Kimkim Trip Reviews for Portugal

The vast majority of the trip was absolutely amazing! We weren’t thrilled with the Olissippo hotel in Lisbon or the tuktuk tour in Lisbon but the rest of the trip was fantastic and an amazing experience. Other tours were super fun and immersive and the other hotels were very hospitable and felt like a nice vacation.

Hotel Reviews

Cascade Wellness Resort

Lagos

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Editory Garden Porto Hotel

Porto

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Olissippo Castelo Hotel

Lisboa

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cooking Class at a Lisbon Culinary School

Portugal

Quality of Experience

It gives you a variety of Portuguese recipes to take home but isn’t actually much cooking or what I imagined for a “class”

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Algarve Kayaking Trip to Benagil Caves

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Douro Valley Excursion with Wine Tastings, Local Lunch & Rabelo River Cruise

Porto

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Secret Porto Walking Experience

Porto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guided Tuk-Tuk Tour

Portugal

Our guide mostly took us to photo spots, we felt we missed seeing a lot of the city and actual sites people go to in Lisbon. Compared to walking tours in other cities we didn’t feel like we got a very personal /immersive tour just driving around. The streets in Lisbon are also very bumpy so it became very uncomfortable as the guide would zip through the streets of Lisbon.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

João · Jun 4
I was very happy with the way the trip turned out especially since we started planning it very late. I don't remember when in April we actually got paired with Joao but we wanted to travel in late May so he didnt have much time to put something together and we changed our minds a few times! He did a great job with lodging, especially the Grand Real Villa Italia in Cascais and the Britania Art Deco in Lisbon. Both were in great locations so that we could walk around both cities!
He hired very good drivers - they were on time , knowledgeable and very friendly. They also could recommend places to eat and things to see in each location.
In Lisbon we did the side car tour of the city, which my entire family agrees was the best way to see Lisbon! The company was Bike By My Side and they were excellent! They were very passionate about Lisbon and Portugal and spoke English very well!
In Porto, we a gastronomic tour. That tour was ok. The guide Sara was very good, but the choices of food were not. We were expecting more items that were truly Portugese - we had a charcuterie board, bifana sandwich(which is Portugese) and then olive oil tasting and chocolate.
In Cascais we visited the village Sintra and did the Pena Palace hotel. The grounds of the Palace are extraordinary and worth touring. The palace was very crowded and if you have seen one palace in Europe you have seen them all. I would do the grounds skip the palace.
Joao had many other suggestions for us but we wanted to do our own exploring, so those were the onlyntours we did.
Joao and his team were always available via Whatsapp. They would respond right away!
I would definitely use him again!
Monica

Hotel Reviews

Grande Real Villa Italia

Cascais

beautiful ocean view, large rooms, pool is beautiful large breakfast

Hotel Britania Art Deco

Lisbon

Good location, helpful staff, great breakfast and a decanter of port in your room

Authenticity & Character

Location

could walk anywhere and great shoppping close by

Staff

Helpful in heading us in the right direction when we first got to Lisbon. Always had a smile

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

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

Porto

Guide was good but the food was not very good. Charcuterie board, bifina sandwich, cod cakes and olive oil tasting and chocolate tasting

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ride Through Time: Lisbon & Belém by Sidecar on a 3h tour

Lisbon

Only way to do a city tour in Lisbon! Very safe! Guides were very knowledgeable and fun! They were all Portugese natives and were passionate about their country1

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Unveil the Fairytale Villa of Sintra with a Private Driver Service

Portugal

grounds are gorgeous but the castle is overbooked and if you have been in one european castle you have been in allof them

Transport

Driver drove us around the mountain and to Cape Roca in Colares which is most western point of the European continent

Pedro was fantastic. We had an amazing trip filled with flawless execution and little surprises to help us celebrate our 25th anniversary. Highly recommend Pedro and his team.

Pedro has been an incredible asset to our wonderful trip to Portugal! From the beginning in the planning stages and all through the process, this vacation has been wonderful. We were treated to first class private transportation services that were on time, personable and highly informative, especially Carlos. The Mercedes vans were new and very comfortable. The tours that Pedro organized for us were incredible as well as each hotel stay. Overall, our 12 day adventure was over the top exceptional! Thank you!

Pedro was awesome! He organized an amazing trip for us and kept in close contact with us daily throughout our vacation.

Carlos drove for us several days and also served as a guide and did a great job. He is very knowledgeable and has a great sense of humor.

Overall a great trip. The hotels they picked out were just what we were looking for. The food tour was very underwhelming. Sarah was nice, but the food was probably the worst we had the whole time we were there and was just charcuterie and bifana which are pretty much everywhere.
All the drivers were great and professional. We really enjoyed Pepe.
I feel like there were some communication issues with our local specialist and he wasn't understanding what we were looking for. We ended up on a very touristy trip and usually we like to do off the beaten path a bit.
Our favorite tour was sidecar tour of Lisbon and that we found on our own. It was also difficult as we planned only 6 weeks out and the time change and Portuguese holidays made communication a bit difficult.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Britania Art Deco

Lisbon

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grande Real Villa Italia

Cascais

great staff great location

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Unveil the Fairytale Villa of Sintra with a Private Driver Service

Portugal

sintra was beautiful. I would like to explore it a bit differently. The pena palace grounds were amazing but inside was ridiculously crowded and hot you could not move and it was nothing you haven't seen before in a castle. Also we had asked about staying in Sintra and were really discourage to do so, but I think it might have been nice to be there when all the tourists left.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

Porto

We learned some intersting history, but the food was nothing special.

Quality of Experience

variety of food, restaurants and more information

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We could write a book about our wonderful trip to Portugal -- but, don't worry, I'll just give you a summary of the experience.

First our specialist, Tiago: Smart, responsiveness, and knowledgeable. That would be enough. But he was also really warm and personable. Just plain nice. We had the good fortune of getting to know him a bit better because he served as our driver and guide on a day tour to Sintra and Cascais. When I am working with people in business, I sometimes run across a person who has "sparkle" -- a brightness and an intelligence that makes ever interaction great. Tiago has "sparkle".

Second our trip: Too many wonderful moments to mention -- but here are just a few:

Porto: Walking around this wonderful city was charming and great exercise (lots of steps and hills). We absolutely adored the views, the history, the shops. Had a wonderful dinner nearby at 5 Oceanos.

Douro Valley (drive and river tour): Simply gorgeous. We were late arriving for our scheduled boat departure -- but Tiago hopped right on it and rescheduled us. Problem solved. Unparalleled views of the vineyards along the river.

Tomar: What a beautiful and charming location. The accommodations were delightful and the main square was a postcard come to life.

Evora: More Portuguese friendliness and charm. We particularly enjoyed our hotel here -- the MouraSuites -- and the visits to the Chapel of Bones, the Palace Gardens, and again working are way around the city streets.

Olive Oil Making Tour: A true highlight of the trip where Joao took us through the history of his families small olive oil business that he is keeping alive through passion and ingenuity. A master class in a tour that was educational, engaging and well worth the time. If you enjoy intelligent people with incredible passion and storytelling skills, please go!

Lagos: Bustling and fun. We spent time in the Algarve looking for property -- and may have found something right in Porto de Mos in Lagos. That says it all!

Benagil Caves boat tour: Visually stunning with amazing crew, including "Lady Di" and the boat captain. Fun! Do it!

Sagres and Salema day trip: Wonderful history and views.

Lisbon: Truly a diverse, friendly and beautiful place. We could not have been more pleased with the staff at our the Hotel Britania -- shout outs to Omar, Jose, Patrick as well as all of the people who made and served us the incredibly breakfast daily.

Day trip to Sintra and Caiscais: While it was crowded, we were treated to a day with Tiago -- who was full of knowledge and knew exactly how to maximize our time to get a flavor for this amazing place. The specialty pastries in Sintra were absolutely delicisious.

OK -- perhaps I did right a book. But that is because we were captivated by Portugal -- it's beauty, charm, friendliness.

Muito obrigado!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Britania Art Deco

Lisbon

The staff was amazing -- and this old hotel has character dripping from the walls. LOVED IT!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Omar, Patrick, Jose, and the desk and kitchen staff -- 5 star!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Marina Rio

Lagos

Perfect location on the Marina for our time in Lagos.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

MouraSuites Hotel

Largo da Porta de Moura, 7000-647 Évora, Portugal

Probably our favorite hotel during our 2 week visit. Beautifully designed, wonderful breakfast, gracious staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa dos Ofícios Hotel

Tomar

Charm, charm, charm. Friendliness galore.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

NH Collection Porto Batalha

Porto

Great central location and comfortable suites. A few minor maintenance issues with bathrooms that were quickly addressed by staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Azulejo Tile Workshop

Lisbon

Great to appreciate the history and importance of tiles in Portugal and truly appreciate the craft. Loved that we walked away with tangible, self-made tiles that will forever serve as reminders of this memorable experience.

Quality of Experience

Visit to a Cork grove or olive oil Estate

Portugal

Joao was amazing in telling the very special story of his family's olive oil estate. The discussion encompassed a lesson in the making of olive oil, the challenges of retaining a small traditional business vs when competing with the super large agriculture firms, how to taste olive oil (aroma, flavor, etc.) From my perspective, as a marketing professional, the branding of the product was fascinating! A highlight of the trip!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Rabelo Boat Tour

Portugal

We loved the tour for seeing the beautiful scenery. Only thing keeping it from five stars was the lack of any narration of the experience by the tour operator.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

It was very helpful to have the hotels close to all the attractions as we were able to walk everywhere. All the guides are super friendly and knowledgeable. We enjoyed our trip thoroughly! The only suggestion I would make for future visitors is during the Douro Valley trip. It would be great if the tour guide were able to stop at the scenic attractions, allowing us to take pictures. We saw the beautiful valley but did not stop to take pictures of the valley, only saw from the car.

Helena really was amazing and I loved the trip she planned for my family and I in Portugal. We visited Porto, Lisbon and Algarve. Just a few comments: I would have liked a little more communication after I paid the trip fees. I didn't realize I was supposed to download a travel app (which I wasn't able to do while I was in Europe for some reason), but thankfully my husband was able to do so. I also didn't realize that I never received detailed itinerary (like times and places to meet for excursions), so we actually missed the first excursion planned and I was a bit stressed out. This was a miscommunication and while I take some blame for not understanding the process as a first time Kim Kim user, it would have been nice to have more communication about this. Also, it would have been nice to know a 24/7 phone number for Kim Kim ahead of time in case of emergency...it took us some time to find numbers/emails while frantic about the itinerary when we first arrived after a long trip of travel to the destination.

One of the 3 hotels I stayed at needed significant renovations (which was agreed to by the staff) and the service was lacking for a 5 star hotel. Also, a second excursion was cancelled due to a prearranged bicycle race that shut down the roads (you would think that the excursion provider would have notified the travel agency ahead of time about this).

However, enough about the critiques...this trip was truly amazing and one that I will never forget in my lifetime and my family members agree. I would definitely use Kim Kim again for my next trip and I would definitely use Helena again for my future planning. We Loved the hotel in Lisbon and Porto and the excursions and transportation planned were awesome picks! I truly want to thank Helena for everything.

Hotel Reviews

Pousada de Lisboa, Praça do Comércio - Monument Hotel

Lisbon

Amazing hotel. Amazing breakfast. Great steakhouse (Rib). Great location. Wonderful staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pestana Porto - A Brasileira

Porto

Great location. Wonderful hotel. I would stay here again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cascade Wellness Resort

Lagos

Not to the standards of a 5 star hotel. The 2 bedroom apartments needed renovation. The first room they booked us in was extremely dirty. Cigarette butts on the stairwell from the patio going to the roof top. Stains on the carpet and the chairs and couch. The entire apartment needed updating (which staff admitted to). Location was decent.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Near amazing water views and walking paths (not beaches or direct access to the water though)

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms

Activity Reviews

Guided Tuk-Tuk Tour

Portugal

It was really great as it followed the Tram 28 destinations...but I do feel like we missed quite a bit of the city. Could have been longer and cover more areas.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sintra Heritage Hike: Hidden Secrets

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Car was a little small for our group so we were cramped

We just returned from a fantastic family vacation to Lisbon and the Algarve, and we can’t thank Pedro and Pepe from All Around Portugal enough! From start to finish, everything was seamless—thoughtfully planned, well-paced, and filled with memorable experiences. Their professionalism and warmth made us feel welcome and well taken care of every step of the way. Highly recommended for anyone looking to explore Portugal with ease!

Catarina is one of the best travel agents I have had . She was very knowledgeable and very invested in our trip planning process . She was always open to our suggestions and had clear answers to our questions . She is extremely personable and very willing to help . She welcomed us in person when we started our trip in Lisbon and was always reachable on text and call. Thank you Catarina for helping us create these beautiful memories.
I would highly recommend having her as your agent .

Hotel Reviews

Eurostars Lisboa Parque

Lisbon

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Exe Essenzia Porto

Porto

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Vila Galé Lagos

Lagos

Authenticity & Character

Location

I

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

FD Tour of Sintra - Cabo da Roca - Cascais & Estoril

Portugal

Our guide was very thorough and knowledgeable and personable. We thoroughly enjoyed her tour and company

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

Flavors of Lisbon in a Premium & Gastronomic Private Walking Tour

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

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

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Activity Reviews

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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!!!

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

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

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

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

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.

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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.

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Activity Reviews

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!!

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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.

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

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.

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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!

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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

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

Casa Vela Guesthouse

Cascais

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

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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.

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Activity Reviews

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Get to know Porto by E-bike

Porto

Loved it.

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Transport