Kimkim Trip Reviews for Portugal

Marisa and the whole team were fantastic. We booked a one week trip thru Portugal for two adults and two kids (9 & 5).

They listened, asked great questions, and developed a great iternery for the week in two places. There were no surprises and we ended up the perfect balanced low-key trip with kids.

My favorite part...they communicated early and often. I would highly recommend Marisa and her team.

Fantastic trip to Portugal. Pedro provided the perfect itinerary for our first trip to this amazing country. Food tour in Lisbon, Sintra, Belem, Cascais, Fatima, Nazare and Obidos. Our drivers were great - Carlos and another Carlos as well as our guides - Pedro and Margarida. Pedro booked us in a wonderful hotel and even got us an upgraded room. I will book with kimkim again as everything went very smoothly. Obrigado , new friends!

Hotel Review

NH Collection Lisboa Liberdade

Lisbon

Great hotel in a very nice area of Lisbon. Many great restaurants and shops nearby including an Aldi on the street level. Very clean , nice rooftop pool and bar and amazing breakfast buffet.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Discover Sintra with a Private Guide and Driver – 8-Hour Tour with Skip-the-Line Access to Pena Palace

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

4-Hour Private Driver and Guide Tour of Belém with Jerónimos Monastery Visit

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

From Medieval Streets to Ocean Views: Explore Óbidos & Nazaré on a 8-Hour Private Driver Tour

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Flavors of Lisbon in a Premium & Gastronomic Private Walking Tour

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip was everything that we asked for and then some. We embarked on a multi-country trip, visiting cities, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, scenic drives, and immersive experiences. All the guides (John, Raquel, Rui Jesus, Hamid, Marta, and drivers, Rafa, Marta David- driver/guide, Ryad Mekouki) chosen were knowledgeable, personable, and exemplary in their duties. I decided to choose our hotels, and agreed on a couple that Beatriz recommended. The initial questionnaire helped us to define what we wanted out of our trip. The questionnaire was used to build the first version of our trip. The flexibility to continuously communicate with Beatriz and her peers was great. They drafted four custom versions of our trip before we settled on a specific one. Beatriz also made suggestions to help us stay within budget. The trip plan went live exceptionally well. We were treated with kid gloves from our arrival at the airport until we departed for home. I will be a repeat customer of Kim Kim, and throughout our entire trip, when travelling in a small group, we spoke highly of Kim Kim. Hopefully, new customers will have the opportunity to experience this affordable custom travel.

Respectfully,
Deborah Kitson-Abraham

I thoroughly enjoyed the trip. I feel the guides are essential, as they give you insights into the city and country. Without them I feel you would miss out on a lot of interesting facts.

This was our first time using Kim Kim and based on our experience I would definitely use them again. All the tours and guides they set up for us were great. We enjoyed all the tours we did. All the drivers were professional, had clean cars and were on time. Honestly no complaints over all. Obviously this being the first time I used them, there are things I would do different next time. Just knowing how they work and set things up is helpful for the next time. If you are thinking of using them. Make sure you tell them exactly what kind of hotels you like, if you like group or private tours, private or public transport. They will help you get exactly what your are looking for. Adam and Lea did a great job and even when we had a little glitch while we were on the trip, Lea immediately responded and took care of it quickly.

Hotel Reviews

PortoBay Flores

Porto

This was one of my favorite hotels of whole trip. Perfect location for Porto and so European and charming but very high end in service and feel. Would highly recommend and I would definitely stay there again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right on the walking street of Flores and super close to walk to all things

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Wine House Hotel - Quinta da Pacheca

Lamego

The property was definitely a 5 star property and the setting beautiful. We stayed in the wine barrel room and I would not do that again if I went back. The majority of the hotel are normal rooms and I do not know what they were like because we didn't see one, But the wine barrel room while a beautiful setting and a cute idea was just very small. I think for a younger couple or for only one night it would be ok. But we were there three nights and are a bit older and used to a bit more luxurious room and we just didn't love it. There was nothing wrong with it, just not my thing. Hotel was beautiful though, restaurant great, staff great. Sitting out by pool with a spritzer in the afternoon was divine. I will say it's a bigger hotel for the area and a big winery so it gets a lot of bus tours or tours doing winery tours. So I think now that I've been to the area, if I went back I would choose something smaller that didn't have so much traffic.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palácio Ludovice Wine Experience Hotel

Lisboa

We got upgraded to a suite when we arrived and it was beautiful, This hotel was top notch, highly recommend. It was up on one of hills so if you don't like to go back up the hill to your hotel then it wouldn't be good. But we loved the location and could walk to everything. The breakfast was fabulous and the bar was great in the evening. Loved everything about this hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Quinta das Lágrimas

Coimbra

The hotel is on the opposite side of the river from the town, so it is a bit of a walk to town to get to tours or to see anything. If you don't mind being out a bit more in the outskirts then it's beautiful old hotel that has a lot of history and character to the property. Definitely explore the gardens and property if you stay in this hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cascade Wellness Resort

Lagos

The setting of this hotel above the cliffs in Lagos was stunning and nice. It did feel a bit dated and needs a little refresh. We had an ocean view suite and I'd say the decor was very basic at best. But clean and completely satisfactory. There were very few chairs around pool which I found odd. It wasn't crowded so it wasn't hard to get a chair necessarily so maybe they bring more out as it gets closer and closer to high season. But there was definitely things broken here and there and the golf course looked completely neglected. But honestly the two things that made it so I would not choose to stay there again were the fact that there were zero plugs in either of our bathrooms for a curling iron or hair appliance. Nor were there any by any mirror anywhere in our large suite. That was so odd to me. And the other things was they had the thermostats in rooms locked so you could only lower your a/dto like 21 degrees. I just feel like a 5 star hotel that I am paying quite a bit of money to stay at should allow their guests to set the room at what temperature they like. This is definitely a family oriented hotel. Seemed like lots of small families from the UK on long weekend there.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sintra Day Trip with Visit to Pena Palace

Lisbon

I believe Philipa was our guide. She was great. We had 7 people in our group and had a great day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Lamego Day Trip

Portugal

Pedro was awesome. I honestly wasn't sure about what there could be interesting to see in Lamego, But he showed us so many great things in this small quaint town. We found out he is a sommelier and he does a lot of wine trips and since there was a sparking wine producer close in Lamego we ended up stopping there an d it was so cool. Highly recommend Pedro for curated wine days

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Local Food Walk

Porto

Joao was a great tour guide. It said we were in a small group, but it was just us. We ate so much food and he took us so many places and was delightful. Highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Joanina Library & University of Coimbra Visit

Coimbra

Eva was our guide for this and the Coimbra food walk. She was so cute and spoke such great English. We enjoyed both tours with her so much. I'd say if people are short on time, skip the food tour and just do the library and university and a general city tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Douro Valley & Wine Estates Day Trip

Portugal

Andreia and her husband gave us a great wine tour. We saw the valley and got to go to two small wineries that was fun since we were staying at one of the bigger ones. She took us on a boat tour down the Douro River and the lunch was so huge. We completely enjoyed our day with her.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Benagil Cave Visit by RIB

Lagos (Algarve)

I was unsure what to expect from this RIB boat trip. But I was so glad we were on a small boat and not a big catamaran or something. Definitely worth it to get in to smaller spaces. We got lucky because sea was so calm on the day we went so no bumpy ride. Loved it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a fabulous experience with Across Portugal! Marisa and her team were always providing us updates and reminders. They also were flexible and accommodated a train change when we wanted to switch up our schedule a little. I would highly recommend and I look forward to using them in the near future!

Pedro and his team were exceptional. The planning and execution was exactly what we asked for and if there was a little glitch, he was ready to do what he could to fix it. The accommodations were excellent, the transportation was flawless and we would use Pedro and team again in a heartbeat! Thank you KimKim for connecting us to such a stellar travel specialist!

Hotel Reviews

Montebelo Vista Alegre Lisboa Chiado Hotel

Fantastic hotel. Great location in Lisbon. Everything was first class. The room was small, but the comfort of the beds made up for that. Breakfast was the best!!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds!!!

M'ar de Ar Aqueduto

Évora

Beautifully appointed modern room. Shower was tricky. Breakfast was average as compared to the prior hotels. Pool area was lovely and inviting.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walking distance from main square

Staff

Assisted us with our luggage and was helpful in giving directions.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Condes de Azevedo Palace

Porto

Great location. Mattresses were firm, shower was excellent & they provided a washing machine, which was a pleasant surprise!

Authenticity & Character

Very spacious, apartment units.

Location

Staff

Housekeeping was requested, but never came to clean our rooms.

Cleanliness & Comfort

There were little bugs in the downstairs unit.

Hotel Cascais Miragem

Cascais

Beautiful stunner of a hotel. We were surprised by our balcony overlooking the ocean. Wished we had another night at this hotel!

Authenticity & Character

Nothing, just felt like it catered to a different clientele

Location

Short walk into town, but far enough away not to be bothered by the congestion of the main area.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds were very comfy. Room was spacious

Activity Review

Lisbon's Historic Odyssey on a Private Walking Tour & Tastings

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Always on time. Helpful in making restaurant suggestions & reservations. Informative about what we were experiencing

Truly an amazing trip!! We visited many towns and villages from North of Porto to Southwest of Lagos. Spectacular views of natural beauty and friendly knowledgeable guides and people! Rita from the KimKim team was great to work with to get our literary set up. She provided quick communication and coordinated our trip. All our hotels were great with amazing breakfasts which were included.

The Trip Plans app was excellent to reference and all necessary trip details, directions, and information were readily available at our fingertips. We were able to use the "chat" function to message the Espiritu Travel team and they were very quick and helpful to respond. We had very minor issues and they addressed and expedited resolve via the "chat" function. Our guides and drivers were excellent, friendly, and over accommodating.

Guides that we worked with, all were knowledgeable, accommodating, and excellent! Natalia - Lisbon Culinary Tour, Marta David - Lisbon Tour, Emanual Maia - Porto Tour, Elana - Peneda-Geres National Park Tour (breathtaking trails and views...amazing waterfalls and small village in the National Park).

Renting a car was easy and an excellent way for us to see so many cool places! Evora, Coimbra, Alvor, Carvoeiro to name a few! Our visit to a local winery and group lunch setting under an Olive tree was wonderful! The food and hosts were excellent!

This was truly and amazing trip of a life-time and I highly recommend it to anyone one who loves history, adventure, scenic beauty, and views!

Hotel Reviews

MeraPrime Gold Design Hotel

Lisbon

Hotel was in the perfect location. The breakfast was decent with a hot and cold selection. The rooms were not very large but clean with a large bathroom. There were complimentary snacks and drinks in the refrigerator. Staff were friendly. They were very helpful when we needed a taxi to the rental car location from the hotel. Overall a great place for our first few days in Portugal.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lagos Avenida Hotel

Lagos

The hotel lobby is beautiful. The location is across the street from the drawbridge to go across to restaurants and shops. This location is in walking distance from the area that has many restaurants and shops and also the farmers market and fish market are very close as well. The rooms were small but very clean. They divided the bathroom area from sleeping area with a curtain. The set up actually reminded me of a hospital room in the United States. It was unique. Staff was frinedly. This hotel has the absolute best breakfast in an attached restaurant. They offer off a menu and there is a buffet of items. All food at this breakfast was amazing.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sapientia Boutique Hotel

Coimbra

This hotel was hard to find. It literally is down a small alley. It is a unique and beautfuil hotel. We were upgraded to a jr suite. You walk in there is a sitting area with a kitchenette then the bedroom and bathtoom were upstairs. We were very tired when we arrived and only stayed one night. The breakfast was an offer of cold and warm options. The staff was frinedly. Overall a great place but parking is difficult and it is not the easiest to get to.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mercure Porto Centro Aliados

Porto

Perfect location in Porto. There is a restaurant in the hotel and a few just outside the door. The rooms were small but clean. We never really had a cool room, we did advise the front desk we thought the air conditioning might not be working but nothing really came of it. We did sleep with our window opened which automatically turns the air off as it was just too hot in the room. The breakfasts were a mix of cold and hot options. They were yummy. The staff was accomodating. There is a warm pool there we did not use but very pretty.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Melia Lisbon Airport

Lisbon

This hotel was very close to the airport. We stayed here our last day in Portugal. We ate dinner in the restaurant attached and it was good. The breakfast offered is in the same restaurant and has tons of options. The rooms were large and comfortable. The outlet at the bathroom that is part of the blowdryer would not let me plug in it may have been overused so I could not use my straightener but that is a petty concern. The shuttle took us to the airport pretty much on time it ran every 15 minutes.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Lisbon Roots, Food & Cultural Walk

Portugal

Very nice tour and walk. Natlalia took us off the beaten path to many small local extablishments. All were excellent and the proprietors were friendly and talkative.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Day Excursion: Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Portugal

Marta was extremely knowledgable and was willing to talk about many various topics. She was very personable and knew here way around to provide us with the best experience possible!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat Excursion Inside Benagil Caves

Portugal

Our boat tour included awesome coastal views of cliffs and beaches. The caves were amazing. Our boat operators and guides were very happy and knowledgable. They joked around alot and made everyone feel comfortable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Visit of Porto

Porto

Our guided tour was very thorough and infomative! Emanual Maia knew so much history and information. He helped us better understand Portuguese culture and life. Emanual took us to many interesting places that we would not have found on our own. Additionally, he made several restaurant recommendations and sent me links to them to explore later. Emanual was an excellent guide. He was very friendly and personal and treated us like family.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hiking & Cultural Excursion in Peneda-Gerês National Park

Porto

The National park was beautiful! Great nature hikes to waterfalls and swimming in the pools surrounding them. Was such a great experience and totally unique and awesome! Elena did an excellent job of taking us around the park, lunch, and a walk in the local villiage. She provided great insight and information about the park and people. She even had us help plant a few tree seedlings and water them for future planting to replenish the forrest. It was a great day and well worth our time. We are so glad we did this excursion!!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

1. Our guide Pedro for the Biklas y Triklas bike tour in Porto was outstanding and deserves 5 gold stars. He was very knowledgeable, articulate, and expressive.
2. In Porto we might have wanted to go to the Livraria Lello, but we learned about it too late to arrange tickets. Wishing Hector had given us a list of popular destinations enjoyed by KimKim clients for each city. The website and app suggestions are vague discussions of parts of the city, not super helpful when you are in the middle of a trip.
3. All the arrangements of hotels and transportation were very good. We were happy will all the plans except maybe the TukTuk tour which we could have arranged on our own. Our guide was perfectly qualified, but I would just prefer some other way of learning about the city, probably at a slower pace. On our last day in Lisbon, why would we want to learn about the beginning and end points of each tram and each elevator?
4. Remind travelers to put their airpods or earbuds into the purse at the beginning of each day!! Some old people like me are still expecting audio tours to have head sets.
5. Put the travel agent emergency number into your phone contacts with the proper country code, etc, so that if there are any problems with a scheduled transfer, such as an early or late transfer from the airport outside of working hours, there will be someone to call.

Hotel Reviews

Pestana Lisboa Vintage

Lisboa

If you are expecting twin beds, mention it immediately at check in. The default sheet arrangement is to unite the beds into one large bed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Vela Guesthouse

Cascais

Really pretty hotel. Breakfasts very good, very good service.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Get to know Porto by E-bike

Porto

Loved it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer {{start_location}} to {{end_location}}

Portugal

It worked. As you know, the transportation that gave us a headache was the train from Porto to Lisbon. Fortunately the strike was over, but we wasted a lot of time going early to the station. Nothing anyone could do about it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Foodie Experience in Porto

Porto

This was very enjoyable. Guide was very good.

Quality of Experience

Food

Great variety. Well presented.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We walked.

Guided Tuk-Tuk Tour

Portugal

Lisbon is a very large and fascinating city. Also very congested with cars and tourists. After taking the TukTuk tour I realized that I needed a slower pace and more information about each historical site. I guess it would be fine for an amusing ride and overview.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sintra Heritage Hike: Hidden Secrets

Portugal

Our guide was very personable and knowledgeable. I think his name was Felixberto, but now I find that my Trip Plan has disappeared from the app, so I am not sure of the spelling. We enjoyed the hike and the beautiful park. The crowds in Pena Palace were pretty bad. Our guide did cut the day short, however, since we started heading back to the hotel at 1pm. Fine with us since it was raining a bit.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We contacted KimKim for our 30th anniversary trip to Portugal, and we were connected with Pedro. From the beginning, Pedro offered us so many options for our trip, and after we selected our likes, and let him know our dislikes, he crafted an itinerary that perfectly matched our criteria. From the private walking tour in Lisbon with Nadia (who was wonderful), to the Fado dinner, which we truly enjoyed, to the private driver Rui, who kept us entertained on our day trip to Sintra, all of it was just wonderful. Rui also drove us to Porto with stops along the way and we were happy to have the same drive for both days. Pedro and his team checked in with us often, ensuring we were enjoying ourselves and answering any questions we had. We had a small issue upon check-in in Porto and we contacted Pedro and his team and the issue was resolved in less than 10 minutes. Our walking tour in Porto with Andres was great, and all of the little anniversary surprises along the way were so incredible appreciated. Pedro also provided us with a self-guided itinerary for Sao Miguel and the sights we saw were truly amazing. There is not enough praise we can heap on Pedro and his team for taking care of us and truly making our 30th anniversary truly spectacular.

All of our tours arranged by Adam were fantastic. The tour guides were friendly and knowledgeable. Great experiences. You learn a lot through these tours you otherwise would not. Thank you kimkim for a wonderful Portugal vacation!!

Dear João and Team,

Thank you for an absolutely wonderful vacation. Everyone we encountered—from your drivers to your guides—was knowledgeable, kind, and genuinely helpful. Their warmth and professionalism made our time in your beautiful country truly memorable.

A special thank you to Carlos, who went above and beyond to enhance our experience—offering ideas, coordinating activities, and even calling ahead for dinner reservations. His attention to detail and hospitality did not go unnoticed.

You have built an exceptional team and network. Each person we met—Raphael, Carlos, Evo, Manuel, and our outstanding guides Mari, Carlos, and Sara—contributed to an unforgettable trip.
With gratitude from all of us. I would travel with aCross Portugal again anytime!!
Thanks for all the memories !
Kathy Kelly
Karen Ken
Kim and Hank

Both guides as well as the horseback and bike riding tours were very good. We had great experiences on all 4 counts. All activities were perfectly planned. There was no confusion anywhere, we felt that we were in great hands for all the logistics concerning the trip. Thank you Pedro and all team members at the office or in the field.

Hotel Reviews

Heritage Avenida Liberdade

Lisboa

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Octant Évora

Évora

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

AlmaLusa Comporta

Comporta

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cascade Wellness Resort

Lagos

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Vela Guesthouse

Cascais

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Not as welcoming as the others but still very professional.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Great breakfast. Could have been more generous on simple things such as the basic facial tissues in the room at a time we really needed them (small packet of a few tissues) ... Of course there were more available, but why the hassle ?

Activity Reviews

Cascais-Sintra Exclusive E-Bike Adventure

Portugal

Certainly a highlight. Juliano was great. He knew his stuff and adapted the trip to our comments.

Lisbon's Historic Odyssey on a Private Walking Tour & Tastings

Lisbon

Claudia was generous and knowledgeable. She was authentic and listened as much as she spoke.

Immerse Yourself in the Portuguese Culture by Experiencing a Fado Dinner

Portugal

Very good cultural experience.

Beach & Dunes Horseback Adventure in Comporta

Portugal

The guide was generous in his comments without excess. Great views!

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

Portugal

Fabio was very generous and knowledgeable. He also made the most important recommendation to us: to go to Monsaraz. You should actually include they in your visit options.

Ponta da Piedade Small Group Kayak Adventure

Portugal

Great tour in that caves. But we were surprised about the short duration of the trip on the water. It was a bit short given that we came back several minutes in advance even after a very slow return from the caves to the marina. I know there must be other considerations, but we could have prolonged the kayak portion by 15 minutes in my opinion.

Fantastic experience all around. Itinerary was so easy to access and was an invaluable tool during our vacation. We reviewed it each day - with detail and pics, names of drivers and tour companies, map locations of meeting places made it all so easy. We loved all our tours - especially our driver Felipe who took us to Sinatra/Pena Palace. A true gentleman and historian. Our hotels were all very different in the 4 places we stayed at. We loved them all. KimKIm stayed in touch all during the vacation and were available whenever we needed them. I loved the tailor made concept and now that I’ve experienced it and kimkim knows us a little better, I will definitely use them again and recommend to anyone!

Hotel Reviews

Pousada Porto - Rua das Flores

Porto

Loved this small, boutique heritage hotel. Very upscale but homey. Excellent breakfast and service. Location location location - perfect for Porto. Would stay again in a heartbeat.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lagos Avenida Hotel

Lagos

Absolutely loved this cool, Scandinavian, boho hotel. Superb location along side the marina. Epic restaurant. The breakfasts are another level, the staff is 10/10. We tried the Avenida Restaurant als well for sinner - and it is a must. I loved the wood, rattan and natural finishes decor.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Heritage Avenida Liberdade

Lisboa

Fantastic hotel. Incredible location. Historical building. Our room was right on Liberty Street and we could not hear a thing. I think it’s one of the biggest hotel room plus bathroom that I have ever stayed at. Breakfast was not memorable but fine.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Cascais Miragem

Cascais

Wow - what a hotel. This is a big modern hotel. It had a number of conferences held at while we stayed. But that did not interfere at all with our enjoyment. The pool is fabulous!!!! The restaurant/breakfast is very good. We were wonderfully upgraded to an Oceanside room, and it was really incredible. Location is very good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Evening Food Walk

Lagos (Algarve)

I really enjoyed this tour. Our guide was exceptional - Sophie. She was warm, funny and knowledgeable. She took us to all the holes in the wall in Old Town Lagos. Some really authentic dishes. I would have liked to a little more history, but it was a food tour.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Douro Valley Day Trip with Wine Tastings & River Cruise

Porto

This is a great experience. Our transport was very nice and our driver Felipe was extremely personable and knowledgeable about the area, the history and wine. It is a very long tour. Maybe a bit too long for me. But included 2 wineries, I liked the first one the best. Felt like I was being welcomed into someone’s home. The river tour was just ok. You can’t really see much. You had to listen to a taped recording on an App you had to download and it didn’t work very well. The drive there was 1.5, and at a VERY fast pace, which was a little nerve wracking. lol. Overall it was fun.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fado Walk, Show & Dinner

Lisbon

This was an interesting tour. Our guide Marco? Manuel? (Sorry I can’t remember), was very knowledgeable about the history and city of Lisbon. This was lovely, however, he took us to two very high points in Lisbon that required us to was up about 1000 (lol) stairs. It was way too much for me (fairly fit 64 yr old). The view was great, but I would have liked to seen more of the city. We were then taken to the Fido Grill for authentic dinner and Fado show. This experience was just ok. Food very meh as well as the show. The restaurant was cute.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Local Secrets Excursion by Van

Lisbon

This is a great tour, especially if you want to avoid some of the steep hills in Lisbon. Our guide Joao was great and was very knowledgeable about the history and areas of Lisbon. We stopped at a few places. It was just right.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Sintra Day Trip

Lisbon

Oh my goodness - do not miss this tour. Most epic tour and driver. Fabulous pristine clean car, and our driver Felipe was incredible. So professional, kind, personable and an incredible historian. We learned SO MUCH from him. He provided just the right amount of information for us. We had “cheat the line” tickets and was able to navigate us past long lines and congestion at the Peña Palace. Again so knowledgeable - just unbelievable. Then he drove us to the town of Sinatra, where he dropped us off and we able to do what we wanted for an hour. Which was great. Just exceptional tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Superior driving and guide.

Transport

Mercedes station wagon. Impeccable.

Private Cascais Highlights

Cascais

This tour was okay. Our transport was not that great and our driver although very nice, was difficult to hear because he spoke too quietly and not a lot. We didn’t know here he was taking us and didn’t communicate much during the tour. We also had no lunch and were very hungry as it was a 5 hour tour from 10am until 3pm. The sites he took us to we enjoyed but it was too long for me.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The guides and drivers were all amazing with their knowledge and friendliness. Kim Kim was flexible with changes and requests. It was an amazing trip

Wonderful trip. Joao did great job of lining up variety of activities and we very much appreciated the reservations and suggestions for activities along the way - suggesting parking locations took a lot of the "stress" of trying to figure out exactly where to go.

Starting the trip with private tours around Lisbon, Cascais & Sintra with Francisco was terrific way to gain better insight into Portugal's history and introduction to the country. We feel we were lucky to experience the freedom day marches and festivities in Lisbon - added a unique and interesting touch to our short time in Lisbon. The Fado dinner was a very enjoyable evening - host, cook, and server were all terrific; singers & musicians were delightful (the evening got long, especially when still adjusting to the time changes).

All the lodging arrangements were very nice - enjoyed the boutique hotels in Tomar, Douro, and Evora - all served as great locations to explore the surrounding area. And we very much appreciate that KimKim allowed us to select our own lodging in Lagos - we ended up at a very special and unique place that made a wonderful trip even more special and memorable.

Too many highlights to mention in a short review - Obidos, Nazere, Batalha were all terrific stops as we made our way to Tomar; we stopped at a grocery store as we neared Nazere and had the first of many picnic lunches on the rock cliffs looking over the beach and surfing waves.

In Tomar we explored Christ Convent and castle and then went for a hike in the castle gardens & woods to a large swing on a high overlook - during our hike the power went out in all of Portugal, Spain & France so when we came back down to town all the stores, museums, and restaurants were closed - we enjoyed a picnic & afternoon in the park by the river and when power came back around 7:00 we found an English pub that reopened; for us the power outage was just a slight detour / blip in the trip and a relaxing afternoon.

The Old Library and Chapel at Cambria were amazing and well worth visiting on the way to Douro Valley. We set google maps to "avoid highways" on the way to Douro and traveled some amazing back country roads and villages including a short stop to watch a heard of goats and their canine keepers move up the valley along a beautiful stream. National Road 222 to Duoro was breathtaking - after checking into the beautiful hotel, we set out to an overlook spot recommended by the receptionist. The nearby village had a single restaurant that we stopped at - the chicken and potatoes were absolutely terrific - we entertained and laughed along with the few locals in the restaurant as we communicated with the owner through google translate (and with their assistance). We had rain for much of our sunset cruise, so we were only "topside" for about a quarter of the time, but our captain was very interesting and entertaining as we got philosophical about the differences between our homelands - a very enjoyable evening.

We really enjoyed our time in Evora; highlights included the bones chapel, winery visit (it was raining that morning) and we really enjoyed the ceramic workshop. The cork tour was interesting and we really enjoyed learning about cork harvesting - very glad for the experience, but it was a rather long ride for a brief visit to a couple of cork trees and back - probably the only experience of the trip that was a little disappointing or underwhelming. While in Evora, we decided to take a short guided tour of one of the marble quarries (slight departure from the KimKim itinerary) - the enthusiastic guide shared a wealth of geological knowledge and information and the ability to visit the marble quarry and stand on a platform over the deep pit was a neat experience.

We finished our trip with several days in the Algarve. We stayed in a very unique and special airbnb that we selected - for us it was the "icing on the cake" that made a wonderful trip even more special and memorable. On the first afternoon there, we hiked the entire beach/coastline of Lagos from Meia Praia to the light house on Ponta da Piedade. The sailing tour the next morning was wonderful - captain Rob and first mate Anatoli were great - here is the review I left for them after the trip - My wife and I had a lovely morning sail with Rob and Anatoli on Ocean Breeze. Wonderful vessel, delightful company, informative and patient with all of our questions and musings. A great way to see the coast at a relaxed pace and from a different perspective. My wife and I are traveling Portugal in celebration of our 25th anniversary - this is one of the highlights of our trip. Other highlights in Algarve were the ebike tour (really wonderful way to see some of the back streets, smaller villages, and dirt paths at a really nice pace), kayaking in the sea caves, several hikes along the cliffs, and exploring several beaches (we enjoyed an afternoon sunning on the beach and lunch at one of the beach side restaurants down many flights of stairs).

On our final full day, we headed back to Lisbon by way of Sagres and made short stops at several wonderful beaches along the west coast including Praia da Arrifana, Odeceixe Mar Beach, and Farol Cabo Sardão. We arrived back in Lisbon, returned car and enjoyed a late supper along the river front - Joao's advice to return to Lisbon the night before our flight was a good recommendation as it gave us time to pack and have a good breakfast at the hotel before embarking to the airport for our flight home.

We really enjoyed our time in Portugal. The people were friendly and had a great sense of humor. The history is rich and fascinating (in the review I didn't mention much about the many castles and cathedrals that we visited and admired). There are many other countries we hope to travel to, but we wouldn't hesitate to visit Portugal again and would highly recommend it to others. KimKim (Joao) did a great job of putting together an itinerary with excellent mix of activities, suggestions & recommendations, and feel like he made reservations with outstanding guides and services (and relieved us from needing to do the research, reservations, etc.). We liked the freedom of mostly independent travel and occasionally departed from the itinerary, but it was nice to know Joao was only a whatsapp chat or call away if we needed assistance or had any difficulties. Thank you.

Diana helped us develop a perfect itinerary. Our drivers, Samir Costa, Ricardo, and Ivo were professional and gave us so much information about the area. Bernardo gave an excellent walking tour in Porto. Margarida was a wonderful food tour guide in Lisbon. Highly recommend!

Hotel Review

Hotel Cascais Miragem

Cascais

Beautiful setting. Prime location. Five stars all around!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Porto's Historic Odyssey on a Private Walking Tour

Porto

Bernardo was excellent!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Unveil the Fairytale Villa of Sintra with a Private Driver Service

Portugal

Samir Costa was an excellent tour guide. He went above and beyond to meet our needs.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Le

Transport

Flavors of Lisbon in a Premium & Gastronomic Private Walking Tour

Lisbon

Margarida made this tour so fun and interesting!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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

Portugal

Ricardo was such an excellent driver and tour guide!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was a nice trip to Portugal and for the most part we enjoyed the itinerary put together by our local specialist. A couple notable issues with this trip however. First, our day tour of Sintra did not visit the locations as described in our itinerary. While we liked our guide Marta, she did not take us to Pena Palace which was specifically listed as the tour location. This was a disappointment for us. Second, due to the train strike in Portugal we had to book bus tickets on our own, even after we alerted Espiritu Travel that this was a situation and needed to be addressed. Their response was lax so we had to take matters into our own hands.
We really enjoyed our kimkim trip to Columbia (2024) but this time left us with a few concerns about booking through them again. This was still a nice trip, but was disappointed by a few of the mistakes.

Hotel Review

Vivenda Miranda

Lagos

This hotel was very nice and we enjoyed eating at the restaurant twice. Friendly and knowledgeable staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Get to Know Lisbon with a Local

Lisbon

Knowledgeable guide although we visited many of these areas previously. Not the most interesting of our tours on this trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Lisbon Roots, Food & Cultural Walk

Portugal

We had a wonderful guide Daniel. His tour was an ideal way to begin our Portugal vacation.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guided Visit of Porto

Porto

Celia was our favorite guide of the entire trip. She was friendly, knowledgeable and a great ambassador for Porto. This quickly became our favorite city in Portugal after spending time with Celia.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Douro Valley Excursion with Wine & Olive Oil Tastings & River Cruise

Porto

Our day in the Douro Valley with Michael was another highlight of the trip. He was fun, smart and great leading a large (and drunk) tour group. I highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Day Excursion: Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Portugal

We enjoyed our guide Marta but did not visit the sites as described. We were disappointed not to see Pena Palace.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat Excursion Inside Benagil Caves

Portugal

The tour was fine - not amazing. The Benagil Cave was a bit hyped up - we saw caves just a nice closer to Lagos.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dinner With Locals at a Local Home

Lisbon

Sofia and Carlos were wonderful hosts. We enjoyed this intimate experience with Lisbon locals as our last event in Portugal.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

My husband and I used Kimkim for a trip to Portugal. It was a wonderful experience. Each aspect of the planning was carefully thought out with excellent suggestions and options from Marisa. During the trip we were impressed with the daily communication of what to expect each day which was greatly appreciated. All drivers, tour guides, and excursions were on time with personable, efficient, and knowledgeable people. The hotel selections were excellent, as well as restaurant recommendations. We hope to use Kimkim on any future travels.

Hotel Review

NH Hotel Porto Jardim

Porto

The NH Hotel Porto Jardim was initially a bit of a letdown due to being placed in a very small room. However, after communicating the issue, the hotel promptly addressed it and upgraded us to a better room. Our specialist's promptness in resolving the mistake made up for the initial discomfort, and the rest of the stay was quite enjoyable.

Activity Reviews

Immerse Yourself in the Portuguese Culture by Experiencing a Fado Dinner

Portugal

The venue was very noisy for dinner, the food was so, so, and the service hap hazard. However the music and singing was wonderful.

Quality of Experience

Noisy venue

Food

Lisbon's Historic Odyssey on a Private Walking Tour & Tastings

Lisbon

Our guide, Claudia, was outstanding. She was knowledgeable and presented excellent historical references to what we were seeing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The highlight of the trip was the knowledge of all our tour guides and just how friendly the people are in Portugal!

Activity Reviews

Get to Know Lisbon with a Local

Lisbon

Alex was very friendly and went out of his way to show us all Lisbon has to offer!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Day Excursion: Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Portugal

Paulo was outstanding! He went over the 8 hours and made sure we had an excellent experience. He even gave us recommendations for the rest of the trip!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Douro Valley Excursion with Wine & Olive Oil Tastings & River Cruise

Porto

One of the highlights of the trip! The wine and food were amazing. Pedro kept us smiling the whole time.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wine Tasting & Lunch at a Portuguese Quinta

Portugal

The best meal we had in Portugal along with the best wine!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport