Kimkim Trip Reviews for Portugal

Central location, great breakfast.

The captain was running behind, which was initially ok - we didn't mind waiting. But then our boat ride only lasted 40 minutes. We literally left the dock, did a short back and forth on the river, then came back to the dock. He gave us peanuts and one little glass of wine - he didn’t even offer to refill our glass, although he had opened up a new bottle of wine.

The tour of the winery was great, but we only had a couple tastings and then had to sit there for 30 minutes waiting for lunch. The lunch was in a crowded room with other tourists. It was very impersonal, and our waiter was very rude- probably because he was overwhelmed with the amount of people he had to serve at once.

Nice to have a private driver, but would have liked to see a little more than just going back and forth from the winery.

Food was great, but if you want to sit outside, best to just show up when it opens. (Reservations get seated inside.)

Great way to learn about Porto and get the lay of the land

Perfect place to try Porto special dishes

The Évora Olive Hotel was another great spot and probably my second favorite. Its central location was a big plus. The variety of kinds of hotels we stayed in was something we really enjoyed, as each offered a unique experience.

Our stay at the hotel in Lisbon was a bit odd due to a no-food-or-drink policy in the rooms right after they had shampooed the carpets. This policy was strictly enforced, which was inconvenient as we like to relax with a drink in the room after a long day. While the location was convenient, the restriction dampened the experience a little.

The wine hotel in the Douro Valley was truly a standout accommodation. The views were absolutely breathtaking, nestled among the vineyards. The amenities offered were top-notch, and the overall vibe of the place was just incredibly cool. It was definitely one of my favorite spots on the trip.

The Wine and Gourmet Experience in Alentejo was a bit of a mixed bag. While the vineyard tour and grape stomping were fun and the wine tasting was excellent with more varieties than expected, the following harvest dinner was underwhelming. The wines were the same as the tasting, and the food was not particularly impressive. Plus, there was confusion over payment which had to be sorted out afterwards.

The River Boat Experience in the Douro Valley was another favorite. We had a private little wooden speedboat, and even though our captain didn't speak much English, she was fantastic. She celebrated our honeymoon with us by opening a bottle of wine and taking lots of pictures. It was a lovely personal touch.

The Hiking & Cultural Excursion in Peneda-Gerês National Park was phenomenal. Our guide was amazing, which really enhanced the experience. The beautiful nature spots, like waterfalls in the mountains, and visiting a small village were highlights. It was very nature-focused and eye-opening.

CELIA WAS INCREDIBLE!

Mirrors every where we’re a bit much

Don’t miss this trip

Tour guide Sarah was did not pay attention to our slow pace

Crowded but beautiful

Biggest hotel of our trip. Beautiful and modern. Our room was delightful with a wonderful view. Indoor and outdoor pools very nice.

Best overall experience from our trip. Food and people were great. Enjoyed the outdoor pool.

Small but comfortable. People just were not very enthusiastic but they were helpful

Very pleasant experience Spa and pool were great

Very nice but we were so jet lagged it hard to be more specific.

It was supposed to be a private tour but we found out the day before that it was going to be a group tour and we were not offered an alternative.

The tour was supposed to be 3 hours and it was shorter by 1 hour. The guide told us that we didn’t spend enough time at the store and the tower of the castle was closed so it made the tour shorter. She should have adjusted her plan and improvise to add another element to the tour since she is a tour guide knowledgeable in the area. The cork tour itself is not enough for a tour you should add a winery tour to make it worth it.

Our guide was excellent and we enjoyed the steep hike up. He took us to a nice coffee shop and we enjoyed his company.

We didn’t have the cooking class but the local food tour. It was fine but the tour guide was more interested in talking about himself and his drinking adventures than educating us on the local food and drinks. Not impressed I heard from other tourists that they had a great time so I would say that the activity can be great if you have a good guide.

We were expecting to hike for at least 2-3 hours but the hiking was quite shorter than expected and others in the group were also surprised. The drive to get to the park was almost 2 hours each way and the van was extremely uncomfortable with too many people which means that we have to change seats along the way so people would take turn sitting at the back of the car. This is not acceptable for a 4 hour ride on the highway.

The tour was supposed to be 3 hours but it only lasted 2 hours so we didn’t get the full value. I think the description needs to clearly reflect that duration of the activity to avoid disappointment

Wonderful breakfast. Attentive staff. Convenient location.

Our tour guides were so sweet and kind and informative.

