Portugal will forever have a place in my heart
Portugal
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Apr 11 - Apr 29, 2026
From the beginning, when I was planning this trip to Portugal, Anita and her team at kimkim travel were there to make sure I had a fabulous vacation and most importantly that I would be safe as a solo traveler. I had told Anita that I had taught
ancient civilizations, so I was very interested in the history, but also the culture of the people. She put together an itinerary that was perfect for me. From the moment I arrived, I was treated with kindness and helpfulness from every tour guide and driver that got me safely from the airport to my hotel in Lisbon, from there to Evora, then to Albufeira, Porto and back to Lisbon. I had so many tour guides that it’s difficult to remember all of their names, but my trip to Fatima with Pedro was extra special. I was the only person on the tour that day, so I learned all about Pedro and his family on the drive. He stayed right by my side the entire day to offer his arm while we maneuvered over cobblestones, steep hills and uneven staircases without railings to Fatima, the monastery at Batalla, Nazare, and Obidos. He even cried alongside me when we discovered my deceased husband‘s name written on a piece of the Berlin wall in the square at Fatima. It was truly a moment I will never forget. Pedro continued to message me every day while I was in Portugal, to make sure I was safe and enjoying my tours. I can’t thank all of the wonderful people who took care of me during this remarkable trip. It was my first time in Portugal, but it won’t be my last, because I loved the people here.
Hotel Review
The staff was kind and helpful in helping me plan routes to walking excursions that I did on my own. The hotel was beautiful, comfortable, and served amazing food.
Activity Reviews
This was my first tour and an awesome way to be able to meet a few people and get appetizer-sized tastes of great Portugal foods and wines. It helped me make decisions about what to order for the rest of the trip.
Going to Sintra was like walking into a fairy tale, and our guide was so knowledgeable about the area, because he was born and raised here. I met three wonderful young ladies from Belgium and one from Australia that assisted me on the steep hills and stairways. We had a lot of fun together!
Being a jeep owner myself, I loved this small group trip into the heart of the Algarve. Upward driver stopped at at least a dozen times to pick leads from plants along the way and help us learn how to identify them.
The title of this adventure is a little misleading, because there was no barbecue, but it was still a phenomenal journey. I met some wonderful people on the catamaran ride to the Bengali caves.
It was wonderful to visit all of these small towns that were so important to the fishing industry and tourism industry in the Algarve.
Raquel, was a perfect tour guide for me and I had her all to myself. She took me to so many hidden secrets that I never would’ve found on my own. She knew that I loved history and culture, so she took me to places he knew that would be of interest to me.
This was a fabulous tour with a great guide who loved this area, because he enjoyed surfing here. He knew a lot of people and even introduced me to a man in his 80s who used to run the lighthouse at the most southwestern point in Europe.
Having taught about knights and castles, this tour was like a living textbook. I couldn’t believe I was seeing things that I had taught about for so many years.
I had my personal guide to myself all day. She knew that I had taught ancient civilizations, so she was ready to answer my questions and even learned a few things from me, I think! She had lived in Evora, her whole life, so she knew the people and the places we visited extremely well.
Once again, I had a wonderful female tour guide to myself. We took a deep ride through the acres of olive trees, vineyards and finally ended in the beautiful court forest where we even saw some albino deer.
It was wonderful to go back in history to the places where Portugal started. We explored, beautiful cathedrals, castles, and other import important historical sites.
