About Us
Guest Book
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Jean and Dale Mosier, USA, July 2015
“Dear Diana,
Just a quick note to say “Many Thanks!” for all your help while we traveled through your beautiful country! We all had a wonderful visit.
We found your organizations very professional. Appreciated the information you provided and the detailed itinerary for each location. The guides you provided were excellent and a joy to be around. The hotels were in good locations and staffed well.
All in all, we had a wonderful time, many thanks for all your support.
Warm regards,
Jeanne”
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Kathleen Sykes and Stephen Vetzner, USA, July 2015
“Hi Sofia,
Everything was terrific. We loved Portugal and everywhere we went. I do have some comments that should not be viewed as negative, just positive feedback.
We particularly want to praise Carla, our guide for the walk in Sagres. She was terrific.
The one activity that we changed was the boat trip in Lagos. As you know, we had friends meeting us in Lisbon later that day and were anxious to see them. So when we arrived and talked to the boat company, we were concerned about the length of the boat trip (4 and a half hours; I thought it was 4 but either way our desire to see our friends changed our thinking because it would mean getting to Lisbon later than we wanted). The heat that day was also very bad. It also seemed that the trip was more a leisure cruise, although the grotto tour was included. So we changed to a shorter grotto trip without an additional charge. I probably should have asked more about this trip. I assumed it was more nature oriented, but I don’t blame you for setting it up.
We also took a short boat trip in Tavira, which was excellent. I think I would have liked to have seen options for slightly longer trips in the Formosa.
Our guide in Lisbon, Patricia, was also excellent. Although we discussed where we would tour, I felt we could have had a couple of short stops for shopping during the walk, which was half a day. Once again, this is not a criticism just a thought that it is good to have time to rest and look at things a bit more closely. Please don’t share these comments with her.
The road book was generally fine. In a few instances, it seemed to have some duplication. There were also a couple of times where it had information on a place we were not headed. For example, the section on the drive from Lagos to Lisbon had a stop along the coast and a listing for a hotel.
We followed a couple of the restaurant suggestions. With respect to hotels, Altis Avendia was excellent and provided superb service and help. All the hotels’ personnel were incredibly helpful. The hotel in Evora was very good and roomy, but also felt that it was almost too big a place. Would have liked to have tried the other hotel. The Pousada in Sagres was fine, but does feel a bit dated. But it was very clean and welcoming and was located perfectly.
Once again, these aren’t criticisms, because every day we rave about our trip AND Portugal Trails. You did an excellent job and really appreciate your approach and appreciation for the beauty and hospitality of Portugal.
We will use you again and recommend you without question.
Obrigado,
Steve”
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David and Thirell Trottier, Canada, July 2015
“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”
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Nancy and Stephen Walsh, USA, June 2015
“Dear Sofia,
I am writing to thank you for arranging a wonderful trip. This trip was taken to celebrate our 10 years of marriage and I could not have asked for anything more wonderful. You and your team went above and beyond anything we could have imagined. Every accommodation was top notch and the people were wonderful. I am sorry to say I do not believe I gave Sofia a large enough tip for her services. Please let her know how sorry I am and that is was no reflection of her job. We just did not know. I will write a review to honor your wonderful service and recommend that people use your travel assistance. Thanks again for all you did for us and making our trip unforgettable.
If there was anything to give feedback on it would be the communication of our tapas and wine tasting with the boat trip in Averio. The boat trip and its people where amazing but it seemed once we got to the restaurant for tapas and wine tasting the staff at the restaurant acted as if they knew nothing about it. They were kind and gave us the tapas and drinks. But there was no tasting of wines. We told them what we wanted to drink. It was somewhat uncomfortable. But that is all everything else was AMAZING.
Thanks again for all you did.
Nancy Walsh”
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Barb and Ian Bryan, Australia, June 2015
“Hello Sofia,
We are slowly getting back into our usual routine here in Australia after 4 wonderful weeks in your lovely country. We found the Portuguese people so welcoming and friendly everywhere we went, and that makes such a difference when you are travelling in a foreign country. It is hard to highlight any particular experience as they were all so different, from the romantic wine valleys to the wild and beautiful Algarve coast. Our tour and degustation lunch at the winery, at Esporao was just superb, we are so glad that you convinced us to go. I know we had doubts to start with,but it ended up being a memorable experience. We have to say the accommodation you booked for us was excellent with some amazing views. Our guides also were great everywhere especially the delightful Carla in Sagres. We also enjoyed our time in Spain, with Ronda being a standout for us. The little white mountain villages were like taking a trip back in time. All in all we had a lovely holiday and the information you gave us was a great help, from places to see to restaurants to eat .. Thank you for designing such a comprehensive itinerary for us. We would happily recommend your services to anyone contemplating visiting Portugal.
Best wishes,
Barb and Ian”
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Peter & Margaret Robinson, United Kingdom, June 2015
“Dear Sofia,
We are back home after an absolutely marvellous holiday. The arrangements you made for us went smoothly and every part was something we enjoyed. Both hotels were of the highest quality and we were particularly impressed by the staff who were very professional and extremely welcoming. Indeed one of the highlights of our tour was the people we met. The guides who accompanied us on our tours were excellent. Every one of them provided a service that could not be faulted and I hope you pass on our opinion to the companies they work for. All of the transfers went well and the drivers also provided a faultless service.
Finally can I once again thank you for the way you have dealt with our requests and put them into practice. I will certainly recommend Portugal Trails to anyone thinking of a holiday in Portugal Best wishes
Peter Robinson”