Kimkim Trip Reviews for Portugal

Excellent help from Joao and fabulous tour guides.
I might suggest two days in Douro Valley and more interpretation in that area as well as Óbidos, but otherwise great!
Thank you!

Pedro was fantastic. He picked us up at the airport and was our guide on two other days. Very personable, knowledgeable and always willing to try and satisfy our groups special requests. Also, Tommy was very friendly and informative during our trip to the Douro Valley. His knowledge of the various types of port and other wines was exceptional. Also, Maria made our trip through the gardens at Monserrate palace very special. Like I mentioned about Pedro above, Maria was very friendly, knowledgeable and always took the needs and safety of our group into account during the tour. In general, all of our guides arrived at the meeting places timely, were knowledgeable and friendly.

Great vacation and Marina did a great job planning it for us. She was very receptive to requested changes and was always available to answer any questions I had. Our tour covered Lisbon, Evora, Coimbra & Porto. She gave us ideas of things to see, places to eat and general information of each city. Loved it all.

Helpful service. Personally I found it a bit frustrating, though, as preferences on rooms and payment terms were not set clearly upfront.

The trip to Portugal was extremely well planned and coordinated by Raquel…. The hotels were terrific and the guides were nothing less than excellent. Totally enjoyed the trip

Hotel Reviews

Pestana Porto - A Brasileira

Porto

Pestana Porto - A Brasileira had a fantastic location, allowing easy exploration of Porto. The rooms were a bit small, but overall it was a nice and convenient place to stay.

Cascade Wellness Resort

Lagos

Cascade Wellness in Algarve was truly a special place. It stood out among the accommodations for its exceptional atmosphere and amenities.

H10 Duque de Loule

Lisboa

Beautiful hotel…excellent location and great breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

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

Portugal

The drive from Lisbon to Porto via Coimbra was a bit disappointing. We arrived and found that we couldn't enter the famous library as all tickets were sold out for the day due to other tour groups. It would've been helpful to know in advance or have prebooked tickets. Nonetheless, we enjoyed visiting the castle in the area.

Private Day Excursion: Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Portugal

The Private Day Excursion to Sintra, Cascais, and Estoril was absolutely fantastic. Our guide, Paulo, was outstanding - one of the best I've ever had. He was knowledgeable, fun, and made the long day an enjoyable experience. I highly recommend this tour and Paulo as a guide!

Most of our guides were good. A few should be noted that we’re not
Hugo in Lisbon historical tour. Knew his history but did not engage with us except to give out his facts. He was our weakest guide. The food tour in Porto should have chosen more place with some good atmospheres she gave us tastes of the regional food she was charming but the places we ate in were underwhelming
Arriving in Porto for guest stay at casa de campanhia must arrange transportation with a driver who can take you to the hotel entrance. We are dropped below a long steep cobblestone street and had to drag our suitcases all the way up. Unacceptable! The hotel was fantastic! The drive to Nazaré and Óbidos were very touristy and not for us. The grahams tasting and th Quinta do crasto tasting were lovely. In Lisbon the Bairro alto hotel has some issue. The room that you booked for us was unacceptable! They had a tiny closet , no drawers, 1 stories no to share and a toilet that your knees knocked against the bidet. This is something you as agents should be aware of. Perhaps if we were local staying for an overnight if might have been ok. We paid extra and moved into a suite. The restaurant and bar were great! Please not about the class of hotel you book was poor.
Your app works great and you’re always available. Well done! Guides should be vented for knowledge and room s should be checked before booking

Hotel Reviews

Bairro Alto Hotel

Lisboa

The staff was wonderfu. The room That was booked for us was UNACCEPTABLE It had 1 sink, the toilet faced the bidet and your knees knocked into it. There were no drawers and the closet was possibly 18” wide. Maybe it would hold 2 jackets. We had been traveling for 10 days. There was no place to put anything. We paid extra and moved into a larger room that was lovely. This experience should not happen As agents you should be aware if the types of accommodations

Authenticity & Character

Rooftop garden and restaurant were great

Location

Easy access

Staff

Very kind and hwkpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa da Companhia - Vignette Collection

Porto

Exquisite hotel. Convenient location

Authenticity & Character

Location

It’s on the major walking street if you have a room overlooking this it might be noisy

Staff

Everyone kind and helpful

Activity Reviews

Tour and Tasting at Grahams ’s Port Cellar

Porto

Excellent tour highly recommend. Topped with a tasting

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All guides were lively except Hugo on our historical walking tour of lisbon

Transport

Everyone arrived on time

Foodie Experience in Porto

Porto

Guide was sweet and knowledgeable. We tasted regional food but the places selected lacked atmosphere. I think more thought could be given to this as we’ve been on many food tours around the world

Quality of Experience

Researched this trip quite a bit. I don’t think seeing Nazaré or Óbidos was necessary. Heavy tourist spots with same shops over and over

Food

The restaurants we booked on our own were excellent. Better feedback from your company would be helpful

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mixed review. Hugo who did our historical tour in Lisbon was unexciting and poor other drivers were more engaged

Transport

On time or waited for us

I really appreciated the flexibility and responsiveness of Marta our travel agent. We made a number of adjustments in the planning stage and ended up with an itinerary that allowed for some structure and lots of time for spontaneous activities. Our driver, Nelson to the wine country was excellent! The wineries we visited were independent and we felt like we had a very personal experience with both the Quinta da Costa and Maos wineries. The wine was excellent too! Our second driver, Pedro took us from Porto to Lagos and was professional and accommodating. Great time on our private deep-sea fishing excursion. Finally, our Sintra Heritage hike with professional guides was challenging but a real chance to experience that area and see the Pena Palace. I admit we cut it a little short when they offered to drive us to the furthest western point, Cabo da Roca, then made us a reservation at a fabulous restaurant. Everyone was fabulous and listened to our interests. Marta was willing to do as much or as little of the planning that we wanted. I highly recommend KimKim and Portugal!

Activity Reviews

Vintage Car Tour of Porto

Porto

I little different than described. It was primarily a walking tour with the Vintage Car Tour at the end. That was a bit of a surprise. The tour guide was knowledgeable and if you're interested in lots of the country's history, this was a great start.

Big Game Fishing

Portugal

Didn't catch the Big one but caught a bunch of smaller tuna. There was a little confusion about the arrival time, but they quickly accommodated with the confirmation information from Kimkim.

Sintra Heritage Hike: Hidden Secrets

Portugal

Great guide. Adjusted pace to all of our levels. This was challenging and not for a beginner but not too advanced. Would have liked a little more information about what to bring, picnic, etc. Guides very personable, knowledgeable on history but not overwhelming. Made some suggestions to see some not so touristy sights. Wonderful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Lisbon Roots, Food & Cultural Walk

Portugal

Guide was entertaining and knowledgeable. Our group was 60+.

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

Portugal

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Excursion to Douro Valley: Wine Tasting & River Cruise

Porto

Loved the wineries we visited but ended up going to a second winery and skipping the boat.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was a great, short Portugal break that i took as an extension of a European business trip. Marina was helpful and quick to guide me through my decisions. Cacais was especially amazing, with a relaxed coastal atmosphere and great weather. The guided walk in Lisbon led by Jose was fun and insightful.

Hotel Reviews

ARTSY Cascais

Cascais

The Artsy has an understated luxury vibe. There are only 17 rooms, which makes it feel like a small guest house rather than a hotel. I got to know the staff in the 2 days that i stayed here and they were friendly and professional. The onsite restaurant is quite special with a small menu with great very high quality local food. The rooftop pool is amazing. Quite small (5 meters long?) but it's a super nice place to spend an hour relaxing.

Authenticity & Character

Traditional building that seems to have been part of the harbor for centuries.

Location

On the quiet side of the harbor but only a 5 min walk to all the restaurants and shops.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

1908 Lisboa Hotel

Lisbon

The 1908 has a lot of character and style. The almost 180 degrees view from my corner room was amazing (the building has a sharp angle separating intersecting streets, like the flatiron building in NYC). The room was comfortable and had everything i needed including a coffee maker. The onsite restaurant is great, and serves a great breakfast buffet

Authenticity & Character

Located in traditional building, tastefully converted into boutique hotel

Location

Walkable, and a couple of nice restaurants. Vibe on the square at night didn't feel super welcoming to me.

Staff

Super friendly front desk staff, who were flexible with late check out

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Get to Know Lisbon with a Local

Lisbon

Great morning walking through the city and learning a lot about the history of Lisbon and Portugal. Jose was great.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

A big thank you to Giorgia for helping us plan such a memorable trip to Portugal in October 2024. She was very attentive to our goals and booked some fabulous adventures for us (2 couples in our 70's). Especially memorable was an all-day tour from Porto to the Douro Valley with Tania, and an all-day tour in rural Algarve with Rui. The food tour in Porto with Joao, the guided city tour with Hugo in Lisbon, and the Fado dinner in Lisbon were all top notch as well.

Activity Reviews

Lisbon Fado Dinner Experience

Portugal

This was a perfect way to end our trip. The whole experience was excellent, from start to finish. The wait staff, the food, the awesome wine, and the fabulous artists were all so professional and top quality. I highly recommend the Clube de Fado experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Get to Know Lisbon with a Local

Lisbon

Hugo was very knowledgeable and personable. The three hours of walking the streets of Lisbon were a little long for us, but it was interesting and a good opportunity to get our bearings in this beautiful old city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Discover Rural Algarve

Portugal

I highly recommend this experience! Rui was a fabulous guide who took us off-road deep into rural Algarve. His knowledge of the area was great, and he obviously delighted in sharing his love for it. Excellent.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Foodie Experience in Porto

Porto

This was a fun, tasty tour! Joao was an entertaining guide, and the food we were able to taste was good. The small restaurants we were guided to were great choices.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sandeman Cellar Wine Tasting

Porto

This was an interesting tour. When in Porto, you have to do a Port tour, and this one fit the bill. It wasn't particularly memorable, but I'm glad to have experienced it.

Quality of Experience

Day Excursion to Douro Valley: Wine Tasting & River Cruise

Porto

This was an amazing tour. Our guide, Tania, was exceptional. Thanks!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tania was excellent!

A group of 4 of us just returned from a fabulous trip to Portugal arranged by João and his team, and wow, they did a wonderful job arranging our tour. All of the hotels were perfect for us, the drivers were professional and on time, and the experiences were well chosen and organized. There were a couple of minor glitches, including one tour guide who failed to take us to a port tasting, but travel is never about perfection. It is about caring people who do their best to provide a wonderful experience. And that is by and large what we got. We all feel like we got to experience some of the real Portugal: the kind people (including João himself), the amazing landscapes (Lagos, Portimao, the Douro River Valley) and fun activities (tile painting in Lisbon, port tasting and bridge climb in Porto, the convent hotel in Evora, the palace hotel in Cascais, e-bike rides on Lisbon and Cascais, farm and winery visits in the Alentejo and Douro). Put Portugal on your bucket list, and the planning in João's hands; you will not be disappointed! Thank you again João!

Our trip to Portugal and Spain was amazing. From the moment we stepped off the plane and met our driver, we were so well taken care of. It was nice to experience the locations and not worry about the logistics of travel. All of our guides were really good and incredibly knowledgeable. A few really stood out. Joao Campos who took us to the Douro Valley was a great guide and arranged a wonderful lunch for us. We enjoyed our conversation with him too. Paulo who took us to Sinatra and Cascais was wonderful. He told us so much about history and culture and the locations we visited. He took us to his wife’s family restaurant where we had a lovely meal. We really enjoyed our time with him. Patricia’s tour of the Mezquita in Cordoba was so very interesting. We felt like we got detailed information that other tours did not seem to get. I think our favorite hotels were H10 in Sevilla and 7 Islas in Madrid. They were elegant and fun. Our entire trip was lovely. Thank you so much.

Hotel Reviews

7 Islas Hotel

Madrid

Authenticity & Character

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Comfort Dauro 2

Granada

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

H10 Casa de la Plata

Sevilla

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Be Poet Baixa Hotel

Lisbon

Authenticity & Character

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Porto Charming Hotel

Porto

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hiking Excursion in the Andalusia Countryside

Portugal

Our guide was wonderful. Despite a lot of rain we had a great time. She told us so much about the plants we saw and the history of the area during the civil war. We saw some of the caves and trenches the rebels and soldiers used as well as beautiful views of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The escape to nature was a wonderful change of pace from all the cities and crowds we had been in. Our guide was wonderful!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Guided Visit: Alhambra & Generalife Gardens

Granada

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Private Transfer {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} via Ronda & White Villages

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Private Transfer Hotel to Train Station, Train Seville to Córdoba, Privately Guided Visit of Córdoba, Train Córdoba to Seville, Private Transfer Train Station to Hotel

Seville

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Guided Visit of Seville

Seville

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Flamenco Experience

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Get to Know Lisbon with a Local

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Guided Visit of Porto

Porto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Day Excursion: Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Paulo was an amazing guide. We learned a lot and had a really enjoyable day. We highly recommend this tour.

Transport

Day Excursion to Douro Valley: Wine Tasting & River Cruise

Porto

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Joao Campos was an amazing guide. We had a wonderful experience.

Transport

Foodie Experience in Porto

Porto

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had an amazing trip. Pedro our specialist listened to us when we initially spoke about our interests and what we enjoy doing when we travel. He tailor made a trip that incorporated the things that make a trip special for us. Throughout our trip he would check in on us to assure we we satisfied with all aspects of our travels and reminded us of our upcoming events. Very attentive to detail. Our trip started in Porto with Ivo our driver who was so much more then a driver as he shared so much about the areas we visited. Our time together generated a friendship which became part of our Portugal experience. Our guide in Porto, Sarah and in Lisbon, Margarette were awesome. They shared so much information about not only the sights but also the culture and history, we both enjoyed their insight and willingness to share. It helped us get a better understanding of Portugal.
When traveling from Algarve to Lisbon and Sintra Helios was much more then a driver but an excellent guide sharing his insights and pointing out sights and their significance.
The hotels that were booked for us were also well located and exceptional. The staff very attentive. All these aspects led to a great experience, a desire to return to Portugal and no reluctance to using Kim Kim again to book our next adventure.
Thank you

Hotel Review

Heritage Avenida Liberdade

Lisboa

Awesome location, beautiful building and great staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Private Transfer from Porto to Algarve

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ivo was just great, more then a driver

Transport

We had a wonderful vacation in Portugal. Pedro and his team made our vacation truly memorable. They planned a great itinerary for us based on what we wanted to do and would update us every day. The hotels that were booked for us were all outstanding as were the local guides and drivers. Thanks Pedro!

We truly enjoyed our holiday with the highlights being the guided day trips to the Duoro Valley (Riu Quiroz), Sintra (Susana Carvalho) and Monserrat (Jordi ). We also very much enjoyed our side trips to Fatima, Obidios (Marta) and Peniscola.

Activity Reviews

Visit Montserrat and Hiking

Barcelona

A great experience literally above the clouds!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Get to Know Lisbon with a Local

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Private Guided Visit of Porto

Porto

The weather dampened our experience but the visiting Man U football fans added some interest. Pestana Hotel on the River was great!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Visit of Barcelona & La Sagrada Familia

Barcelona

Amazing architectural feat, detailed historical evolution.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sintra Heritage Hike: Hidden Secrets

Portugal

Nice guided hike at comfortable pace with great views.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

Portugal

Comfortable, safe transport with flexible timing for each stop.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Excursion to Douro Valley: Wine Tasting & River Cruise

Porto

Great weather and great views with nice lunch setting!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Foodie Experience in Porto

Porto

Fun exploring and experiencing the food culture while meeting new people in a small group setting. Experience led to repeat consumption of new favorites.

Quality of Experience

Quality of establishments visited and prep before arrival.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Marina was wonderful to work with, she listened and really captured all the best adventures for our first trip to Portugal. When we had to make adjustments - we really appreciated her understanding and patience. Marina and her team were very accessible leading up to and during our trip. The entire trip was great! The best parts were our private boat trip on the Douro River in the Douro Valley and our private day trip to Sintra and the Atlantic Coast of Lisbon with tour guide "Nuno". I can't wait to plan our next trip and I will highly recommend KimKim to my friends.

Activity Reviews

River Boat Experience in Douro Valley

Douro Valley

The private river boat experience on the Douro River was a highlight of our trip. It was a special anniversary celebration, and the two young men who took us on the boat were lovely. Thanks to our specialist Marina, we had a bottle of sparkling wine waiting for us, making the occasion even more special. It felt personalized and intimate, exactly what we wanted. The attention to detail and the effort to make it a memorable day were much appreciated!

Private Day Excursion: Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Portugal

The private day excursion to Sintra, Cascais, and Estoril was fantastic. Our guide was not only lovely but truly knew the best timings to visit each destination, allowing us to explore before the crowd of tour buses arrived. This made our experience feel personal and serene as if we had the sites to ourselves. The guide was incredibly flexible, allowing us to adapt our plans to fit our interests and pace, including accommodating a special lunch request. It was a day well spent, and we loved every moment of it!

We had an amazing time visiting Lisbon, Lagos & Cascais. The history, people & food were all spectacular. Highly recommend private driver Gold car services for day trip to Sintra. Nuno was great to spend the day with us. Marissa was in contact with us throughout the booking process & all suggestions and activities were spot on. It was great being able to keep in touch every day as she checked in each day to assure all was going smoothly. Any little request was addressed with the greatest efficiency. We could not have asked for more. We will definitely use Kim Kim again!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Cascais Miragem

Cascais

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

D. Manuel I - Charming Residence

Lagos

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bairro Alto Hotel

Lisboa

Great location & amazing breakfast with city views. Staff was wonderful

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Visit: Cascais

Portugal

Marissa suggested this stop. What a great town/ city. Love the mix of the charming town with the beach & coast.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exclusive Panoramic Boat Tour to the Ponta da Piedade Caves

Portugal

Beautiful way to see the caves & coast

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Unveil the Fairytale Villa of Sintra with a Private Driver Service

Portugal

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Explore Belém on a Scenic 2-Hour Tuk Tuk Tour

Lisbon

Great way to see Belem, monastery & the wonderful custard tarts!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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

Lisbon

Our guide as terrific. History & details walking all over the city, followed by the wine tasting. Overall great

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Helena did an amazing job setting us up with a great trip to Portugal. In addition, when we decided we wanted to make a change to our itinerary while we were on our trip, Helene handled the cancellations and new hotel reservations leaving us free to enjoy our trip hassle free. The only problem we seemed to have was Sue, a member of our party, for reasons unknown, was not getting email responses from Helene. And we had one unforeseen expense upgrading our car from a manual to an automatic transmission.
This is our 3rd trip using KimKim and we plan to use you again on our next trip and will continue to recommend you highly to friends and family.

Our trip was spectacular. Our guide Joao worked with us to tailor the trip to our specifications, gave great tips on things to see at each destination and gave additional suggestions for things we didn't consider. He was prompt, friendly and had a great sense of humor. He was flexible when we asked to make minor changes to our itinerary as the trip progressed. Would highly recommend him for your travels to Portugal.

The goal of our trip was to celebrate our 30th anniversary in a way that would allow us to relax and experience the beauty and wonder of Portugal without worrying planning all the details. Once Marta understood what we enjoyed, she planned a fabulous vacation for us. Our accommodations allowed us to access desirable historic sights and walking paths, ocean beauty within several minutes. The tours Marta booked, like biking through Porto, visiting the Douro Valley, walking through Lisbon and visiting Sintra created memorable experiences as each guide was excellent, personable and well versed in their area of expertise.

We hiked around several small towns west of Lisbon. The amount of information that we received about the different places, restaurants, etc before we went was comprehensive. The hotels/accommodation was first class. The Ride with GPS app used to help us navigate back roads and wilderness paths worked amazingly well. The weather was perfect for hiking (I would not want to try it in July/August). A moderate level of fitness is required - about 9-15 km hiking/day (but there are options for getting rides). Our luggage was always waiting for us at the next hotel. And the drivers were friendly, knowledgeable, and punctual. (The weather for our hikes was great- essentially sunny, without any rain. We had some afternoon rain one day in Lisbon). Our "Get to know Lisbon with a local" was top notch- walking through the streets of Lisbon, seeing the highlights, and learning history. We cooked (under supervision!) a delicious meal with Cooking in Lisbon, and had an enjoyable evening with 9-10 others).