Kimkim Trip Reviews for Portugal

We traveled throughout Portugal for 14 days visiting Lisbon, Sintra, Obidos, Nazare, Porto, Evora, Lagos and Cascais in celebration of our 2nd wedding anniversary. Across Portugal and Joao were amazing to work with from planning through navigation during our two-week visit. Joao (and Diana) checked in with us daily via WhatsApp to provide a daily itinerary (even though we also had access via the portal). We've worked with other agencies through KimKim and Across Portugal was the first to check in on a daily basis. They seemed very much invested in our experience and provided excellence customer services. We received a wonderful welcome box with local Portuguese treats!

Joao worked with us to customize our trip to fit our interests and made tweaks along the way. We were also able to add a last-minute experience during our last couple of days of the trip. The trip was the perfect balance of excursion/experiences and rest/relaxation. All of the tour guides and drivers were very kind and both knowledgeable and proud of their country's history and heritage. Claudia (Lisbon) and Sara (Porto) were very knowledgeable and provided us with a wealth of information during our walking tours. L

In particular, Evo (and Ricardo) who was our guide/driver for several days in Porto and beyond, was particularly exceptional! He loves his city of Porto and Portugal and became like family by the end of the trip. Our experience to the Douro Valley (so unlike any other wine territory I've visited) was amazing an Evo was able to truly personalize the experience for us. Dinner with Locals was also a highlight for us as we were able to share an amazing meal prepared by Evo's mother. The food was amazing and the company even better! Porto was amazing and would recommend any trip to Portugal include 3-4 days in Porto. Luis- driver in Lisbon was also very friendly and accommodating.

Some highlights include: (1) Day trip to Sintra (Pena Palace was beautiful) (2) Fado dinner in Lisbon was such uniquely intimate and amazing experience. Despite some previous reviews, we thought the food was very good and the Port freely flowing! The Fado music was dramatic and moving. We loved it (3) Lisbon Winery (Vinho Verde) (4) Sandemann Port Tasting Tour was amazing (Joao even surprised us with a charcuterie board to the envy of other attendees- we shared with the table (5) Douro Valley day trip (6) Dinner with Locals in Porto (6) Lagos boat tour Ponta da Piedade and the boardwalk views along the coastline an (6) Comporta horseback riding day trip. Obidos was also lovely--loved the Ginjinha!

Food was amazing. Cataplana was incredible, sea bass and other fresh fish....and my new favorite pastry the Pastel de Nata (I may be having withdrawals)

All in all, it was an amazing trip and experience! Thanks to Joao and team for making it so personal!

Angela and Douglas

From the start to finish the entire trip was incredible! This was our first KimKim planned trip. We found the app very intuitive and user friendly. All accommodations and excursions were as stated and we had no issues with timing or execution. The tours and guides were very friendly, professional, knowledgeable and thorough. It is very apparent the KimKim team had an in depth knowledge of Portugal and ensured our experience was exactly what we asked for.

We will definitely use KimKim for future travels.

Hotel Reviews

Estoril Vintage Hotel

Estoril

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sintra Marmoris Palace

Sintra

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sapientia Boutique Hotel

Coimbra

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Torel Quinta da Vacaria - Douro Valley

Peso da Régua, Vila Real District

5* all the way! You’ve gotta stay here!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Private Sailing Experience

Cascais

What a day! The weather wasn’t perfect for sailing but the crew made the day amazing! Highly recommend!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Everything occurred as promised and planned. Our guide in Lisbon, Philip and our guide in Porto, Celia, were both fantastic. They were knowledgeable and answered all our questions. Our excursions in Lisbon to Sintra and the Pena palace were also terrifically guided. Our unexpected favorite was the Taste Porto tour with Miguel! His enthusiasm and choices for us made the experience deliciously delightful!

Hotel Reviews

The Editory Garden Porto Hotel

Porto

Location

Walkable but out of the hubbub of the central city.

Staff

They added balloons and cake to our room for my birthday! The pastel de nata at check in were yummy!

Cleanliness & Comfort

MeraPrime Gold Design Hotel

Lisbon

Great location. Friendly staff. Great breakfasts.