Nice big room and comfortable. Close to Hassan II Mosque. Felt generic though.

Very nice, great location in Rabat by the Medina and the beach. Would recommend.

Lovely riad just inside one of the Medina gates. So exotic and gorgeous after winding through a narrow street and entrance. Live musician and belly dancer at dinner. Great rooftop bar and seating. What you dream of a fancy Moroccan hotel being.

Great location, great staff, pretty view but loud at night from the party in the street outside and needed to walk a little to meet Uber and guides.

This was our favorite hotel of the 6 we stayed in on this trip. They were all beautiful and comfortable but this one was just great in all ways.

A short great historical walk to St. James and for a zillion options for food. Give the historical hotel, we figured out how to use the elevators after a day of being the maze!

We were right there for near waterfront views and fun.

Rooms were great and the location with walks in either direction were a delight.

Transport contractors dropped the ball 3 times and we alternatively took taxis that kimkim reimbursed us for. May had been better just to use taxis in the first place.

Hard to beat the proximity the airport - very walkable to terminal 1 - though a free shuttle to the airport is provided.

Great location in terms access to the beach. A bit of a walk (not quite 2k) into town, but the walk is beautiful along the beach walkway. A large facility built to accommodate large touring groups and the summer throngs of visitors to the Algarve. The hotel lacks the cozy feel that boutique hotels have - but the pool and beach access are hard to beat. Food was so-so - especially the buffet-style dining built to for the masses. The smaller two non-buffet restaurants were better both for food and ambience.

Located in the university area - very walkable to many of the sites of Porto. Highly recommend for this alone, but all other aspects of this hotel were excellent.

Great location in all respects - sites, restaurants, guides and other supporting providers. Many are easily walked to while others are just a short ride. Staff was very friendly and helpful - well-versed in English! (Thank you!)

We ended up not doing this excursion, but Jaoa did give us an abbreviated driving tour of Lisbon! Thank you Jaoa!

A short excursion that is well worth the trip. The cliffs and caves were gorgeous from a distance and from within!

A must-do for anyone visiting Portugal. Beautiful valley, great port wine and meet/visit wonderful places and people along the way.

Eat very lightly for this food tour - plenty of food and beverage along the way. Be prepared to walk a bit, but not excessive as a fair portion of the tour is at one market.

The #1 best thing about this trip was our guide. Thoughtful, informative, flexible to our needs, fluent in English and friendly.

Headline: ❌ Spacious Room, But Service, Safety & Amenities Fell Short The room was spacious and clean, but that was the only real highlight compared to the other hotels we stayed at. The front desk staff was average at best—maybe he was just tired—but it didn’t leave a warm first impression. The bed was two doubles pushed together instead of a true king, and the tub was very high with no safety mat, making it easy to slip and fall. ⚠️ The power went out during our stay, leaving our phones dead and almost causing us to miss our flight. Breakfast was another disappointment, with only a basic continental spread and no variety. Overall, the room size stood out, but the service, safety concerns, and amenities made the stay underwhelming.

Headline: 🌿 Relaxing Stay with the Best Breakfast in Porto! We really enjoyed our stay at The Editory Garden Porto Hotel! The staff was super friendly and knowledgeable, and the breakfast was the best—omelets every day made it perfect. Rooms were clean, modern, and comfortable with a peaceful garden vibe. Just a heads up: the tubs are pretty high, so getting in and out can be a little tricky. Overall, a great stay and we’d definitely come back! 🌟

This trip, unfortunately, didn’t stand a chance from the beginning. The instructions said the guide would arrive with a flag, but that never happened, and although we were among the first at the meeting spot, we almost missed the tour when he suddenly called everyone to go. Because of that mix-up, we boarded last and were forced to sit in the back row that felt like it was made for kids. My husband is over 6’3” and 200 lbs, yet no effort was made to rearrange seating, leaving four full-grown adults crammed in the back like sardines. You had to walk sideways just to get down the aisle, and the bumpy roads with sharp turns made it unbearable. The guide later admitted the tour was overbooked, which explained the crowding, but still, nothing was done to adjust or accommodate. What was advertised as “moderate walking” and a “small group” turned into a speed hike with 18 people, leaving elders struggling and everyone else rushed and exhausted. Although the guide tried to salvage the day at the end, by then it was far too late. What should have been a scenic and enriching experience ended up overcrowded, uncomfortable, and disappointing.

