talking to the owners and other guests and left with several bottles of their delicious wines!

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Rabelo Boat Cruise of the Bridges on the Douro River

Porto

This was a great one hour cruise with a wonderful view of the bridges with lots of history!

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Porto Street Walk and Wine tasting with a Local Wine Maker

Porto

WE highly recommend Pedro as your local guide if you have the chance. He was wonderful and took us on a very informative walk around Porto! He knows a lot about Portuguese history and showed us some of the beautiful architecture around the city. He then suggested that we end our evening at Pravo wine bar which was a wonderful experience. WE met several Portuguese winemakers at the bar and drank lots of delicious wines from all around the country!

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Private Douro Valley Wine Country with a Winemaker

Porto

No trip to Portugal is complete without a visit to their most famous wine region. Douro Valley is definitely worth the drive from Porto and offers amazing views and delicious wines! We highly recommend visiting a larger, commercial style operation as well as a small, family owned operation! Again, if you can request Pedro, you won't regret it!

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Private Vinho Verde Wine Country with a Winemaker

Porto

The Vinho Verde wine region was definitely one of the areas that surprised us the most. The wines are very unique and delicious. It is also pretty amazing to drink wine in Portugal while staring at the mountains of Spain!

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Our local specialist Carmen was very responsive to our questions and would quickly update our itinerary with great suggestions. I never felt pressured or rushed, and I appreciate her checking in on us before, during, and after our trip. Our favorite highlight was a private tour of Sintra with a local guide (Marta): we were treated to plenty of sightseeing, but we never felt fatigued or overwhelmed. Additionally, our overall experience in Lisbon and the Algarve region were exceptional. Everything else such as private transfers, car rental, dinner reservations, alerting restaurants of our food allergies, etc. went smoothly. We will use this travel agency again.

The delay at the airport for more than an hour was frustrating. The driver was less than apologetic. His name is Alfredo and he was also the driver that took us to porto. This ride was better and he was on time and courteous

The hotel 1908, our pick, turned out to be a highlight of the week. It and its staff are amazing. Highly recommend. Daniella our food walk tour guide was very very good and her tour was special. She is so passionate for her country. We give her 5 stars! The tuk tuk ride was good and informative. The fado dinner and show was also great the food was excellent and good musicians, we enjoyed the evening. Our day trip to sintra and caiscais with our guide Paulo Pires was amazing. 5 star ⭐️ tour guide and tour. He became our friend and made the tour and day so very special. A highlight of the trip. We then made our way to porto to the exe Almada hotel with a stop in coimbra. Our guide was looking for 4 people and it wasn’t Sarah, instead it was a guy who replaced her. He was ok but not very animated. The tour was a 3 star. Our exe room was good but w a terrible brick wall for a view. We opened our window as the ac didn’t work and the fumes from parking garage below were not tolerable. Would suggest requesting a view. The vintage car tour started out quite confusing for us and our guide Sandra Tavares. We expected to be picked up by someone in the vintage car but it turned our that after half an hour our guide who was asking around for her guests “ the mctavish couple from Hong Kong” was really our guide and she was given the wrong guest info. She then clarified that the tour was a walking tour for an hour n a half fist then followed by the car tour. Once we sorted it out the tour was great. I would recommend the description of the tour be clarified so that the description is clear that we are walking first then the car later….the Douro valley and boat tour w Nelson was 5 star. Our lunch at a private farm was another highlight of the week and Nelson is absolutely top notch. He was very good. It was a special day spent w him that day. Thru out the week most guides were looking for 4 people and co fused. Hope this helps Rob n Fran Crawford

Highlights of our Portugal Adventure:

Helena arranged an amazing itinerary that gave us a taste of Portugal and we'll be back. We appreciated Helena's responsiveness and ideas. She was also great at helping with problem solving when we realized that we couldn't make our connecting flight.