Location

Walkable to all the old town areas.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Day Excursion to Braga & Guimarães

Porto

Guide was just ok compared to other guides we had. It also felt a little rushed in the towns.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

6 Bridges Cruise

Porto

Relaxing way to see the river coastline. It not very exciting.

Quality of Experience

Private Guided Visit of Porto

Porto

Quality of Experience

Culinary Highlights of Porto: Food Delights & Bolhão Market

Porto

Our favorite excursion.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Discover Sintra: Quinta da Regaleira & Coastal Views

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Go West to Belém TukTuk Tour

Lisbon

Very fun. Personable driver. Also flexible but able to make suggestions.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Get to Know Lisbon with a Local

Lisbon

Our guide was open to what we wanted to see but also willing to take the lead when we wanted her to.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Lisbon Fado Dinner Experience

Portugal

We were very happy with the fact that for the most part we had private tours in Lisbon, Centra, Porto. The tour person in Porto was at best adequate as we really didn’t see a whole lot of interesting areas. However, the tours in Lisbon were very good. For the most part, the drivers for the transfers between cities and areas were acceptable. The driver from Argave to Lisbon at the end of our trip, seemed a bit distracted, which did not make us very comfortable. As for the hotels, as you were aware, the Tivoli was not consistent with our expectations. The other hotels were acceptable. However, if we took another trip, we would probably ask for an upgrade on the quality of the hotels, including size of rooms. You may wish to consider when speaking to your clients and planning the trip discussing the quality of the hotels in more detail and finding out if they would want to pay additional monies for a better quality hotel.

Hotel Reviews

Meliá Lisboa Aeroporto

Lisbon

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tivoli Lagos

Lagos

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Quinta de Casaldronho Wine Hotel

Lamego

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Exe Almada Porto

Porto

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Lisboa Plaza

Lisbon

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Algarve Kayaking Trip to Benagil Caves

Portugal

Canceled

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Visit of Historic Coimbra

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

River Boat Experience in Douro Valley

Douro Valley

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wine Cellar Guided Visit with Lunch

Douro Valley

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Visit to Porto

Porto

Did not see enough of Porto. Guide essentially showed us some rundown areas of Porto, which had some historical significance but needed less of and more of other areas.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} via Nazaré & Óbidos

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Small Group Excursion to Sintra & Pena Palace

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Get to Know Lisbon with a Local

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lisbon Roots: A Walk Through Flavors & Tradition

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

João was wonderful to work with, he was extremely knowledgeable and helped steer us in the right direction in terms of tours and main attractions. He was also very responsive and helpful whenever I had any questions or comments both prior to the trip and during the trip, which was much appreciated! He provided a clear and transparent Road Book that listed all the activities with guide names and contact information, which made it very easy to find the right people (in a foreign country) and helped us plan out our day. Lastly, he personally drove from Lisbon to Lagos to pick us up, which we greatly appreciated and helped us maximize our time in Lagos stress-free. It was a pleasure working with him and I would reach out to him again the next I'm in Portugal.

We worked with very knowledgeable guides in each city, which helped us feel more connected to the people and culture of Portugal. Francisco in Lisbon was a great guide who was very knowledgeable about the history of the city and provided useful tips to help us avoid major tourist lines and optimize our time. He also recommended a wonderful restaurant that turned out to be our favorite meal of the trip. He accompanied us to Sintra and was a huge asset in helping us navigate crowded sites and optimize our day. He provided a ton of interesting background information on Pena Palance and Quinta de Regalaeria, which helped us appreciate the experience much more. He also insisted we try the local pastries in Sintra (which was a highlight of the day) and advised us to tour the National Palace of Sintra, which is a must-see and not too crowded.

In Porto, we worked with Manuel, who was very passionate about Porto and very eager to show us his home city. He gave us great advice on what to see or do in our down time and is very knowledgeable of the history of Porto. We felt very comfortable with and thought he was very patient with us as we took our multiple photos! He even gave me a small token to remember my trip, which I greatly appreciated the thought and gesture. In Porto, we did a Duorro Valley wine tour and had the best driver/guide Andres. He had such great energy, and was funny, lively, and passionate about the port wine industry! He gave us great tips of what to see and overall made our Duorro Valley experience more enjoyable!

Overall, we had a great time booking with Kim Kim, which allowed us to work with local experts on planning a customized action-packed itinerary. Kim Kim also took care of most of our transportation needs to and from the airport, train station, and hotels, which made our vacation much more enjoyable and comfortable. Lastly, all the guides were very knowledgeable, professional, and passionate about their job, which added to our overall experience! We would definitely work with Kim Kim again.

We really enjoyed our trip to Portugal. I was a little leary about using a travel agency but the planning was made very easy by Marta and Beatriz. We were able to taylor make our trip to our interests. We scheduled phone calls to discuss some of the details. Before we departed our entire schedule was on an app that we could download and refer to during the entire trip. We could refer to our schedule daily with the times and drivers names and contacts locally.

Hotel Reviews

Meliá Lisboa Aeroporto

Lisbon

Super convenient, across from airport, breakfast service begins at 4:30 am if you have an early flight. Complimentary cookies at check in, rooms were clean and contemporary.

Authenticity & Character

Location

If you have a flight to catch pick this!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean, contemporary design, great plug ins for devices, extra pillows

Tivoli Lagos

Lagos

Not the best hotel, dated and not so clean. Rooms were difficult to get to with a lot of stairs to navigate with suitcases, no elevator access.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms are in need of updating, musty smell, view of roof adajacent to hotel

Quinta de Casaldronho Wine Hotel

Lamego

Everything about this place was unique. Staff was polite and accomodating. Views from the rooftop pool were of vinyards into a valley, the grapes were plump and all over the vines just getting ready for the season. We ate in the restaurant not wanting to venture out too far at night. Food was freshy, adequate and tasty. We had fresh fish and of course sangria!

Authenticity & Character

There is an old church on the grounds which belonged to the family

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were clean, view of vinyards was amazing to wake up to!

Exe Almada Porto

Porto

Nice hotel, clean, small rooms, great breakfasts with many options

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Lisboa Plaza

Lisbon

This hotel was slightly off the beaten path off of Place De Liberdad street. This made it tucked away and quiet. The rooms were a little small but probably normal by European standards. The breakfast buffet was amazing! Pastry, fruit, eggs, cheese, fresh coffee...you will be stuffed for the day!

Authenticity & Character

Location

A quiet street

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Algarve Kayaking Trip to Benagil Caves

Portugal

this trip was cancelled due to storm and wind conditions

Guided Visit of Historic Coimbra

Portugal

Thomas picked us up in Duoro at the Casalhandro Wine hotel in a nice large van. After 1.5 hours we reached Coimbra where our guide met us for a tour of the city and University. Thomas was polite and a great driver!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

River Boat Experience in Douro Valley

Douro Valley

This could easily be the highlight of the Portugal trip. We were dropped at a dock and unsure of where to go but the boat owners called for us and helped us so kindly. We found our tour guide Sylvia who could not have been more accomodating to us. We took off on a small wooden boat on the Duoro River and were promptly served charcuterie and 4 bottles of wine! She was lovely and so hospitable. She imparted information on all the vineyards we passed on the Duoro River

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wine Cellar Guided Visit with Lunch

Douro Valley

This was just amazing! We did arrive late to the tour but they accomodated us very nicely. The food was spectacular, steak paired with several wines...it was more like a dinner! The vineyard was beautiful and the tour was interesting to learn about all the varities of grapes here. Well worth the trip!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Visit to Porto

Porto

I think this tour was secrets of Porto so we saw the grittier sides of the city. The guide was knowledgable and did not rush us through the tour. Would have appreciated some of the other more popular sites on this tour, ie the shopping district and the port wine area

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Transfer {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} via Nazaré & Óbidos

Portugal

This tour was exceptional in the guide Marta was a wealth of information. We were picked up on time at hotel and driven to Obios and Nazare. She recommended a nice restaurant where we dined on grilled octopus and seabass and sangria. We continued on to Porto. This was a long day and we arrived at 7 pm. Marta was well versed in all aspects of Portugal. She explained many topics including cost of living, government, etc...

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Small Group Excursion to Sintra & Pena Palace

Lisbon

This trip was ok with some exceptions. First, we rushed through breakfast to meet the guide a 10 min walk away. After 15-20 mins we called the travel agency who reached out and informed us the guide was held up picking up cruise passengers. After a 45 min delay we were off to Pena Palace. The guide brought us to the entrance and instructed us to meet up after our self guided tour. She provided very minimal information but did an adequate job. Sintra and Pena Palace are not to be missed!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

It would be nice if the guide had walked us through the palace to explain the history more as other groups had

Transport

Get to Know Lisbon with a Local

Lisbon

This was a thorough 3 hour walking tour. The guide was on time and we met up at a square onlly 10 min walk from our hotel. We saw the Rossio Train Station, Baixa, Chiado neighborhoods, Arc de Triumph. We had fun afterwards shopping at a street market just in back of our hotel on Place de Liberdad.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Lisbon Roots: A Walk Through Flavors & Tradition

Portugal

We really enjoyed this after just arriving in country. We had time to check into our hotel and then rest and had an amazing food tour. We tried pork sandwiches, cheeses, cod cakes, somosas and the traditional custard of Portugal. After feeling very full we walked back to our hotel. Great tour and guide!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

João planned an amazing trip for my group for our first time to Portugal! Originally we were supposed to be 2 people, but then added my mom halfway through the planning process and he was very accommodating in adjusting the reservations. He kept in contact with us the entire time we were there and was very knowledgeable everywhere we went. The excursions were perfect for our group and a great balance between activity/free time enjoying the cities we were in. We can’t wait to go back and thank you again to João for making our first trip to Portugal unforgettable!

Hotel Reviews

Eurostars das Artes

Porto

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Lisboa Plaza

Lisbon

Authenticity & Character

Location

No

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Villa Zawaia B&B

Lagos

Beautiful hotel but staff wasn’t consistently there to assist.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Someone being present more often throughout the day

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Cave Boat Tour

Portugal

Nice easy way to see the beautiful caves in Lagos! Not too long of a tour so you still have the rest of your day to explore!

Quality of Experience

No

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an amazing time visiting Portugal! Our travel Guide, João was the best and helped us plan the perfect trip! He was very knowledgeable and helpful in all our planning and was very accessible via text to answer any questions throughout our trip.
He was also our guide in Lisbon which was wonderful!
We couldn’t have had a better experience!

Hotel Reviews

Belmar Spa & Beach Resort

Lagos

Great resort with beautiful rooms, 3 pools , a nice gym, and beach access! Breakfast was great! Very friendly and helpful staff. Would definitely stay there again!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Lisboa Plaza

Lisbon

Located in the center close to shopping, and most of the sights you would want to see in Lisbon. Staff was friendly and helpful. Great breakfast!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa dos Lóios by Shiadu

Porto

Very nice boutique hotel. The staff was very friendly and helpful, and spoke English which was a plus!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Within walking distance to most everything!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Algarve Caves Boat Tour

Portugal

A must when you are in Lagos! Loved it!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cascais & Sintra Guided Visit

Portugal

Our guide João drive us out to Cascais and Sinatra and even booked a lunch for us at this very quaint restaurant on the beach! It was amazing! The beaches in Cascais are beautiful!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dinner with Live Fado Music

Lisbon

João planned this for us and it was a great experience! The food was authentic Portuguese food that was delicious! The Fado was amazing!

Quality of Experience

K

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half-Day Guided Tour of Lisbon

Lisbon

João our guide was excellent! Got a very nice tour of the city, and a lot of the history of Lisbon.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Port Wine Tasting Tour

Porto

Visited Ferreira winery and loved it! The Port wine tasting was excellent and brought a bottle home!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Six Bridges Douro Cruise

Porto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Food Tour

Porto

Our guide Andre was great! Very knowledgeable and did a great job explaining the history of Porto and the wine and food we tried! Loved it!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tiago was the best travel agent to make my trip come to fruition! Tiago and I spent several months planning for my trip to Portugal with two friends. Overall, he was very responsive and accommodating. At one of our hotels, our room was not ready and he immediately reached out to the hotel to resolve. He also consistently communicated via WhatsApp to ensure our itinerary was going smoothly. I would 100% recommend Tiago to other travelers, as well as the itinerary that he thoughtfully curated for us.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Lisboa Plaza

Lisbon

This hotel was great overall. The location and staff were amazing and the breakfast buffet was nice. However, I would not recommend room service for dinner. The quality of the food was not so good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Restrooms in the room could use a little updating. The shower curtains were not the length of the tub, so water would splash and the paper was behind the toilet so it was difficult to reach.

Mercure Porto Centro Aliados

Porto

Absolutely loved this hotel! The location, staff, and accommodations were spectacular. Just one hiccup was that our room was not ready upon arrival even though in their system it said it was. The hotel held our luggage while we walked around and the room was ready within the hour.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Portuguese Cooking Lesson

Portugal

Cooking classes are a special way to immerse yourself into culture. Everywhere I travel, I like to take one and this was a great experience. Chef Gui knows how to host and make everyone feel comfortable. We started with an overview of the 9 dishes while drinking wine and eating Couvert then everyone chose which dish they wanted to prepare. All of the dishes tasted spectacular and the company of others was great too. I would highly recommend to other travelers!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Chef Gui was amazing!

Transport

We walked 15-20 mins from our hotel.

Wine Estate Visit in the Douro Valley

Portugal

My friends and I decided to rent a car this day and it was spectacular driving ourselves! However, if you don’t prefer driving, getting a private car would have been a good option too. The wine tasting was about 45 minutes of information throughout the tour then ended with a tasting and a very nice view! I would definitely recommend this day trip from Porto!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We rented a car.

Culinary Tour of Porto

Porto

We loved this experience! We really like self-paced tours so this was perfect for my group. At the pastry shop, they ran out of the Jesuita, because those sell out by early morning. Therefore, they gave us a tasting of other pastries from the storefront. The only hiccup was that one of the restaurants was closed for holiday, so we got to experience 4 out of 5 restaurants on this activity. However, we were very full by the end!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We guided ourselves.

Transport

We walked on foot to eat restaurant.

Super pleased with the level of detail and care given. in fact we’ll use Kim Kim again because of Tiago. Thank you so much!

Manuel in Porto was very passionate about the city and gave us some good tips!
Andreas our guide to Douro valley was very funny and kept us engaged throughout!!

We recently booked our vacation to Portugal through KimKim. We are very impressed by the support received from our agent Tiago. From the very beginning, Tiago listened carefully to our preferences and put together a personalized itinerary that matched our interests and budget. Communication was smooth and prompt. All of our questions were answered with patience. Tiago created a roadbook (with recommendations for places to see) that exceeded our expectations. We felt completely supported throughout our trip and especially appreciate all the insider tips. We highly recommend KimKim to anyone looking for stress-free and well-planned travel.

Joao and team provided an exceptional service for our family trip to Portugal. Having someone with local knowledge helped us find great hotels and tours. We were pampered with airport transfers, private walking tours in Lisbon and Porto, wine tasting in Duoro region, hiking in the mountains with a guide who shared with us pumpkin jam made by his Mom with local bread and cheese. While using drivers for Lisbon, Porto and Duoro we rented a car to travel to the mountains and Algarve and Portugal roadways are easy to drive. Our time in the Algarve was our highlight, kayaking, hiking and swimming. We finished off with two relaxing days in Cascais where pool time was a perfect end. Joao and team checked in daily to let us know timing for our next day which was lovely as I didn’t need to think about these details. Their support in planning our trip as we tweaked and changed activities, dates etc was fantastic and took away tons of hours of internet research and gave us the confidence in what we were booking. And they did all the booking. Truly exceptional service and local knowledge. I would recommend Across Portugal to anyone planning to visit Portugal.

Hotel Reviews

Pousada da Serra da Estrela - Historic Hotel

Covilha

Cool location up the mountain. Restaurant was ok, but not great. We found a pub 5 mins up the hill further that had more atmosphere and good food for our second night.

Authenticity & Character

Interesting history.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Montebelo Lisbon Downtown Apartments

Lisboa

Great location to central historic district of Lisbon. Nice 2 bedroom unit. Self check in.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Self check in, so only connection with staff was through What’s App.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Vila Galé Cascais

Cascais

A little dated. Very family friendly.

Authenticity & Character

While situated adjacent to historic buildings, this is more of a standard hotel and is dated.

Location

Close to the coast, and the Inferno. About 15 mins walk to town.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Condes de Azevedo Palace

Porto

Wow. We walked into our two bedroom suite and we couldn’t believe how nice. Great location for sightseeing.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Great access to sightseeing historic sights and river front.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Ponta da Piedade Small Group Kayak Adventure

Portugal

Great trip….small kayak tour…it was just the four of us. Lovely coastline to explore and helpful guides.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

Portugal

Driver was knowledgeable. We learned about cork trees!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hike & Bite with Peaks & Paths

Serra da Estrela Nature Park

Local guide shared with us locally made products including his Mom’s pumpkin jam. Our hike was adjusted due to wild fire risk that closed the National Park. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the flora and fauna and trails we did at the peak.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Douro River Escape: 1-Hour Exclusive Cruise

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Porto's Historic Odyssey on a Private Walking Tour

Porto

Great way to see the highlights of the city and go back to spend more time inside. Incredible knowledge of the city and history. The train station is beautiful and tells such a story.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Historic Odyssey Walking Tour of Lisbon

Lisbon

Be ready to walk with Claudia. We did almost 20,000 steps thru short cuts that only a local would know. Lots of historical knowledge and a wonderful private wine tasting and charcuterie at the end.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Immerse Yourself in the Portuguese Culture by Experiencing a Fado Dinner

Portugal

Very neat experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Unveil the Fairytale Villa of Sintra with a Private Driver Service

Portugal

Due to wild fire risk Sintra palace was closed and our driver was hesitant due to traffic to travel into the village. We were a bit disappointed in hindsight. Lovely lunch restaurant recomendation.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Lots of personal recommendations and history to share.

Transport

Thanks to Tiago, and the kimkim concept, we had one of the most memorable, and incredibly immersive trip to Portugal. Tiago, with his patience, client centric and client driven approach, planned a superb trip of 15 people with a mixture of foodies, adventure junkies, relaxers, adults and teenagers. No one felt that their desires and needs weren't met by the trip and everyone relaxed, enjoyed, and got to experience a wide spectrum of activities.
The hotels that Tiago recommended were spectacular with tremendous service. It is the service that is unobtrusive, but the staff was ready to service your needs, even before you knew you had a need. The hotel in Douro was particularly impressive. Tiago also organized a private wine tasting in Douro along with a picnic. We thought the picnic would be few snacks - but this was something straight out of a luxury travel magazine. The table was set on a beautiful shaded perch overlooking the Douro valley with mist blowing to cool us down. A selection of wines, juice, water along with a large spread of healthy and fresh food and desserts. Tiago and the winery even had laid out blankets and pillows under a tree for us to relax after lunch. Simply amazing.
Similarly in Porto, Tiago had arranged a food tour that was out of this world with a great guide in Ricardo. The tour was such a hit that everyone in the group has now decided that no matter where they travel, they will always do a local food tour.
Throughout the planning, which took a better part of 6 months, Tiago was patient, accommodating to our wishes and changes, provided us input when felt it was needed, but never rushed us or pushed us any agenda.

This is our third time we have used Kimkim and as an initial skeptic I am now a total convert.

Thank you,

Hotel Reviews

The Albatroz Hotel

Cascais

Fabulous location, great staff, unbelievable breakfast, rooms with character and good local touches.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Infante Sagres

Porto

Hotel was great as a property, but after coming from Albatroz and Torel in Douro, the service was a let down. We could not get our rooms till 630 because someone was using our room and the hotel not once apologized and acted as if this shouldn't be an issue. Breakfast was "meh" and staff was not at all attentive.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Torel Quinta da Vacaria - Douro Valley

Peso da Régua, Vila Real District

Simply Amazing!! No words would fully describe the amazing property, the simply fabulous staff, and the service that is beyond exceptional, but never intrusive. Your needs are answered and met, always positively, even before you know you have a need.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Portuguese Cooking Lesson

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Picnic and Wine Estate Visit in the Douro Valley

Douro Valley

This was an experience so good that I'd rather not tell anyone about it so this doesn't become what everyone wants and the special, unique and luxury nature goes away.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Food Tour

Porto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Enjoy Dinner with Live Fado Music

Lisbon

Good to have the experience but its too long, and can get tiring if you had a long day already. Food was not at all impressive.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset Cruise of Lisbon

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Azulejo Tile Workshop

Lisbon

Just know that this takes time so plan the day accordingly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I booked a family vacation to Portugal in August 2025 using KimKim and our excellent specialist Tiago. From start to finish KimKim offered great service. After filling out an initial questionnaire, Tiago sent me a draft itinerary to give me a better idea of how the trip could be structured. We then hopped on a call to go through the itinerary in detail and discuss potential changes. Once all this was done I received a final itinerary with all the details and booked the trip. Honestly this was the HARDEST part, and it was as easy as could be.

Tiago was able to tailor the trip to my specifications and offered great advice in terms of the amount of activities and traveling within the country we were planning to do. The trip was AMAZING and delivered on every aspect. The guide book that Tiago put together was also extremely helpful. It consolidated all of the necessary information, including booking confirmations, into one place and provided lots of helpful tips about each location. Additionally, we did not want to book all our dinners ahead of time and Tiago was awesome to help us secure last minute reservations throughout the trip.

I highly recommend KimKim and especially Tiago!!

Activity Reviews

Surf Lesson

Portugal

The surf lesson in Sagre was perfect for the family.Our instructor Joel was great, and made sure everyone understood how to be safe in the water before we started catching waves. All the boys were able to get up (at least for a bit) by the end thanks to Joel’s help.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Joel

Coasteering

Portugal

One of the Highlights of our trip!!!! This is not something you get to do everyday and offers fun and challenge to all ages. Our guide Francisco was AMAZING and really looked after my boys ensuring they were safe and having fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fransisco was AWESOME!!!

Sunset Cruise of Lisbon

Lisbon

Beautiful way to see Lisbon without the crowds!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Culinary Tour of Porto

Porto

Amazing way to introduce yourself to Portuguese and Porto cuisine. We took our three sons 10, 13, and 15 along and they really enjoyed learning about the food and tasting new things.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Best experience with Marisa and the other Kim Kim colleagues!

Rita was amazing, but so were the other team members that would assist in after hours or in Rita's absence. I was very impressed and we enjoyed our trip. The two private tours we had while in Lisbon were 10 out 10. Amazing guides and we appreciated and enjoyed them both.

I wouldn't recommend the hotel in Lisbon though. Staff wasn't friendly and rooms/hotel were outdated and old. I would recommend finding another hotel near by. Amazing location though.

The hotel in Nazare struggled to get hot water to its shower. Other than that, it was great. They don't monitor who eats their breakfast though, so random folks can walk in off the streets and eat/dine for free.

Hotel Reviews

MeraPrime Gold Design Hotel

Lisbon

Hotel is old. Rooms are old and carpet was filthy. No creamer or sugar in room. Room was super small.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Praia

Nazaré

Shower wasn't hot. Breakfast wasn't monitored, so people off the street could come in and eat for free.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Mondego

Coimbra

Room had zero amenities. No robes, slippers, lotion, tissue or washcloths. Rooftop bar was closed as staff didn't show up. I wouldn't recommend this hotel in the future. No water was offered in the room and the mini bar was practically empty.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

NH Collection Porto Batalha

Porto

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Day Excursion: Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Get to Know Lisbon with a Local

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The trip we planned with Kimkim was fantastic. Anita created an amazing experience for us to see both Lisbon and Algarve and also play a little golf. Everything was very well organized. One particular standout was Nuno, our guide on our tour of Sintra and Cascais. He was very knowledgeable and really made our day so enjoyable. I would highly recommend Kimkim.

Overall, the booking experience was seamless as always. Tiago, our local specialist did an outstanding job organizing all the elements of the trip, which was no small feat considering we were a large group of 17 people across 4 families. During the booking process, Tiago was on top of all the timings, made sure we were aware of those so that we were able to finalize our key hotel locations. He was also flexible in changing our arrangements e.g. our family were supposed to leave a couple of days early, but then decided to stay longer, which he was quickly able to accommodate.

During the trip, Tiago was excellent in coordinating all our visits - across Tile Painting, to connecting us with a Surfing Lessons company, to the Fado music, to cooking classes etc. He was also a wealth of knowledge on Portuguese history, which we found extremely valuable and interesting. It kept the bus ride from Cascais to the Duoro valley, and then from there to Porto a lot of fun.

Out other local guide in Cascais - Gustav - was also great. He was funny, authentic, passionate and made our stay there a lot of fun. The highlight were the visits to Praia das Azenhas do Mar, and then the lunch at a local seafood place which was out of this world!

The hotel locations (The Albatroz in Cascais and Quinta del Vacaria) were outstanding! The Infante Sagres in Porto was also nice, but the hotel rooms had some issues (e.g. there was water leaking from an AC vent over our toliet), but nothing big to spoil the experience. The food tour in Porto was another highlight!

Overall, we had great time and Tiago played a huge role in enabling that for us. We would highly recommend folks to consider Kimkim and Tiago for your next Portugal trup.

Hotel Reviews

Infante Sagres

Porto

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right in the heart of Porto!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

We had an AC vent that was dripping over our toilet seat.

The Albatroz Hotel

Cascais

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Torel Quinta da Vacaria - Douro Valley

Peso da Régua, Vila Real District

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Food Tour

Porto

Absolutely amazing and fun experience. Got to experience food from a true local lens, and were able to visit a couple of spots that we would have never found out about.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Azulejo Tile Workshop

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tourism Tram Ride in Lisbon

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I was truly impressed by the level of constant communication and attention to detail that Joao provided to our family for our trip. This was our first trip to Portugal. Beginning with the early planning and itinerary, I could tell this was going to be a professional and customized adventure. The excursions we went on, the wine tastings, the top notch hotels, the restaurant recommendations — all were excellent. We felt our family mattered again from the regular check-ins each day and availability. I would highly recommend this team. As long as other teams in different parts of the world would be as good as Joao, Diana, drivers Ricardo and Carlos…I would gladly return to Kim Kim and Across Portugal.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Lisboa Plaza

Lisbon

Very nice classic hotel. I wasn’t as impressed as other hotels though and maybe it was because it was an older hotel. Would have preferred a hotel with a pool even if a small one.

Authenticity & Character

Felt like I was in downtown Lisbon, classic

Location

Close walking distance to downtown

Staff

Very accommodating, professional and friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very nice although our room had a slight musty smell

Belmar Spa & Beach Resort

Lagos

Really loved this hotel. Had I known how great it would be I would probably have preferred to stay longer here than in Lisbon.

Authenticity & Character

Loved the resort feel

Location

Great access to beach

Staff

Everyone accommodating and friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bed was the only thing that wasn’t that comfortable but loved the apartment

Eurostars Porto Douro

Porto

Nice hotel, great buffet. Staff was friendly although one was a bit serious.

Authenticity & Character

Like more boutique hotels

Location

Close enough to the city center while remaining just far away enough for a nice quiet stay.

Staff

Can’t remember names. Most very nice

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bathroom very nice. Views of river pwere great

Activity Reviews

Private Douro River Escape: 1-Hour Exclusive Cruise

Portugal

Really fun boat tour with amazing views!

Quality of Experience

Private with wine to sip

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Friendly and knowledgeable

Transport

Ricardo always was great

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

Portugal

We loved this trip - the scenery, river boat trip and visit to Pacheca. Highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Excellent overall

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver Ricardo was always amazing from the start. He was patient, stopped at places etc. all excursion staff excellent as well.

Transport

Pick up from hotel and dropped us off same place. Always reliable.

The Flavors of Port Wine - Sip & Discover

Porto

Learned a lot about the making of port wine. We were with many people though and when checking in they said we would have a cheese and maybe chocolate pairings but since we’re lumped with many others we were waiting for this. I had to ask and they finally brought us some cheeses.

Quality of Experience

Nice tour

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Didn’t seem to know/remember we had tastings.

Transport

Porto's Historic Odyssey on a Private Walking Tour

Porto

Our guide Sara was super knowledgeable and took us to so many great places on the walking tour. Had we not done this, probably would not have ventured to all these parts.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Knowledgeable, nice, punctual

Transport

We just walked.