Kimkim Trip Reviews for Portugal

Our room was very big for European standards and included a mini fridge. The hotel is a bit older but comfortable and everyone was very nice. The fifth floor terrace to hang out on was spacious and beautiful. An easy walk to all the riverfront activities and restaurants.

Our room was very tiny and I didn’t love the concrete floors. It was very clean though and had a mini fridge. The lobby is beautiful and the restaurant is quite good. If we had an upgraded room I think I would have enjoyed it more

Our room was spacious by European standards and very comfortable. The patio was nice and the rooftop pool was awesome, beautiful views! The restaurant was also very good and this hotel has an amazing included breakfast; not just a buffet but menu ordering. A very easy walk to the harbor.

Wow! What a welcome to Portugal. The food was amazing, the music was magical, and you got unlimited wine; can’t beat it!!

Very informative way to get to know the city

This was such an incredible experience, probably our favorite of the trip. Without giving away too much this is far more than a normal winery visit

You will not leave hungry! Multiple courses paired with wine and all very good. A small tour after

A unique and quirky hotel that is very well located, with a tremendous staff that is quick and eager to please, and support its guests. Accommodations were clean and comfortable, breakfast was good, and the hotel itself is historic, with a great vibe.

If you get the right room, the views can be amazing! Otherwise, it is a highly touristic hotel that lacks personalized service, and any cultural charm (views excepted). Wifi strength is marginal. Breakfast is a standard buffet. You are not centrally located within the Algarve,

A beautiful reconstruction of an old sanitarium. Nicely situated within the park. Wifi strength was good. Breakfast was very good, although in the bar, food and service were both lacking. Staff were generally kind and helpful. It would be nice if tours were offered of the property given its history; to learn more about its use, layout, and reconstruction.

A beautiful property that's ideally situated, with a kind and helpful staff, great food and drink, solid wifi and amenities.

A purely tourist hotel. It is conveniently located within the city; within walking distance of a lot of sights and activities. However, it lacks any local charm or character. Wifi is mediocre. Breakfast was good though. Staff were attentive and kind. Construction works next to the hotel were disruptive, with noise and vibration that began early in the day and continued to the evening.

A purely touristic hotel. While nicely located within the city, it lacks any kind of local vibe. Staff were generally uninterested and disengaged. Wifi was stable and breakfast was okay - the same offerings each day. If you like consistency and predictability, this is a fine hotel. If you prefer a more tailored, boutique experience, look elsewhere.

A comfortable place to stay, walkable to the core of PDL. Kind and helpful staff. Great wifi. Great breakfast. The spa, and its associated amenities, were superb.

Rita was an excellent guide. Funny. Engaging. Knowledgable. She put together a loop that traversed each neighborhood, sharing historical and cultural highlights along the way. I asked specifically if she knew of any Vhils works, and she was able to incorporate one as we walked, which was greatly appreciated. She introduced us to many foods and shops, making stops so we could sample them as we went. It was a wonderful introduction to Lisbon!

Sintra is a must-see destination if you're in Lisbon. We were paired with Rita once again, which we both were pleased with. The skip-the-line tickets were enormously helpful! Guides are not allowed within Pena Palace, which was a little disappointing, however, Rita was keen to answer our questions before and after our tour. Throughout the day, she was kind, eager to share her knowledge, and helpful. The only downside, for me, was the lack of visiting the Moorish Castle. I felt like there was time within the day to do so, being respectful of our timed entries elsewhere. We made a stop for lunch, which could have been shortened or skipped outright to make time for the castle. Rita didn't feel it was a worthwhile destination, but I disagreed with her assessment. Still, she and our driver Rui fulfilled our request to visit Cabo da Roca, which was also very appreciated as it lengthened the day.

This was great! To learn how to make this iconic pastry was a real "treat"! The class was good. Small enough to be personal and move along at a steady clip. Everyone was engaged and having a good time. Our instructor was funny, well prepared to teach the class, and helped all of us succeed in our endeavor. There were steps that were completed in advance, both for ease and timing. Personally, I would have liked to have participated in each step, even if that meant a longer overall class. But still, a really good time.

The Fado, was sublime. Beautiful. Haunting, in a way. You could close your eyes and feel the music. It was truly beautiful. The Portuguese guitar is a striking instrument, both in looks and sound. And those creating the music, playing the guitar, singing, were soulful, talented, and a joy to listen to. The dinner itself was okay. Good. Not as exceptional as the music. Restaurant staff were kind, but disorganized and rushed. In the end, they got everyone seated, meals and drinks ordered, and it all worked out. But it seemed like it was their first time doing it. The venue itself is nice, although I would suggest being seated away from the front entrance where the musicians will ultimately perform, as you're inches away, the music and singing would be loud.

Rui showed up to the hotel on time. Brought us to the rental car directly, and offered to stay until we were set up.

In hindsight, I should have communicated our plans more accurately. Timings for some of the places we wanted to get to weren't clear. For example. the Convent of Our Lady of Arrabida, was closed. The Forte de Albarquel had limited hours. Had we known those in advance we could have made better use of our time. We ended up visiting the Forte de Sao Filipe which was outstanding! From there we drove to Setubal for lunch, taking your suggestion for the choco frito. It seemed like there was a fair amount to see in Setubal, but again, it really wasn't discussed so we didn't know. We walked around a little before we continued our drive to the hotel.

