Tiago Filipe

I still think of my trip, review my pictures, and share stories with anyone that'll listen! The attention to the details by Tiago was extraordinary. The app we received had all the details we needed for our trip, a fantastic online tool and reference instead of carrying paper records. I made the mistake of looking for answers online for a couple of specific thing, that had I thought about it, Tiago would have given me the answers. One: how to dress in Portugal? The site I visited was way off, and when I mentioned to Tiago, he sweetly gave the truth about how to dress for each location on our itinerary. Porto was our first stop, and what a beautiful city. We ventured down south to the Algarve and returned to Lisbon for our departure home. The Douro Valley, Guimaraes, Tomar, Evora, Lagos, Tavira, and so many other stops. We had 14 beautiful days in Portugal, it's a beautiful country, with lovely people, and fantastic food. And it's all thanks to the expertise and love Tiago has for his country. I'm so glad I didn't travel or plan blindly, I may have missed all the beauty Tiago exposed to us, We plan on going back....soon. Even hopes to find a second home in Lagos.

Hotel Reviews

NH Collection Porto Batalha

Porto

In the heart of Porto, a stylish boutique hotel, comfortable accommodations, lovely breakfast, and friendly and helpful staff. Shower was not great, had to worry about water running out of the shower stall, design was not smart.

Authenticity & Character

Charming, well designed. Elevators in all of Portugal are way too small.

Location

Everything was either uphill, or downhill from here. A lot of walking, but we got tons of steps in.

Staff

Classy, friendly, engaging, sweet people.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Stunning. Room was spotless and well cared for.

Casa dos Ofícios Hotel

Tomar

Vasco was so special. What a pleasant young man! When he explained his name was like Vasco da Gama, I misunderstood and thought he was actually a descendant! What great laughs we had at my expense. Great sleep at night. We did it all. Restaurants nearby, great stores, the history here is abundant. The staff friendly, delicious breakfast. The shower here was the best of all the hotels we stayed.

Authenticity & Character

Charming

Location

Near to restaurants and shopping. Some traveling, if you like walking, that too! More hilly roads to climb and descend

Staff

Engaged, kind, helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Focus and beauty, comfort, and peace.

MouraSuites Hotel

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

The photos on their website show the more glamorous rooms. Ours was small, but comfortable. It wasn't bad, but not beyond the average.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Marina Rio

Lagos

Location, location, location. At the Marina, but our room faced the bus terminal in the back, Luckily, we didn't spend too much time in our room. The staff were kind, professional, and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Small breakfast room. Ramps on both sides of the entry were long and steep. They did have a power seat lift. The stairs were a lot to climb into a hotel. Just not a good design. Pay to park at the corner, convenient.

Location

It was at one end of the Marina, but the local attractions, restaurants, and shops were close. Very touristy and crowded when we were there. We weren't unhappy to leave and move to the next location.

Staff

Good service.

Cleanliness & Comfort

You could hear the noise in the halls. Weird design. It felt stark and cold. No warmth to the design. Oh, and get this. Not a single trash can at the entrance, lobby, or restaurant. The public restrooms were hidden behind a camouflaged door in the wall. Trying too hard to be cool.

Hotel Britania Art Deco

Lisbon

OMG! The best of all the hotels. Don't get me wrong, every hotel that was selected for our trip was classic, different, and comfortable. I just pointed out certain 'observations' on which they could approve. But Hotel Britania was a true historic and awesome hotel. Omar, Patric, Jose, and the dining room staff were so kind, engaged, and made our stay so memorable. We will be coming back here.

Authenticity & Character

Such wonderful dedication to retaining the character and history.

Location

Close to shopping, restaurants, and high end shopping.

Staff

Loved them all! Wish I had gotten the names of the others we met there.

Cleanliness & Comfort

You will love this place. Here too, the elevator is tiny.

Activity Reviews

Rabelo Boat Tour

Portugal

Wild boat ride. The two person boat team were great!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to a Cork grove or olive oil Estate

Portugal

What a pleasant surprise on a tour focused on landmarks and history, an Olive Grove Visit. The beauty of the Olive Trees, especially the one that well over 2,000 years old.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Azulejo Tile Workshop

Lisbon

I wish I was more artistically inclined. Some in the class were more talented. But it was still a great time, and we brought home our own creations,

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We took an Uber here.

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

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

Casa dos Ofícios Hotel

Tomar

Charm, charm, charm. Friendliness galore.

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

Marina Rio

Lagos

Perfect location on the Marina for our time in Lagos.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

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

Activity Reviews

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

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

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

Tiago was very accommodating and was always there to help us with anything we needed. Joel was fantastic and we highly recommend this team.

The trip exceeded our expectations! The planning with Tiago was effortless; we expressed our interests and he planned the perfect trip, totally and timely responding to every inquiry. Our driver, William to/from the airport was prompt and courteous, as were our tour guides, “Hugo 1” and “Hugo 2” as we nicknamed them. They were knowledgeable and responsive to our interests, as was Olivia, who coordinated the trip while on the island. They even switched the itinerary to accommodate the weather. Highlights of the trip included the beautiful green mountainside scenery, contrasting the blue waters and flowers beginning to bloom everywhere! We especially enjoyed our bike ride and trip to Furnas where we saw the hot springs and bathed in the garden waters. Finally the restaurants were excellent choices, catering to the local food. We could not have had a better time! Thank you to Kimkim and Tiago.

Tiago was a great specialist. He set up the Azores trip perfectly. Although the weather (January is an iffy proposition) was not cooperating for some of the days, Tiago continued to check in with suggestions. Most importantly when the car rental agency was having system issues, Tiago was available immediately by phone and follow-up to provide additional support and help take corrective actions. As we consider additional trips to Portugal I would absolutely engage Tiago again.

This trip was a much needed trip for us and Tiago really listened to us and made it truly memorable.
We got a very deep understanding of Portuguese history and Tiago made it come alive for us. Other than the usual sights we saw, he also took us to the Benfica and sporting stadiums that made the trip more personal for us. And last but not least …. He took us to the best places to eat and we had the most amazing variety of Portuguese food. We enjoyed it so much, one of the fist things we did when we got back was google, “best Portuguese food near us”
Loved every moment of our time in Lisbon and Porto and all the places we saw in between.

Hotel Reviews

Empire Marquês Hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walking distance to a lot of places.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Jardim da Batalha Boutique Hotel by Shiadu

Porto

Authenticity & Character

Had a garden and you got home made cookies in the front desk

Location

Close to everything in town.

Staff

So helpful and extremely nice.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Large rooms and everything was clean.

Activity Reviews

Cascais & Sintra Guided Visit

Portugal

We started by meeting Tiago and got going! It was so fun and beautiful and enjoyable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Óbidos visit

Portugal

I loved óbidos. Such a cute little town. It was like being in a fairy tale. The cherry wine in chocolate cups…. So fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset Cruise of Lisbon

Lisbon

Was the first thing we did in Lisbon… and it was a great way to get to know the city and enjoy the easy going trip

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of Lisbon

Lisbon

We saw everything in one day…. And more!! Tiago is an amazing guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Porto (Half-Day Guided Walking Tour)

Porto

Porto is such a vibrant city… was really nice to see it on foot. We crossed bridges, went in boats and even took the cable car! Was a great experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Port Wine Tasting Tour

Porto

The guide was very knowledgeable… but spoke too fast to understand her.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We followed up a weeklong hiking trip on Sao Miguel through Portugal Nature Trails with a week in Terceira, Pico and Faial. Tiago managed the details for this week of travel and it was wonderful. The plans were perfect and went flawlessly from the car rentals to the accommodations to a full day ferry trip to Faial with a great nature guide. We especially loved the Lava Homes but found the personnel everywhere we stayed to be helpful and courteous.
As for Tiago, he was the best! He listened as we planned, was always immediately responsive to our questions and checked in with us to see how things were going. He is an amazing person and did a stellar job, before and during the trip.
Thank you, Tiago and KimKim.

Hotel Reviews

Lava Homes

Pico

Beautiful setting, fabulous restaurant and wonderful staff. Highly recommend.

Authenticity & Character

Location, wonderful homes and restaurant

Location

Somewhat remote but restaurant provides excellent food and drink. Homes are lovely.

Staff

Everyone was extremely helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Zenite Boutique Hotel & SPA

Very comfortable accommodations and good location. Only recommendation would be an in-house restaurant.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful views from window, quiet street

Location

Easy to walk places

Staff

Front desk folks were helpful and The bartender was great.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Faial Island guided tour

Faial Island

Our guide Luis was extremely knowledgeable and we learned a lot on our day tour. I would recommend his company.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Covered a lot of sites throughout the day.