1. Our Douro Valley visit to small family run quinta Maos e Irmaos with personal wine tasting & pairing with owner Rafael followed by wine lunch prepared and served in the family dining room. We really enjoy getting to know the people and the culture so this experience was PERFECT for us. Also we loved our driver Rui Queiroz, who was extremely personable and informative. He gave us a great dinner recommendation in Matosinhos at O Valentim . We were lucky enough to have Rui as our driver to Coimbra as well. We especially loved the stop at the Buçaco Forest and Rui took us to Restaurante Mugasa for piglet which he added on his own since he knew we were big foodies!
2. Day trip to Sintra with our amazing driver/guide Paulo Ferreira Pires...we actually wished we had more time in Sintra. Paulo took us to this really cool small family owned restaurant called Refugio do Ciclista. Again we loved this little hole in the wall family run place where we got to meet the owners. The tour of the Palacio nacional da Pena and gardens were amazing. Afterwards Paulo took us to his wife's restaurant, The Bristol for a welcomed coffee and traditional pastries.
3. Our stay at the Convento do Espinheiro was by far the best of all of the accommodations. We loved wandering around this incredible historic site.
4. Jeep Safari of the cork forest with Joana ....Joana was a wealth of knowledge and we really enjoyed learning about cork. Folowed by the Olive Oil estate tasting with João Rosado...we loved this small family run estate and having a lovely lunch prepared by his wife.

All in all it was an amazing adventure and Helena did a GREAT job. Thank you so much.

Marta, our travel coordinator, was fantastic. She provided an app that gave us great information. She did a perfect job matching our vacation wishes with experiences. She continuously checked in with us to see how everything was going and if she could assist in anyway, always going above and beyond. KimKim has a gem in Marta!!
All our guides throughout Portugal, Azores and Spain were wonderful. (With the exception of the guide we had in Barcelona for our visit to Monserrat. He did not provide good information and was more interested in smoking than speaking to the group.) But, we can’t let that one incident overshadow the amazing trip we had.

Hotel Reviews

Pousada de Lisboa, Praça do Comércio - Monument Hotel

Lisbon

Authenticity & Character

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Exe Almada Porto

Porto

Authenticity & Character

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Noble House

Evora

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Gran Hotel Miramar

Málaga

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Gran Hotel Havana

Barcelona

Authenticity & Character

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Palacio de Villapanés

Sevilla

Authenticity & Character

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Get to Know Lisbon with a Local

Lisbon

Our guide was fantastic! Very knowledgeable and provided a great experience

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Sintra Heritage Hike: Hidden Secrets

Portugal

Our guide was wonderful. She was flexible and fun. Had a wonderful time.

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Azorean Culinary & Wine Experience & Get to Know Ponta Delgada with a Local

São Miguel Island

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Food

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Sete Ciudades Jeep Adventure

São Miguel Island

Natasha, our guide, was unbelievable. She shared great info about the islands. Our adventures with her were outstanding. We felt like she was a family member by the time we parted ways.

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Night Hot Springs in Furnas

São Miguel Island

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Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Privately Guided Visit of Porto

Porto

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Introduction to Portuguese Wines

Porto

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Day Excursion to Douro Valley: Wine Tasting & River Cruise

Porto

Our wine tasting and food pairing was the best!! Got so involved with the tasting that we decided to forego the cruise

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Private Transfer {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} via Coimbra

Portugal

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver was great. Very knowledgeable.

Transport

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

Lisbon

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Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver was super fun. He even took us to an optical store to get my husband’s glasses fixed.

Transport

Flamenco Experience

Spain

FUN!

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Private Guided Visit of Seville

Seville

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Sunset Málaga Cruise

Málaga

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Free Day to Explore Málaga

Málaga

Wandered around. Visited the Picasso Museum. (Don’t waste your money on “Skip the Line” tickets. We didn’t get in any faster than anyone else.) spent the afternoon relaxing on the beach.

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Tapas Walk in Barcelona

Barcelona

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Private Tour of Barcelona & La Sagrada Familia

Barcelona

This was our main reason for wanting to visit Barcelona. We were not disappointed

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Day Trip to Montserrat & Penedès Region Wine Tasting

Barcelona

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver was good. Guide was poor.

Transport

Kimkim put us in touch with Pedro at Across Portugal Tours in Lisbon. He is INCREDIBLE. We have never worked with such a responsive, helpful, knowledgeable, and competent travel agent and we have been around the world. The process of developing our tour was collaborative, taking into account our budget and physical needs and our desire to see a lot of Portugal but at a slower pace. The choice of hotels was spot on (Heritage in Lisbon, Portobay Teatro in Porto, and the Miragem in Cascais). He even sent photos of the showers so that concern about stepping in them was directly addressed. When we arrived, there was a care package waiting with port, cookies, and soaps. The drivers were excellent and we had the same driver for most of the trips; the walking tours were truly informative and fun. Everything went very smoothly. Pedro checked in with us daily on WhatsApp to make sure everything was OK and gave us the names and contact info for the drivers. He would offer suggestions for daily activities and for restaurants. There are not enough superlatives to describe the services offered by his agency. Working with Kimkim was also easy, clear, efficient, and responsive. We are so happy that we discovered the Kimkim website and services.

Hotel Reviews

Heritage Avenida Liberdade

Lisboa

Elegant, has a great location in the center of Lisbon, has great breakfasts, and warm and very helpful staff. Beautiful historical room with modern facilities. Highly recommended.

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Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

PortoBay Teatro

Porto

Center of Porto. Modern hotel with lovely rooms and a great restaurant. Breakfasts are very ample and delicious. Helpful and warm staff. Surprised us with a bottle of champagne and a birthday cake for my wife! Highly recommended.

Authenticity & Character

More of a modern-style hotel

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Cascais Miragem

Cascais

Wow! Stunning hotel facing the ocean. Public rooms are breathtaking with art and sculptures everywhere. The outdoor infinity pool overlooking the sea was stunning. Also, the Water Lounge with a family pool, adult pool, salt water pool, steam room, and sauna. The spa massage was top-notch. This is definitely a five-star experience. The breakfasts were enough to fill you for the day and the staff were exceptionally warm and welcoming. The pool bar and cafe around the school made for a lovely dining experience for breakfast and lunch. Our room was huge, with sea views a dressing area, and a modern bath. As we were leaving at 6:15 AM they woke us with a call at five and then came by at 5:15 to make sure we were up. Also brought us breakfast bags with cappuccino as room service was not as yet open. Highest recommendation!

Authenticity & Character

More of a modern-style hotel

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Porto's Historic Odyssey on a Private Walking Tour

Porto

Our guide, Bernardo, was an archaeologist and provided a wealth of information. The tour was very enjoyable.

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Visit: Sintra

Portugal

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Private Historic Odyssey Walking Tour of Lisbon

Lisbon

Our guide was a woman who was incredible, thoughtful, and nice. She modified the tour as necessary to accommodate our walking abilities on the cobblestone streets.

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Visit: Porto

Porto

We participated in a port wine tour and an olive oil tour in Porto and even brought home some olive oil. Our exceptional driver ensured that we visited all the lesser-known tourist attractions before departing.

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Visit: Cascais

Portugal

We stayed at a five-star hotel here near the ocean which offered convenient access to the center of town which was great for walking to shops.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The guides we had were all excellent and most of all very kind. Marina did a great job for us. The only hotel that we found to be just ok was the Don Carlos. Uber drivers we contacted for a ride to some of our tours did not want to come to our hotel but asked us to come out to a very busy circle. The problem with that was that we had no internet out there and had a difficult time identifying our drivers. The traffic around the Don Carlos is very congested. We might have preferred staying closer to the start of our food and walking tours.
We were challenged by driving directions. Our GPS in the rental car did not work. Because we are of a certain age this was our first time traveling with our phone as our primary guide. My understanding is that Portugal Trails does map out your trip with specific directions via GPS which would have been helpful. My big takeaway from Portugal was the kindness of the Portuguese people.

Day tour to Sintra with guide Matilde and driver Miguel. We felt very cared for traveling with these 2 the whole day. Matilde answered all our questions thoughtfully and explained all the stops thoroughly.

The walking tour of Lisbon with Elsa was effortless. Elsa made the 8 hour long day seem very short. Her lively explanations and wonderful sense of humor made the day go by so quickly and the walk easy. She shared with us some of her favorite local spots. Bifana was delicious and her recommendations for dinner were spot on! Obrigada Elsa.

Our drive up the coast to Porto with Nelson was very comfortable. Nelson was our very informative body guard/driver of the day. The beautiful streets of Obidos and the breathtaking view of the coast of Nazare were fabulous

Arriving in Porto we had our walking tour with Andre. He showed us the wonderful sights/sounds/tastes of Porto. You must try the Pastel de Nata of Porto since we learned it tastes very different from those in Lisbon. Much crispier crust and oh-so delicious.

Duoro Valley. WOW. What more can I saw about this place. Our private boat tour was exactly what the family needed towards the end of our visit.

Overall, I would definitely recommend working with Joao and plan to contact him again when I go back to Portugal. Joao was very patient and listened to our multiple requests and made magic happen. I thank him and his team for allowing our family to relax and have fun. Definitely a trip to remember. OBRIGADA!

Our experience was wonderful and our guides from Across Portugal were excellent. They were very informative and helpful.

