My Lisbon Holidays

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

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

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

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

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

Hotel Reviews

Torel Quinta da Vacaria - Douro Valley

Peso da Régua, Vila Real District

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Albatroz Hotel

Cascais

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Infante Sagres

Porto

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right in the heart of Porto!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

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

Activity Reviews

Tourism Tram Ride in Lisbon

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Azulejo Tile Workshop

Lisbon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Food Tour

Porto

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

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Joao did an amazing job planning our two week adventure and was very patient and accommodating of all our requests and revisions. While we were sad not to meet him in person, he was great about checking in with us throughout our trip.
Highlights in Lisbon were Casa Balthazar, dinner with locals, cooking class and shopping the open air market on Avenida da Liberdade.
Highlights in Porto were dinner at Cantinha de Avillez, the food tour and gelato! Unfortunately we didn't have the intel that we needed to purchase tickets to the Lello bookstore way in advance, and Cafe Magnifico had too long a line to wait.
We had high expectations for Nazare and Obidos, and sadly, because of the number of tourists and a Renaissance Fair, respectively, these two stops were the most disappointing of the trip.
Highlights in Monsaraz were the beautiful Montimerso Skyscape (though we were there when the famed restaurant was closed) and the cork tour. The olive oil tour was good, but not exceptional because the oil wasn't being produced at that time, and the ceramics class was good but frustrating, for we couldn't take home our creations.
The Algarve highlight was by far the sailing excursion with Skipper Rob and spending time in Lagos. The Aldeia de Pedralva is great for a family with children, but not super conducive for a couple looking for privacy and quiet.
We visited a friend in Setubal and getting there by ferry was an awesome suggestion. The 34 Guest House was lovely.

We learned some important things to consider when planning our next trip:
1. We were interested in learning about the Portuguese culture overall, but many of the recommended stops and sights centered on visiting castles, palaces, monasteries, convents and fortresses. While we understand that they are deeply rooted in the history of the country, we completely tired of them mid-trip. We found out during our ceramics class, for example, that that part of the country is famous for making pottery, with many, many pottery shops. We would have loved to explore those, but found out about them too late.
2. When renting a car, we need to request a mid-size vehicle since my husband is very tall and could barely fold himself in and out of the Kia Stonic.
Overall, we had an amazing adventure and certainly plan to use Kim Kim again in the future.

Hotel Reviews

Casa Balthazar

Lisbon

Fantastic hotel and the most delicious breakfast of the trip. Concierge Ruth went above and beyond and was amazing.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Thomar Boutique Hotel

Tomar

Great hotel and location. Loved the free parking and the roof deck.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Torel Palace Porto

Porto

Over the top hotel in a great location with a good breakfast. Our room had some maintenance issues: broken lamp and towel bar and electrical sockets falling off the wall in the bathroom. Surprisingly they updated us to a room with jacuzzi on the balcony, which we definitely took advantage of, but could not figure out how to drain

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pousada Castelo de Óbidos

Óbidos

Dark, dingy room with musty, mildew smell and a terrible, cold breakfast. Accessibility and parking were very difficult, especially in the middle of a Renaissance Fair.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Tomas and Pedro went above and beyond. If it weren't for them, we wouldn't have ended up staying there.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Maintenance, updating and a more comfortable bed. Serve pancakes and waffles hot, rather than ice cold.

Montimerso SkyScape

Monsaraz​

Beautiful location and accommodations. We would have loved to try their famed restaurant, but sadly it was closed during our stay. Good breakfast!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Aldeia da Pedralva - Slow Village

Vila do Bispo

This was an interesting choice for a couple, as this village is more geared to families with children that stay up late and are very loud. There is no privacy - the windows need to stay open for air circulation (no AC) but the windows, including in the bedroom, are at eye level, so passers by can look straight into the bedroom and living area! The restaurants in the village are good, but breakfast was not - it was cold and they did not replenish the food during serving hours, so we were frequently left with very few choices.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Our room was never cleaned during our stay and there is a severe lack of lighting.

34 Guesthouse Setúbal

Setúbal

Great hotel with very accommodating staff. Parking was difficult.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Market Visit & Cooking Class

Lisbon

A great way to learn about the local cuisine and meet others!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The chef ended up being great, but he started off surly and nasty

Dinner With Locals

Portugal

Sofia and her husband Carlos welcomed us into their home with warmth and grace and served us a deliciously authentic meal, from appetizers to dessert with wine pairings throughout. We had a wonderful meal with awesome people who we can now call friends!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Food Tour

Porto

Loved beginning at the market and having the opportunity to walk the city and sample such a great variety of food typical to the region. Ricardo was exceptional about his knowledge of the region and the food/wine. Very highly recommend!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cork Farm Visit

Portugal

We learned so much about this local resource and it was super interesting to visit and learn about the forest and estate.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

He was very knowledgeable but a bit pompous.

Transport

Pottery Workshop

Portugal

This was a fun activity with an awesome instructor, but we couldn't take home our creations.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Olive Oil Tasting

Monsaraz

We learned a lot about olive oil and had even more fun tasting it! Unfortunately they weren't producing the oil when we visited.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Half Day Sailing Tour

Portugal

Skipper Rob and first mate Anatoli were incredible! They made this trip an absolute pleasure, and even served us tapas! A true highlight of our two week vacation.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gorgeous, beautifully maintained boat!

Tiago was wonderful. Thorough, patient, and hooked us up with guides through Lisbon and Cascai. Arranged the whole thing. Steered us to the Azores instead of the Canaries. Nice hotels. Evora was terrific and interesting. The Duaro Valley was very beautiful. Cost-effective. Stuff we couldn't have seen without Tiago's guidance. Really, the only way to take a self-driving tour. Highly recommended.

Hotel Reviews

NH Collection Porto Batalha

Porto

Decent hotel in the middle of the city. But incredibly inconvenient. Hard to find. Parking is inconvenient and makes check-in a horror show. Hotel is nice once you get parked.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Good - being in the middle of Porto. Bad - NOT MADE FOR CARS. Much better if brought there by Uber or taxi.

Staff

They helped us Park! Which was not easy. Desk staff also friendly and helpful.

Hotel Lisboa Plaza

Lisbon

Very good. Good value for the money

Hotel Albergaria do Calvário

Évora

Nice, small hotel. Parking was difficult.

Casa dos Ofícios Hotel

Tomar

Nice boutique hotel. Parking was inconvenient and difficult. Other than that, the hotel was nice.

Location

Right in the city. Parking was inconvenient and difficult.

Quinta do Tedo

Douro Valley

The Duaro valley is spectacular. Beautiful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The views! Memorable and wonderful.

Sao Miguel Park Hotel

Ponta Delgada

Good value for money. Nice, American-style hotel. Good location.

Location

Walking distance to the ocean and to the mall. The mall, although at first glance a tacky American mall,Turned out to be very convenient with good shops, a food court, and a cinema (!!) We saw a movie!

Activity Review

Rabelo Boat Tour

Portugal

A boat tour was a nice change. Pretty river, nice people on the boat. Overall though, a little boring.

Tiago set up a great trip that catered to exactly what my family was looking for. The best part was having a local agent while we were on the trip. He checked on us regularly and provided invaluable local beach expertise and and last minute dinner reservations. We were so thrilled to avoid the crazy crowded beaches and head to what felt like locals only spots. His support definitely enhanced our trip. We had a wonderful time!

We had an amazing trip to Portugal planned by Kim Kim. The hotels in every city we visited were in the best areas of each city. We had an awesome food tour in Porto, and a great guide for our time in Lisbon. I would highly recommend Kim Kim to anyone who is looking for a stress free vacation.

Our guide Joel in Lisbon was amazing . Professional and very knowledgeable . Hotels were great and everyone was friendly.

Joao curated a terrific trip for us. While we really enjoyed our time in Lisbon, Joao gave us a great history lesson on the city and the country over several centuries. That history lesson provided us with a much better appreciation as to what inspired the architecture over the years. Outside of Lisbon, we really enjoyed our visits to Fatima, Batalha Monastery, Pena Palace and Nazare (home of the world’s largest waves). We had some last minute adjustments to our schedule and Joao accommodated those requests and was incredibly friendly and helpful along the way. At the end of our trip, one of our family members accidentally left their eyeglass case in his van. He could have easily left in the van and did nothing. Instead, he texted us, met us at our last excursion and offered to drive us in his personal vehicle back to a spot near our hotel. Joao was caring, thoughtful and worked very hard to ensure that we had a memorable experience in Portugal (which we did!). Thank you again, Joao!!!

Joel was a great private driver for our day trip to Sintra! Our favorite location was Madeira given the hiking activity and amazing views. However, all locations were special in their own way and we really appreciate Tiago making every effort to fit as many locations into our itinerary upon our request despite the difficulty of the task. We intend to come back for the Azores and the Algarve.