A Dream Honeymoon Five Years in the Making
Portugal
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Apr 20 - May 2, 2025
We've been planning our honeymoon since 2020, but due to COVID, family obligations, and life in general, we had to keep postponing. It was worth the wait. Marisa has been absolutely WONDERFUL over these past five years. She helped my husband plan an incredible honeymoon across Portugal, with the perfect balance of guided tours and leisurely, self-guided experiences.
The Across Portugal team added thoughtful personal touches throughout our trip, making us feel extra special from start to finish. The experiences, accommodations, and dining recommendations were exceptional. Marisa also did a fantastic job helping us avoid what I call “TikTok traps”—overcrowded, overly touristy spots. We love to immerse ourselves in local culture, and Marisa delivered exactly that.
Our 13-day journey took us through Lisbon, Porto, the Douro Valley, Évora, the Algarve, and ended in Cascais. Every partner we met was knowledgeable, friendly, and engaging. Highlights included private walking tours with locals and a tuk-tuk ride that offered a unique perspective on the cities. Claudia in Lisbon was outstanding—her knowledge of the city’s history was impressive, and she made the tour fun with interesting facts beyond the typical tourist script. She also gave us great pub and bar recommendations. Sandra, our tuk-tuk driver, was warm and informative while also giving us time to soak in the sights. She even surprised us with Pastéis de Nata in Belém! Ana in Porto was another standout—her insight into the history of Porto’s churches and local food scene was top-notch.
This was our first time using a travel agency, and we’re so glad we did. Even when things didn’t go as planned—like getting food poisoning from late-night McDonald’s (avoid the garlic aioli), car trouble, and the Spain/Portugal blackout—the Across Portugal team went above and beyond. Raphael, our amazing and considerate driver, was with us the day I got sick. He immediately contacted Carlos from the team, who helped with medication recommendations. Raphael also kept my husband company and had lunch with him while I recovered—something we really appreciated.
As for the car issue... well, the team knows how that went! Honestly, without their support and Ivo stepping in, our honeymoon might have ended very differently (only kind of kidding!).
In short, the Across Portugal team is genuinely invested in their clients’ experiences. From the moment we landed, they were in constant communication, sending daily updates and plans. My husband especially appreciated the reminder texts! Their flexibility, experience, and dedication allowed us to fully enjoy our trip without stress. We're already talking about our next adventure—this time, we want to include a football match! Go Sporting! (Just don’t tell Ivo.)
A huge obrigada to Marisa (the queen of planning a honeymoon for five years!), João, Pedro, Diana, Raphael (best driver ever), Ivo (our hero), Claudia and Ana (our amazing walking tour guides), Pedro (our cooking class chef), and anyone else we may be forgetting. You made our dream trip come true!
Hotel Reviews
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!
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 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 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!
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.
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.
Activity Review
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!