Hotel Review

Maison Albar - Le Monumental Palace

Porto

The hotel was centrally located and the staff were extremely helpful and friendly. The rooms were spacious and clean and the restaurant food and service was exceptional.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Hotel is located to many restaurants, shops, and monuments

Staff

Staff was excellent and friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Indulge in Elegance on a Guided Winery Tour Infused with Tastings and a Delicious Lunch

Portugal

Excellent wine tour with Fabio at Pacheca winery. Learned a lot about the port wine, region, and history

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had great tour guides such as Elsa in Lisbon, Nunno for half the trip and Hugo. All very knowledgeable and extremely pleasant.

Transport

We had excellent drivers : Nelson and Luis. Not only did they accommodate to a couple of suggestions but also gave us details of the regions we were traveling to.

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

Portugal

A must do if in Porto. Beautiful landscapes and region.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Flavors of Port Wine - Sip & Discover

Porto

Excellent wine tasting at Sandeman . Very knowledgeable and extremely pleasant.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Historic Odyssey Walking Tour of Lisbon

Lisbon

Elsa our tour guide was excellent. We saw so much and learned of the rich history of Portugal that it was incredible.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Scenic Voyage along the Douro River aboard an Exclusive Boat

Portugal

A definite to do . You get to see the region from the bottom up and all the vineyards.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Marisa was wonderful to work with. She made our trip to Portugal absolutely amazing. Stepping off the plane and having everything done for you is the way to travel. The cities she selected, the hotels, the tours, the drivers; everything was wonderful. When our cave tour was delayed due to weather, the communication was great and an alternative date and time was provided. We cannot thank Marisa enough. She kept in touch with us every day. A big shout out to our guides and drivers. They were fabulous, informative and very proud of their country. We thoroughly enjoyed Portugal and highly recommend this Portugal tour company. Thank you

Hotel Reviews

Porto Royal Bridges Hotel

Porto

The location is great. The room was clean and comfortable with great amenities.

Authenticity & Character

It had a very modern theme with nice amenities

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was very clean, as were all the common areas

Évora Olive Hotel

Évora

Great location. Within walking distance to historic sites and many wonderful restaurants. The pool wasn’t fabulous but we didn’t spend much time in the hotel with so much to see. The room wasn’t stocked with many amenities ie coffee machine etc but was clean

Authenticity & Character

The rooms could be a bit more welcoming with amenities. The bed wasn’t the most comfortable

Location

Within walking distance to historic sites and great restaurants

Staff

The staff were okay but not exceptional, except for one gentleman that worked in the breakfast area. He was great

Cleanliness & Comfort

Vila Galé Lagos

Lagos

The view was amazing. Nice patio to sit out on and enjoy the sunset and view. The location is great. Our room was wonderful and the service was great. When the air conditioning and phone didn’t work in our first room, we were moved to another room with everything working fine. They sent us a bottle of wine and dessert which was a wonderful surprise. The breakfast buffet is mediocre but the dinner in the restaurant was fabulous. The front staff were great as were the cleaning staff. The amenities were great. They provided us with coffee and a large variety of teas in our room. Thoroughly enjoyed our stay

Authenticity & Character

Nice amenities with beautiful views, lovely pool and verandas to sit out on

Location

Great location. Within walking distance to a beautiful beach, the marina and the old part of the city

Staff

They went out of their way to make our stay enjoyable

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room was clean and comfortable. The whole resort is well maintained

Hotel Britania Art Deco

Lisboa

Loved this hotel. The location is great. The room was large, clean and the bed comfortable. The breakfast and the staff were wonderful, particularly the two lovely ladies that work in the breakfast area. The front staff were also amazing

Authenticity & Character

Loved the character of the hotel and the history

Location

Within walking distance to historic sites, train stations and restaurants

Staff

They were welcoming, friendly and very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room was very clean, comfortable and nice amenities. The temperature was good as we could open the window and the weather was cooler. Might be hot in the summer season though as it didn’t appearing have air conditioning

Hotel Baia

Cascais

Loved this hotel. Our room had a lovely view with a veranda and was clean and comfortable. It was centrally located and within walking distance to many great restaurants and tourists areas. The pool and upstairs sun deck were very nice. The breakfast was good

Authenticity & Character

The character of the hotel matched the seaside location and had amenities to enjoy the great views

Location

Within walking distance to great restaurants, beaches and tourist areas

Staff

They were friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

The hotel was clean and comfortable

Activity Reviews

Private Historic Odyssey Walking Tour of Lisbon

Lisbon

Matilde made this walking tour amazing. She was enthusiastic, knowledgeable and very helpful. She is so proud of her country and it made it more enjoyable. We thoroughly enjoyed our morning with her. She is wonderful

Quality of Experience

Matilde made it amazing

Guides, Drivers and Staff

They were all wonderful. They made our tours and drives so enjoyable. They were knowledgeable and provided us with so much history, wonderful scenery and great eating spots

Transport

From the moment we got off the plane til the day we flew home, the transport was fabulous. The drivers were great and the rides very comfortable

Immerse Yourself in the Portuguese Culture by Experiencing a Fado Dinner

Lisbon

We thoroughly enjoyed the evening. The dinner, wine and staff were great and we enjoyed the entertainment. We were jet lagged but managed to stay late as we were having a great time and met a lovely couple from Brazil.

Quality of Experience

We enjoyed the entire night

Food

Everything

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The staff were great

Transport

Our Uber driver didn’t drop us at the right lovcation but we managed to find the restaurant

Guided Walking Tour to Sintra + Tickets to the Pena Palace

Portugal

The history and scenery were great but Matilde made it amazing.

Quality of Experience

Matilde

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nice personality, knowledgeable and helpful

Transport

The train was easy to manage and then the bus took us to the castle

Porto's Historic Odyssey on a Private Walking Tour

Porto

Our guide made it special. He was friendly and knowledgeable. He showed us many beautiful sites and provided the history. Thoroughly enjoyed the tour

Quality of Experience

It was great

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was wonderful

Transport

It was a walking tour

The Flavors of Port Wine - Sip & Discover

Porto

It was interesting but we are not port wine drinkers

Quality of Experience

We learned quite a bit about the port in industry

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was great

Transport

The transport comment is not applicable as it is a walking tour

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

Portugal

Our driver was amazing. He made the trip thoroughly enjoyable. As we were driving, he highlighted so many interesting details. The views were beautiful and the restaurant he recommended for lunch was fabulous. The boat tour part was just ok. I think it would have been more beautiful in the fall when all the vines were in bloom. Also, it was very cold on the boat so everyone was trying to huddle inside

Quality of Experience

The boat trip could maybe have someone talking about the valley. Just driving in the boat was cold and boring

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver for the day (think his name was Paul) was fantastic

Transport

The car ride was very pleasant

Scenic Voyage along the Douro River aboard an Exclusive Boat

Portugal

The boat part was just ok. It was very cold on the boat so everyone was trying to huddle inside. The ride was quite boring

Quality of Experience

Perhaps somebody providing some information about the valley or river. The boat part was quite boring

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Having someone talk as we are riding on the boat

Transport

See above

Sip & Savour on a Guided Winery Adventure with a Flavourful Tasting Experience

Douro Valley

The whole experience was great

Quality of Experience

Loved the view of the winery and really enjoyed the tastings

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was great.

Transport

Again, not really applicable as it is a walking tour

Step Back in Time with a Private Guided Tour of Évora and the Bones Chapel!

Portugal

Our guide was great. He was very friendly and knowledgeable. He took us to some amazing sites and provided a lot of historical knowledge

Quality of Experience

Our guide made it great

Guides, Drivers and Staff

He was warm, friendly and jnowledgeable

Transport

It was a walking tour so transport not applicable

Exclusive Panoramic Boat Tour to the Ponta da Piedade Caves

Portugal

The driver of the boat was so skilled and competent and took us through some amazing caves. The guide was also good

Quality of Experience

The scenery is spectacular

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The skill of the driver if the boat

Transport

The driver

WOW. We had a wonderful trip.
Pedro paid attention to every detail. The hotels in Lisbon and Porto were terrific, good rooms , great locations and the staff was polite , attentive and helpful. The Hotel Heritage de Liberdade was funky with a cozy , not crowded lobby. There was a delightful breakfast and snacks water and port always available.
In Porto Hotel Pestana was in a perfect location and had a wonderful breakfast we enjoyed a dinner at their Rib dining room. In Cascais our hotel was in a good location, the staff was not at all friendly or welcoming, fortunately it was only a one night stay.
The walking tours were intimate and and provided many varied facts. We learned so much !
In Lisbon Margarita was upbeat and a font of knowledge . Margarita was friendly and helpful with all our questions (and we had many ☺️).
In Porto Andre’ was our guide. Andre has a deep connection with Porto and he was able to share details in the history and in present day Porto. As Andre found out more about us, he was able to personalize the tour leaning into our interests. Andre was especially patient with the many questions we asked throughout the tour.
Pedro planned things well , but as wonderful as everything was, the drivers were the most outstanding individuals.
Duarte picked us up from the airport He was warm and welcoming and able to give us some good information.
Eduardo was A m a z I n g. Eduardo drove us to Sintra and was warm kind and helpful. He answered many questions and we felt that we formed a nice relationship. After Sintra Eduardo took us to a great restaurant where we shared a lovely lunch.
Nelson had the job of driving us to Porto. He was warm and welcoming. Nelson is a gracious and patient man. He was informative about our stops along the route and polite when anyone asked questions of any sort.
Jao was also welcoming and kind He took us to the Duro Valley. When we saw that there was a boat approaching the locks , Jao offered to stop for us to observe. It was pretty cool.
We were delighted to see Eduardo when he appeared to drive us from Porto to Cascais. Eduardo made the trip and our interim stops a delight. It was sad to say goodbye to him.

We had an amazing trip. Pedro planned so many great and varied activities from Fado to port tasting, Sintra to The Duro Valley, boat rides and walking tours.
We have Pedro to thank for an extraordinary vacation! Thank you KimKim

Hotel Reviews

Heritage Avenida Liberdade

Lisboa

This hotel in the middle of Lisbon is a gem It is a funky and intimate hotel with lovely rooms and great service. Breakfast is provided daily as our snacks, port and other beverages. We had a wonderful stay. We would absolutely go back next time we are in Lisbon.

Authenticity & Character

Warm and funky. Rooms have large windows that allow you to close off or make you feel almost part of the city

Location

In the heart of Lisbon. Easy to get almost anywhere in the city by foot.

Staff

Helpful and friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything was clean and neat.

Pestana Vintage Porto

Porto

Hotel is in a great location. Staff is friendly and attentive. There is a lovely dining room where they serve an extensive inclusive breakfast. Nice hotel bar

Authenticity & Character

Nice not particularly interesting

Location

Walking distance from all over Porto and Gaia

Staff

Great welcoming and attentive

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms always well cleaned

Hotel Baia

Cascais

We checked in and the staff could barely be bothered to check us in. No greeting and certainly no attempt at being fr Or helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Open and pretty but no real character

Location

Great view of the beach

Staff

Attention to the guest , beginning at check in

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Unveil the Fairytale Villa of Sintra with a Private Driver Service

Portugal

EDUARDO made the trip interesting both during the ride and at each point that we stopped. "

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Eduardo was friendly engaged and engaging. He was great at trying to answer our questions.

Transport

Eduardo

Scenic Voyage along the Douro River aboard an Exclusive Boat

Portugal

This was a relaxed time. We were lucky to have a beautiful day our boat “captain “ was a delight. Diogo explained how all of the harvesting is done by hand. They need many people to help. People come from all over to help. Diogo made this a boat trip worth taking !

Quality of Experience

Diogo our guide/captain

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Diogo

Porto's Historic Odyssey on a Private Walking Tour

Porto

Our guide Andre was extremely knowledgeable and had a strong connection to Porto. Andre did not make us feel rushed , he answered our questions and personalized parts based on our interests. He was outstanding.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Friendly and interactive

Transport

Grenada We were fortunate to have had great drivers I wrote about the drivers in my review

Immerse Yourself in the Portuguese Culture by Experiencing a Fado Dinner

Lisbon

Dinner was a good basic meal. Tasty not fancy, certainly enjoyable. Fado guitarist were outstanding. Vocalist give you the feel for what was being sung, even with no understanding of Portuguese. Excellent evening.

Quality of Experience

Food

The Flavors of Port Wine - Sip & Discover

Porto

We went to Sandeman We are four of us. We’re giving a private tour. We asked a lot of questions most of which were answered and gave us insight into the port making process. Our guide was helpful and informative and patient with all of our questions.

Quality of Experience

The wine tasting was a beautiful presentation of cheese, port, and complementary condiment

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was knowledgeable, and in process of completing a masters program in winetasting and tourism

Indulge in Elegance on a Guided Winery Tour Infused with Tastings and a Delicious Lunch

Portugal

The winery was as beautiful as the valley around it. We had a short tour, but the most outstanding part of this experience was the luncheon. The food was wonderful, and the presentation was a feast for the eyes.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our driver Jao

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

Portugal

Beautiful drive. Duro Valley is magnificent

Quality of Experience

Our driver Jao and his willingness to go “off script”

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport