My Lisbon Holidays

The trip was wonderful. Planning was as I requested. Joao was available to help me when I couldn’t locate a guide at a meeting point or had to change an arrangement. Outings were fantastic. Warren, was our guide for the Lagoa Fogo hike and he was a kind, knowledgeable, generous human being and guide. IPA, for the bike tour was fantastic. We visited a local cheese shop/restaurant in Furnas and ate cheese chocolates that were delicious. Patrick took us off roading in Sete Cidades in an open vehicle (highly recommended) and he was an excellent driver and source of local info. We saw dolphins and whales on the whale watching tour and the boat ride was fun. Unfortunately, we contracted a stomach bug that the locals are also getting and that they think arose from a bacteria in the usually very drinkable water (unsure where) although some think it was a virus. Who knows? We had to miss our canyoning experience which was unfortunate. Next time. Furnas is one of my favourite places. It’s so lush. We walked on a lava sand beach at Praia de Fogo. Gorgeous. And the geothermal ocean pool at Ponta de Feraria was possibly one of the most incredible places in the world. Kimkim helped me plan a wonderful vacation and supported us throughout the vacation. Thank you to Joao. Much appreciated.

Activity Reviews

Sete Cidades by Jeep - A Half-Day Off-Road Tour

the Azores

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Hike in São Miguel

the Azores

Quality of Experience

Warren is very easy going and loves his work.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Whale-Watching in São Miguel

the Azores

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Good commentary during excursion.

Transport

Furnas Valley Bike Tour

the Azores

E bikes were fun and made the sites easier to access. Roads are dirt and can be steep. Stops to places were explained well by IPA, our guide. Cheese restaurant and tasting of local cheeses was a wonderful.

Quality of Experience

My

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We travelled Portugal from Porto to the Algarve and back to Lisbon between 7 and 24 August 2026 — eighteen days, eleven hotels, and a route that took us from the vineyards of the Douro to the cliffs at Cabo de São Vicente and the vast headlands of Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of continental Europe. It was a birthday gift for my partner, which meant the pressure to get it right was entirely self-inflicted and entirely real :). João and the KimKim team delivered something better than we'd imagined.

On João
What sets João apart is that he plans like someone who actually knows the country rather than someone reading it off a map. The roadbooks weren't generic — they were routed with real thought about where the light falls, where the crowds are at 9am versus 3pm, and where you should slow down. The N222 between Régua and Pinhão came with a simple instruction: take it slowly and stop often. He was right. Small notes like that appeared throughout, and they were consistently correct.
He was also honest in a way that's rare in travel planning. When something in the Arrábida was likely to be chaotic in August, he said so and suggested skipping it. When a stop was worth an extra hour of driving, he explained why. That kind of candour builds trust fast.

The hotels — and three in particular
The accommodation selection was the strongest part of the trip. Every single property was chosen with a clear reason behind it, and several were genuinely extraordinary.
Quinta de la Rosa in the Douro was the emotional heart of the trip. Two nights on a working family estate that's been in the same hands since 1906, perched above the river, with the pool looking out across terraced vineyards. It doesn't feel like a hotel — it feels like being let into somewhere private.
Heritage Avenida Liberdade gave us central Lisbon done properly — an 18th-century townhouse on the grandest boulevard in the city, with Bairro Alto and Chiado on foot. The Petite Pool and a perfect gym after a long day of walking Belém was a small mercy we appreciated more than expected.
Santiago de Alfama was the perfect final night. A restored 15th-century building tucked into Alfama's cobbled lanes, eight minutes from São Jorge Castle, with the Tagus in view. After two and a half weeks of driving, arriving somewhere that quiet and that beautiful for the last night was exactly the right note to end on.
Special mention about: Montebelo Mosteiro de Alcobaça, a five-star hotel built inside a UNESCO monastery, with an indoor pool set among original medieval pillars — surreal and wonderful. Fortaleza do Guincho, a 17th-century cliffside fortress with the Atlantic crashing below and a Michelin-starred kitchen. Pousada Sagres, positioned on Ponta da Atalaia with sunsets that genuinely stopped any conversation.

The activities - perfectly planned and flexible.
The Douro day was close to perfect: a tasting and picnic at Quinta da Rôeda in the morning, then a private boat out of Pinhão in the late afternoon. Our skipper was wonderful — he found us a quiet stretch of river and let us swim right there, surrounded by terraced vineyards rising on both sides and the light going gold on the water. Floating in the middle of that landscape is the single image we'll carry longest from the whole trip.
The Lagos coastal cave tour with BlueFleet was the other. Threading through the grottoes at Ponta da Piedade in the morning, the golden cliffs and the water impossibly clear. Worth every minute of the early start.

The logistics
Airport transfers at both ends, every hotel confirmed, parking notes for each stop — including which car parks to use and roughly what they'd cost. The trip ran without a single logistical problem across eighteen days and eleven properties. That is not luck.

Would we book again?
Without hesitation. We layered our own restaurant bookings on top of KimKim's framework, and having that framework solid meant we could spend our energy on the fun decisions rather than the boring ones. João built us a route that was ambitious without being exhausting, and beautiful without being too obvious. And gave us a true taste pf Portugal from north to the south and back.
If you're planning Portugal — particularly if you want the Douro and the southwest coast done properly as well as all super tips on Lisbon and Porto — talk to João. And we are looking froward to the next one :)

Hotel Reviews

Quinta de la Rosa

Pinhão

Quinta de la Rosa in the Douro was the emotional heart of the trip. Two nights on a working family estate that's been in the same hands since 1906, perched above the river, with the pool looking out across terraced vineyards. It doesn't feel like a hotel — it feels like being let into somewhere private. Dinner at Cozinha da Clara on the estate was one of our best meals of the eighteen days.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Heritage Avenida Liberdade

Lisboa

Heritage Avenida Liberdade gave us central Lisbon done properly — an 18th-century townhouse on the grandest boulevard in the city, with Bairro Alto and Chiado on foot. The Petite Pool after a long day of walking Belém was a small mercy we appreciated more than expected.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Santiago de Alfama - Boutique Hotel

Lisbon

Santiago de Alfama was the perfect final night. A restored 15th-century building tucked into Alfama's cobbled lanes, eight minutes from São Jorge Castle, with the Tagus in view. After two and a half weeks of driving, arriving somewhere that quiet and that beautiful for the last night was exactly the right note to end on.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Private Boat Tour in the Douro River

Portugal

The Douro day was close to perfect: a tasting and picnic at Quinta da Rôeda in the morning, then a private boat out of Pinhão in the late afternoon. Our skipper was wonderful — he found us a quiet stretch of river and let us swim right there, surrounded by terraced vineyards rising on both sides and the light going gold on the water. Floating in the middle of that landscape is the single image we'll carry longest from the whole trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an amazing experience working with Tiago on our trip to Portugal! He made the entire planning process smooth, seamless, and completely stress-free. Every detail of our trip ran like clockwork, from getting picked up from the airport to the hotel accommodations and tours. Tiago was incredibly responsive (even with daily questions we asked him over whatsapp during our vacation), listened to exactly what we wanted, and delivered a perfect vacation. I will definitely book with Kimkim (specifically with Tiago) again and highly recommend his services!"