Kimkim Trip Reviews for Portugal

Very good location on a pedestrian street within easy walk to Alfama.

Gorgeous setting with rooftop wine offerings daily. Easy walk to the University.

Lovely hotel but we were placed in an apartment two blocks away. It’s very comfortable but had no elevator and had none of the distinctive, historical charscter of the main facility

Great guide. Informative and provided a good overview of the city.

Less a food tour than a meal with stops at a nice local cafe- lunch place and for dessert. But guide is excellent.

Both palaces are architecturally wonderful The driver was great; the private tour of Pena Palace most welcome given the mass tourism at the site; the lunch overlooking the sea in Cascai was great, though we’d have liked forewarning and we’d not have booked a major dinner experience for that evening.

Wonderfully surprising. Great scenery and vistas with fascinating settlements.

Amazing library with viewing of auxiliary buildings. But, note, no pix allowed in the library!

We travelled to Porto on a Saturday and had not planned thinking of closures on Sunday and Monday. In retrospect, I’d plan the trip to limit time in cities on Mondays and Tuesdays when many restaurants and museums are closed. Kim Kim should advise travelers in advance.

Very informative

We saw and experienced a lot on this trip. Vasco was a very good guide.

We saw and did a lot but it was also a long day. A bit too long.

This is the oldest hotel in the Iberian Peninsula, rich in history and charm! We were delighted by our suite which was large and looked out onto the beautiful valley. The staff, especially Beatriz at the front desk, were so kind and gracious. We were pampered and loved every minute of our stay!

Beautiful renovated convent overlooking the central core of Tavira! We enjoyed a comfortable room with a balcony/terrace and found it to be a perfect place to enjoy a glass of port before heading into town for dinner. The weather was perfect, blue sky and warm, so we did manage to lounge by the swimming pool - and enjoyed our soft robes afterwards!

We had a comfortable room with a balcony overlooking the back garden which was a lovely place to relax after exploring the city all day. The staff are exceptional and very helpful. And the location is perfect. A very quiet place in the heart of the city!

A very comfortable room, spacious and clean. Not particularly fancy but had everything we needed. The breakfast was very good (best omelette of the trip!) and the front desk staff were exceptional, very pleasant and helpful. Only one issue came up and that wasn't the hotel's fault - because of the openness of the building layout, sound carries up. There was a group of very loud patrons drinking in the lounge until 3am on our first night and that likely kept most of the hotel awake!

Such welcoming staff! And a beautiful comfortable room that was very quiet! Each night we received a gift: a bottle of wine, pens, custom soap - so unexpected but truly made us feel appreciated. GREAT location as well! And the staff were helpful in steering us in the right direction when we headed to Belem!

Peaceful and beautiful! One of our favourite places during our trip. The location in the heart of the Douro Valley is spectacular! We would have loved more time to relax and enjoy the pool so next time, we'll stay an extra night! The grounds are beautiful, and the wine is delicious. They have an Honour's Fridge where you can help yourself to either the estate white or red wine. Please note, however, that there is no welcome glass of wine when you arrive as the app suggested. They do have a meal service - a choice of cold meat salads, side salad, excellent desserts, bread, cheese and charcuterie. Wine is extra but very reasonably priced. We ate in the garden both nights and it was so special!

This was our first tour and we got off to a great start with Dani, our lovely guide! We not only got a fantastic history lesson about the different areas of Lisbon, but we sampled some of the most delicious delicacies which I never would have guessed were part of the Lisbon food scene - not just delicious charcuterie, but samosas, burrana sandwiches (my husband's favourite), and, of course, Pasteis de Nata! Lots of good beer and wine too! A great afternoon!

Our guide, Joao, was one of the most articulate and interesting young men we met on our trip. His knowledge of Portuguese history and love of his home town, Porto, really stood out for us. We felt like he genuinely wanted to get to know us and understand our country as well as sharing what life is like in Portugal. It was a lovey exchange of ideas and perspectives. And the food at the market was fantastic! Again, very generous portions of charcuterie, main courses, desserts - and three types of vinho verde! Who knew there were so many variations. We finished with Pastel de Nada and a lovely Muscatel! Truly a memorable afternoon!

Our driver, Paulo, was much more than a driver! He should be a tour guide! At each stop, he encouraged us to take our time and told us about things we should look out for! As a result, we got to spend time in Obidos early in the day, before the major tours arrived, and we got to walk the ramparts with virtually no people in our way! It was wonderful! Paulo also took us to see some sites that were not on the "tour" but were on the way to Nazare, so we enjoyed beach views that were less crowded than those in Nazare itself.

Our driver, Miguel, was charming and really helped us to understand the power of Fado. The experience at the Fado restaurant was wonderful, great food and the singers were amazing, such deep sonorous voices. My husband managed to get some wonderful video so we can be reminded of the experience now that we are home!

Fascinating area and our guide, Paulo, was so knowledgeable! We really appreciated seeing a sight that is literally off the beaten track - the road to get there was quite a challenge! And as a result, we had the place to ourselves! Fantastic!

More time with Paulo, this time walking through the fascinating city of Evora. Paulo made each era of history come alive ! Later, we enjoyed drinking the very generous samplings of wine at the wine cellar. The wines of were all excellent and very different than the Douro wines we had sampled earlier in the trip.

This was a very full day! Our guide and tuk-tuk driver, Federico, was a lovely young man who provided us with lots of information and took us all over Sintra and beyond! If we had it to do over again, we would probably have skipped the Pena Palace - too many people and more interesting to look at from afar than from inside. Federico did take us to the Chalet on the Pena property - this was lovely and there were very few people there. The Regaleiria was much more interesting due to the beautiful gardens and the initiation well. And our highlight of the day was the visit to Capo de Roca, the western tip of Europe! Going there by tuk-tuk was so much fun and it was a great place to take in the marvel of the ocean - great photo ops!

We really enjoyed the Convent of Christ in Tomar but found the Fatima part was not of as much interest. We would have been happy to skip that entirely and spend most of the time in Tomar.

Really enjoyed our boat trip along the Douro. It was a beautiful afternoon and being on the river helped us to appreciate how immense it is! The port wine tasting afterward was very special - we learned so much about port during the tour and really enjoyed tasting the three very different offerings. We, of course, purchased some to take with us!

Once we sorted out where we were supposed to be to start the hike, it went well! Our guide, David, was great and took us on a moderate hike into the hills above Regua. We really enjoyed the vistas and learned a lot about living in the area.

Very interesting subject matter and I learned a lot during our time with Nuno. I did find him to be a bit aloof and at times, a bit crude - not sure if this was due to language issues or not. He did spend extra time with us and gave us some good recommendations re: restaurants and shops.

We enjoyed visiting the farm, learning about what they produce and cooking our meal! Will definitely be making a couple of the dishes here at home, especially the carrots! Anna was a very good instructor, gave us the experience of getting involved and learning about key ingredients in Algarve cuisine.

We loved having a day to ourselves to explore the Islas da Tavira! Wonderful time playing in the waves and enjoying beer and seafood at the outdoor restaurants along the beach boardwalk. A real highlight of our trip.

The Roman ruins are fascinating! It is hard to believe that they are so old but so well preserved. The mosaic floors are incredible. Our guide gave us detailed information about the history and context so we were able to get a good idea of life in that city.

The villages were really interesting - but we did not have enough time to see all 3 villages so we had to skip one. We did not have enough time to fully explore the pottery shop and we never sampled local honey or liquors as promised in the activity description.

This was not worth doing. Would not recommend it.

We enjoyed the museum but the town itself was a huge disappointment. It is old and run down. The train station is under construction so we couldn’t visit it. The town is basically a tourist trap for the river cruise passengers. All of the restaurants are the same and many were closed on Monday and Tuesday. The inn where we stayed was nice but overall I wish we stayed at a winery farther outside the city.

This was a fantastic experience! We enjoyed both wineries and especially appreciated having Vasco as our guide. He was able to tell us about the family winery and the history of the area. It was great to taste the port out of the barrel and to meet all the pets. The vinho verde winery was also beautiful and the wine was excellent. We ended up buying wine from both vineyards.

The history of the University was really interesting and Sara Cruz was a fantastic guide- highly recommend using her for all of your tours. She was a student and is so knowledgeable! I wish we had more time to visit the library and the science buildings. Would suggest extending this to a full day tour to accommodate those other points of interest.

We enjoyed touring the castle and the cathedral, but the best part was the archaeological museum visit and the wine tasting.

Our stay at the Mercure Porto Centro Aliados was outstanding. The hotel was a hidden gem with a simple exterior but a lovely interior featuring a lobby bar and a large courtyard with a pool and garden. It was located downtown, yet the courtyard provided a peaceful retreat. I enjoyed spending time there, and the overall experience was excellent.

The AlmaLusa Baixa & Chiado hotel in Lisbon was disappointing. The rooms were very small and needed some maintenance. Although the location was decent, the view was ruined by construction fences. We also had trouble getting a late checkout, which was inconvenient. Overall, I would not stay there again.

The Cascade Wellness Resort in Lagos was a wonderful place to stay. It felt like a resort rather than a boutique city hotel. We had a suite with two separate areas, which was perfect for us. The hotel was expensive but worth it, especially since it helped us relax when one of us wasn't feeling well. The location and amenities were excellent.

The Meliá Lisboa Aeroporto hotel was nice and very close to the airport, which was convenient for our early morning flight. The hotel's proximity helped reduce some of that stress.

Our guide for the Private Pena Palace & Sintra Village Half-Day Trip was fantastic. He didn't just give a tour of the palace but also filled in many blanks during the travel to and from the palace. We had great conversations about the palace, the city, the country, government, and economy. He was very knowledgeable and good-natured, which made the experience very enjoyable.

The Private Douro Valley Hike was a highlight of our trip. We walked about twelve kilometers through the beautiful countryside with hillsides, vineyards, and historical sites. The guide shared a lot of interesting information about the area, the vineyards, and the local history. It was a great day and a wonderful way to experience the Douro Valley.

The Private Douro & Vinho Verde Wine Tasting was enjoyable, especially the first vineyard we visited which was a small family-run operation with beautiful settings. We learned a lot and enjoyed their wines. The second stop at the Vinho Verde was pleasant but less impressive, and since we don't drink much wine, it was less memorable. Overall, it was a nice experience.

The private river cruise was good and relaxing. Although we were a bit disappointed that we couldn't see the bridge built by the same company as the Eiffel Tower because the boat's mast was too tall to pass under the first bridge. The cruise stayed in the same area, but the crew was good and the food and wine provided were fine. Overall, it was an enjoyable experience.

Lovely and convenient location.

Beautiful location on the River.

Great location and friendly staff.

Very good accommodations, friendly staff, and centrally located

Hotel is central location to the beach nearby for walking distance and also walking distance to center city of Lagos, can walk or quick uber ride. Has good sunset views from the hotel trail. The front staff is friendly and helped with flower arrangements for my wife, however the overall state of the hotel does not appear to be on par with the other accommodations we have stayed at through Kim Kim. The hotel advertises as a 5 start hotel but really it is a 3 start hotel. Also, the housekeeping and room service staff is very rude.

Overall very nice hotel and accommodations, the welcome refreshments that were in our hotel room had hair in it, we ordered room service from Rocco restaurant that is associated with the hotel, the food had hair in it. Twice had hair in our food.

Great central hotel very nice staff. Only thing missing was that they don’t have wine or snacks onsite . Rooms are small so don’t pack large suitcases.

10 out of 10 ! for layout/place to park car. Very central for exploring. Huge included breakfast spread. Quick to get to Bengali caves boat tour do it!! Highlight of our trip . About 30 min cab to the Quinta lunch at vineyard (do it!!) 2 complaints 1. pillow was too squishy,and 2. they had -scented toilet paper??? No where else in Portugal that we stayed did. I’m very allergic to some fragrance so I actually went and bought my own :(

Huge room with view of Marina . Literally no parking /stoppinnarea all fulleven though it was late Sept . Had to park really far away and drag suitcase

Hotel is great but Street was fully dug up in front so very difficult to drag suitcases from parking along a single file cobblestone sidewalk . Plus construction noise. They told us work going on since May and won’t be done until maybe Nov . The rooftop plunge pool was Fantastic . Hotel is close walking distance to authentic flamenco show.

Great location , comfy rooms, short walk to some attractions.

You need to do this! Get a driver who is local and learn so much in a short time . Jon was great! Grew up in Lisbon!! There is no way you can see as much walking the up and downhills is insane

Spectacular lunch in this very old authentic spot . Met some nice people from Uk and USA

Loved the 2 hour e- tuk tuk tour. Great way to get a feel for this beautiful city!

You have to see it to believe how stunning it is! We took the boat (not kayaks) and jumped into the Atlantic from the boat :) so fun

Hector did a great job putting together all kinds of tips and even some helpful Portuguese phrases :) and restaurant recommendations

Amazing experienced driver helped us maximize our time where we wanted to in Nazare. Great way to see more of Portugal on way out!

Excellent and the hosts were very helpful in restaurant choices.

The owner was friendly and helpful.

The garden house was incredible, and the staff was very helpful including the manager of the restaurant.

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The guide made it special

Loved it

stated in my narrative

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It was interesting

Wonderful castle hotel on top of hill in Obidos, great view of city!

Beautiful views of valley from our balcony, Restaurant food and staff were amazing!

Alex our guide was wonderful. He is passionate about history and sharing his city with us.

Disappointed we could not go to Peña palace. Evidently our guide Nuno did not get information in time to book tickets. We definitely enjoyed Nuno and his enthusiasm during our trip however.

Raphael was very thorough with the wine experience. He shared his love of wine making and long history of his family.

Great overall review of FAQ

The staff there, especially Diogo, were so accommodating and truly seemed to appreciate us. The little gifts to our room, sparkling wine on first day, were all so sweet! I have such a good feeling about this hotel… lovely!!

enjoyed this hotel located on a pedestrian only street but easy to get a taxi our front. Very comfortable and great service

Nice property

A great experience. We learned a lot from our professional chef and took home several Portuguese recipes to try at home

We have done several local food walks over the years and this was by far the best. Alvaro was a great guide and we tasted so many interesting foods. The quantity and quality of food and drink provided was unbelievable. This was our most favorite tour

Very interesting tour and we caught the family stomping grapes after harvest with help from the family puppy at the small winery visited

We did the Lagos Evening Food Walk. It was good and unique because we visited some small hole-in-the-wall bar-type places. The food portions were small compared to the food walk we did in Porto. The group was mostly from the States, so there was a lot of chit chat. It was enjoyable but not a highlight of the trip.

We did the Dolphin Watching & Benagil cave boat tour in Lagos. The ride was quite rough and bumpy, which was tough for my wife due to her back issues. The boat traveled at high speed for about half an hour to see the dolphins, which were cool. Then we went another 35 minutes to the caves. It was windy and loud, making it hard to talk. I think a slower, quieter boat tour would have been better for us. The sea was a bit choppy due to winds from Africa, which made the ride less comfortable.

We did the Private Sintra & Cascais Day Trip with Pena Palace & Quinta da Regaleira Visit. Our driver, Lewis, was very nice and knowledgeable. The tourist spots were very crowded, but we had some kind of skip-the-line pass or Lewis knew the ropes, so we avoided long waits. We hooked up with a guide at the castle, although we missed the first part of the tour but caught up later. We had a great lunch at a local hole-in-the-wall place. We skipped the cathedral but enjoyed driving around the coastal areas. Overall, it was a very nice and relaxing day.

Cancelled due to high seas.