Our guide Joao was incredible — warm, knowledgeable, and made Évora come alive. The cork factory visit was fascinating (we never realized how many products use cork!), and his uplifting take on the Chapel of Bones turned it into a meaningful story rather than a somber one. The pace was perfect, the history rich, and Joao’s personal touches made this our #1 tour in Portugal. Highly recommend!

Buckle up, because a tuk tuk ride in Lisbon is WILD! 🚖🇵🇹 Our driver was amazing – friendly, funny, and full of cool stories – but let me tell you, I would never drive those streets myself. Between the crazy hills, tight alleyways, and sharp turns, I’m convinced they need a special license just to survive out there 😂. It was part thrill ride, part history tour, and part VIP access to the best viewpoints in the city. We got to see spots we never would’ve found on our own, and the local tips were spot on. If you want adventure, laughs, and memories you’ll be talking about long after the ride, a Lisbon tuk tuk is the way to go. 10/10 recommend! Nani was the best guide!!! Hands down

Amazing tour! 🍷⛴️ Thelma was so knowledgeable and made the whole day unforgettable. She noticed when someone was uncomfortable and quickly fixed it, which made a big difference. At lunch she even showed us how to handle the fish (bones and all!) so everyone could enjoy the meal. Between the wine, olive oil tastings, and river cruise, this was a perfect Douro Valley experience!

Amazing

The Évora Olive Hotel was a fantastic experience. Although it's officially a four-star hotel, it felt just as magnificent as the others and was beautiful and comfortable. The only minor issue was the lack of tissues in the room, but the front desk provided them when asked. The staff was wonderful, and overall, it was a delightful stay despite that very trivial concern.

The Fado dinner experience was a mix of impressive Fado singing and a somewhat routine meal. The performance was wonderful and engaging, but the meal seemed a bit rushed. Overall, it's clear that the focus is on the singing rather than the food.

Our Lisbon wine tasting was enjoyable, but with similar activities on consecutive days in other locations, it felt a bit redundant. It was good, but considering the subsequent experiences in other locations, it wasn't necessary.

The private Douro River escape was truly special. The guides were fantastic, making the tour both informative and enjoyable. One guide was generous with his time, extending our tour significantly beyond what was planned, which added to the personal touch of this unforgettable experience.

The guided winery tour with tastings and a delicious lunch in Douro was a highlight of our trip! The meal we had was one of the best we experienced in Portugal. The staff was incredibly friendly and informative, and the overall experience was both elegant and memorable.

This is an odd collection of buildings scattered about. We had to change from the first room because it was so small and it didn't even have a door on the bathroom. The manager was kind enough to put us in a larger room with a bathroom that had a door and it was at a pool which was nice BUT the view was of an dilapidated building and there was a lot of construction at the road. Not relaxing nor beautiful....

Lovely view room

We left this hotel ....the room was like a youth hostel ...very small and cramped. Front desk staff was pleasant and apologized they didn't have a better room for us. My husband is very tall and he couldn't even fit in the shower.

Front desk staff helpful, breakfast good, room quiet and clean

Boat ride was fun ....getting to the dock was a bit tricky because Google map link sent us to a different vendor. We missed our timed slot because the bridge opening wouldn't allow us to pass, but the vendor that was coordinated for us was very accommodating and took us a long with one other couple out 20 minutes later.

This was a nice walk along the coast with some highlights described.

Vasco was a charming young man with a huge passion for wine and his home countryside of D'ouro Valley.

Guise Alex was not only well informed about the craft of making port wine he was thoroughly entertaining. He was very invested in making sure everyone had a good time and had a chance to mingle.

The visit to the market was interesting but a bit rushed, but there was time to go back later. The class was a bit disjointed. She had every body doing different tasks which was fine but the equipment was poor and not serviceable for skinning and deboning fish. The instructor offered no assistance. The ultimate meal was fine but I only was able to pay attention to the fish which took the longest and then we were not given the recipes for the dishes. Also our names were not on the reservation so there was confusion as to if we were going to be part of the class.

Rodrigo was a very well informed guide. He made sure we were comfortable and gave us a lot of interesting conversation. We had lunch at a great restaurant and overall enjoyed our time with Rodrigo.

Beautiful sunset cruise....staff was very hospitable.

The private tour of the Monestary was very good ..The tower was a waste of time since it's covered in scaffolding.

Guide Luis was excellent and very informative. Grateful he had access to private path in because the lines were very long. I wish we had more than a half day because with the crowds there was no time to see the town other than a 10 minute peak.