Kimkim Trip Reviews for Portugal

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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!!!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

This was very enjoyable. Guide was very good.

Loved it.

We loved this hotel!!!!! This is probably in our top three (maybe even top two) hotels we have ever stayed in. When we left this hotel for Porto, and checked into the hotel there, we kept saying "it's not the Britania"! Our room was spacious, and well appointed. The dining room area, and the bar area were cozy and homey. But it is the staff that makes this hotel what it is. Every morning, the dining room staff remembered I requested almond milk and automatically brought it out to me, they remembered our names, and that it was our 30th anniversary. They were so kind and helpful. It truly was an absolute delight to stay at this hotel.

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

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

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

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

Very good cultural experience.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Beautiful setting. Prime location. Five stars all around!

Ricardo was such an excellent driver and tour guide!

Margarida made this tour so fun and interesting!

Bernardo was excellent!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It's nice to feel entirely on your own. The apartment was also very nicely situated, right in the middle of everything so I could walk anywhere. Lovely place to stay.

Generally nice, clean and great in terms of location. You could walk to everything, which was really handy. I was on the third floor, and going up and down was a little bit of a hike for a day.

The CascadeWellness Resort was absolutely gorgeous. It was my favorite accommodation. The rooms were really nice. I enjoyed the pool. The breakfast was magnificent, with very good options.

The Evening Food Walk in the Algarve was definitely one of the highlights for me. I'm a big fan of food tours, and this one did not disappoint. It was an excellent way to taste the local cuisine and learn more about the culture. I highly recommend this activity to anyone visiting the area.

The Private Pena Palace & Sintra Village Half Day Trip was a favorite during my time in Lisbon. The architecture and history were breathtaking, and the whole experience was beautifully organized. It was a great way to escape the hustle of the city and enjoy some of Portugal's rich history.

Amazing hotel in a perfect spot in Cascais. Easily walkable. Staff was excellent and the rooms were nice. The bar in the hotel was very nice as well and the breakfast was just as good.

Very nice resort! Staff was very nice and did everything to accommodate us. We arrived on the day of the nationwide power outage actually and the staff did everything they could to make sure our trip wasn't impacted. The hotel had couple of restaurants that made sure the guests were taken care of. The cliffs right outside the hotel were amazing and a great walk at sunset.

This was one of the coolest hotels we stayed at. An old convent converted into a hotel and spa! This hotel was absolutely beautiful inside and out. It was brimming with history and authenticity. There was a beautiful church connected to the hotel. They did a wonderful job restoring the convent. We enjoyed the location of the hotel and it was only a (true) 10-minute drive into Evora. The breakfast was absolutely delicious! Highly recommend staying here!

This hotel is perfect for that "getaway" feeling due to it's location. The hotel is equipped with services in case you forget items (i.e., straighter, anti-wrinkle spray, books, stroller, etc.). The view of the Douro River from our bedroom window was spectacular and the drive to the resort was beautiful. Due to it's location and the winding roads, we had to drive ~30+ minutes to our experiences, which means vineyard hopping was out of the picture. We did not mind the drive, but something to keep in mind! Due to the hotel being built on a hill, the layout of the hotel is atypical - which gives it a fun feel. They have two beautiful infinity pools, one outdoor and one indoor. Their spa services looked amazing. Although we do not have kids, the hotel seemed to be very kid friendly with a kids playroom located near one of the restaurants. They have two restaurants on location, one of them holding a Michelin star. I'm a big foodie and love trying Michelin star restaurants. My husband and I both ordered the tasting menu. They seemed understaffed, which made the service slow. We recommend saving your money and eating at the "casual" restaurant or eating a la carte. Not worth $350 euros in our opinion.

This was one of the nicer hotels we stayed at with five star staff. Their breakfast was delicious with plenty of choices with the option to order from the menu. It is centrally located, with quick 5-10 minute walks to restaurants and sites. It was extremely clean, with a very comfortable bed. The hotel also gifted us with sparkling wine, strawberries, grapes, chocolate and a traditional Portuguese treat for our honeymoon. Each night we received a little "happy" that was tied to Portuguese culture. For example, we were there the night before Freedom Day where they left us a red carnation. Highly recommend this hotel!

This hotel was charming and quaint—perfect for our honeymoon! As a thoughtful gesture, they gifted us a bottle of port wine to celebrate, and even refilled it two days before our checkout. The room was spotless, the bed was very comfortable, and we had a spectacular view of the city. The location was excellent—around the corner was a yellow tram and it is also just a short walk to Lisboa Rossio and many other attractions. On our first day, we strolled around Lisbon and, without realizing it, passed by several landmarks we would later explore more deeply on our walking tour the next day. A wonderful start to our stay in the city!

The Tuk Tuk tour in Belém was a delightful experience and our tour guide was fantastic! It was a fun and unique way to explore the area.

The winery tour in the Douro Valley was a blast! The guide was knowledgeable, and seeing the traditional grape squishing vats was fascinating. We also had a special treat of a supercar convention with over two hundred cars at the winery, which was an unexpected bonus. Highly recommend the wine tasting experience.

It was beautiful to walk around the palace, but unfortunately, we missed out on a lot of the historical context because we didn't realize there was an app we could download with explanations so good to check that if you visit!

The Fado experience was really nice! The restaurant, Mesa De Fratus, had a fantastic atmosphere with a singer who performed beautifully. She really knew how to use the acoustics of the place, and it added to the cultural feel of the evening. Overall, a ten out of ten experience, though I haven't compared it to other Fado venues.

We absolutely LOVED the walking tours. Our guide was Claudia, a native of Lisbon. The walking tours are such a great way to see the city with the added bonus of learning about the city. We had accidentally seen the areas she was going to take us to the day before, and Claudia did a great job meeting our requests. We asked her to show us her favorite spots as a local. One of our first stops was to taste some ginjinha - absolutely delicious! Unfortunately, it started to rain during our tour so we had to seek cover for part of the tour. At the end of the tour she typed in my notes app her favorite places to shop, favorite sites and bars (things we had asked during our tour). Our tour ended with a short wine, port and cheese tasting!