“Hello Madalena,
We are home safely with many happy memories. Thank you for organizing such a successful trip for us. We were most satisfied. We will recommend Portugal to family and friends and we hope to return in the next years.
If you’d like a little feedback, I’ll give you a few of our reflections.
Lagos was beautiful. Check with your clients if they’d prefer to kayak or go in a fish boat. The kayaking might have been our choice. You don’t have to drive all the way to Sagres to dolphin watch. It was fantastic but the boat came back almost as far as Lagos. We didn’t think Sagres was anything special but maybe we missed the little town. We loved driving north to near Aljezur. I can’t remember the name of the beach but there was surfing and a warm lagoon. The fog rolled in which was eerie but beautiful. I loved Porimao and the Praia des Roches – beautiful long long beach and warm water. Albufeira was beautiful but quite crowded and touristy. We didn’t make it to Silves or Tavira.
We loved Evora and we would highly recommend the Pousada. 1 day and 1 night is enough though.
We loved Setubal peninsula and had an amazing afternoon at a sandy, lagoony beach. Beautiful warm water. It was an easy drive back in to Lisbon.
Lisboa was amazing. The GPS helped us and the hotel is perfectly located to the metro. Our walking tour was excellent. The 3 hours was interesting and we ate the traditional pastries and had some wine and cheese. The fado dinner was excellent and the music moving, but we were tired by midnight. We found a great restaurant for dinner that was delicioius, huge and inexpensive – 4 courses for 16 E . I believe it was The Story Restaurant, in a square / walk through near the elevator.
Sintra was very special. We only made it to the 2 sights up on the moutain but they were fantastic. WE stopped at a beach near Caiscas (sp?) but we weren’t able to find the bikes….we didn’t make it to the west of Sintra but that’s okay.
We loved Obidos, and we had a great beach swim in warm water near Peniche. The hotel Mar Bravo was excellent. Loved the location and the view. The water was a bit chilly with big waves but it was still great fun. 2 nights were enough as the Saturday crowds arrived. We found a fantastic dinner restaurant right around the corner from the hotel that was deeeeelicious and inexpensive….we ate there both nights. The name was ….darn, I can’t remember nor find it on the web. It was just around the corner from the hotel.
Aveira was a nice stop on the long day of driving. It was pretty and the boat ride was nice for 8 E. WE loved the pousada at Geres! Amazing views, great pool, fantastic breakfast and a big dinner. The rooms are a bit shabby but still great! We loved swimming in the lake, too, and we did a hike and drive all around. Well worth a couple of days.
We wish we had driven to Porto via the Douro Valley. The Ponta da Lima and west to Castelo…wasn’t as pretty. The cathedral was lovely and a great view. We couldn’t find a warm beach for our last swim before Porto, but that was maybe our fault. IT was windy and the water cold. Someone told us after about a built in pool in the rocks just north of Porto.
We LOVED Porto. Our hotel was cool….Musica….very modern and comfortable. The service was excellent and the breakfast excellent. It was close to a metro too. The tour down the river was good, but I would ask your customers if they’d like a longer tour, with dinner, that goes up the river more. I’m sad to have missed the Douro wineries….we loved the port tasting !!!! WE were tired and it was hot so we were glad of the hop on hop off bus as Porto is big!
The rental car worked beautifully. Driving there was fine, way easier than the narrow streets of Scotland.
Obrigada, Magdalena. Those are just a few reflections. It was a wonderful 2 week trip. We used your booklet a lot but didn’t track down the restaurants that you suggested often, as we found that overwhelming. There are soooo many restaurants everywhere that we just chose 1 that we came across. The breakfasts were so delicious and filling that we often didn’t eat lunch!
Take care. If you ever come to Victoria or Vancouver, let us know. We could arrange a beautiful trip for you!
Thirell and David Trottier”