This was a phenomenal restaurant! Well designed, curated, nice touches in plating and silverware. Attentive service. Delicious food! Great atmosphere. Terrific all around!

A great way to experience this dramatic coastline. The equipment provided was of good quality, and the staff were each excellent! I was grateful the boat captain enabled us to take a quick swim on our return to the harbor. Our kayaking instructor was fun, kind, helpful to those in the group that needed assistance. His knowledge of the area was great to listen to. I would have enjoyed more time on the water, but for what it was, no big complaints.

Nuno is an outstanding guide. It is clear he is passionate about the park, taking great pride in its beauty, diversity and fragility. His knowledge of its history, and biodiversity, was impressive. He took great care to assure our safety and comfort while in the park. Our lunch together was wonderful. He packed ham, bread and cheese, with jam and a bottle on wine (he forgot the glasses but that was easily handled). Sharing the day with him was a delight. I am glad we added more time, and that Nuno could accommodate us. Three hours would have been seriously limiting. He was willing to share suggestions for further exploration, and offered us insights on our hotel that the hotel staff themselves couldn't do.

This experience was incorrectly booked as just the boat trip, and not the boat and kayak trip combined. This was not a big deal and is not the reason behind my rating. I greatly appreciate your response to that situation. Rather, the boat is, just a boat. The ride upriver is scenic and that's really it. You don't go all that far. I'm glad we did not go upriver with the boat and then kayak downriver back to town. It's the same view, and the river channel is busy with a lot of boat traffic. It would not have been very relaxing. Doing the two separately allowed us to kayak down the other arm of the river which was, frankly, dirty and smelly. Not super great. I would skip this activity overall, and would rather do a private boat hire with a wine and cheese tasting that would travel a greater distance along the river. No kayaking. And spend more time exploring the wineries along the valley.

This was easily one of the best meals we had on our trip. Highly elevated, exceptional dining in a beautifully situated and sophisticated dining space.

To begin, I didn't know this was booked as a private activity. Maybe it wasn't and we got lucky that it was just the two of us and our guides. But if it was booked as such - thank you! Our guides, Daniel and Wolf were phenomenal! They took great care to assure our comfort and safety. For Lilian, this was especially important as this was her first canyoning experience. The course itself was great! Beautifully scenic, and challenging enough without being (too) overwhelming. Again, to Daniel and Wolf, your efforts in making the day safe, comfortable and fun, were much appreciated. The experience itself was great! We enjoyed witnessing the beauty of Madeira from an entirely unique perspective.

Tasty regional food that's worth the effort to get to! The cooking method embodies the region, and imparts a particular note that's very good. The restaurant bottles their own wines, which accompany the meal especially well. Good service, adds to the overall enjoyment!

Bernardo is an excellent guide! He met us at our hotel on time, and introduced us to the main highlights of Porto on a route that was easily managed, and complete, considering the relative vastness of the city. He was enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and fun to be with and listen to. He also made recommendations regarding other sights to see, places to eat, and addressed any questions we had along the way.

This was an incredible experience to be offered. Thank you! Ricardo picked us up as scheduled in front of our hotel. He was delightful! As we drove around, we made a few stops, per the general itinerary. Here, I would have liked some more input to determine which stops would be made. Nevertheless, Ricardo was responsive to a few of our requests, which was greatly appreciated! We spent a lot of time in one location in particular, and Ricardo communicated to our hosts that we would be a little late. Once we arrived we were greeted warmly, and with Ricardo and their son ably translating for all of us, it was a wonderful evening. The meal prepared was delicious, and a vast spread of local dishes. The wine, and fire water, flowed easily, and in spite of the language differences, we were able to share our experiences in Portugal to that point, while also learning about our hosts, their backgrounds and experiences. In the end we ran out of time. It was such an enriching, joyful, dinner - one of the most impactful of our trip, and a lifelong memory! Thank you!!!

This was a great way for us to visit places we wouldn't have been able to access short of keeping the rental car. Still, to have someone else drive was kind of nice. Ricardo was once again phenomenal as he greeted us on time, and brought us to the places on our itinerary, sharing some of his knowledge about each location, and a few of the sights in between. We were all able to have lunch together, which was wonderful, as it gave us an opportunity to get to know each other a little better. The sights we visited were as we had requested, and I appreciate that Ricardo gave us time to explore at our leisure, while also offering suggestions on how we could make the use of our time. It was a great day!

It is a good restaurant, although I would suggest a lunchtime visit as opposed to a dinner one as they do not accept reservations. The food, service, drink, are all on point. The atmosphere is a little bland, though.

Mr Bruno is an excellent guide (seems to be a recurring theme here!). We enjoyed our time with him as he walked us through the main sights of PDL, which is not an incredibly vast city. In that way, we held a more leisurely pace, taking our time at each stop to really engage, learn about it, and enjoy some local bites and drinks. Bruno was friendly, fun, and funny! Listening to him was a real delight, and he was happy to entertain the questions we asked.

The Views Of this Hotel are absolutely stunning! Who would not Love waking up to this beautiful hotel . This is a must stay hotel in Douro Valley.

This is definitely a 5 Star Hotel! We loved everything from the character of the hotel, to the room we stayed in, all the staff we came into contact with, the coffee shop attached to the hotel. We will absolutely be coming back to this hotel.

Angela and the staff was absolutely amazing. We met some amazing people from all different places as we were cooking together. All the dishes that we cooked were delicious, and we were able to get the recipes to take home. This is a must do when in Lisbon Portugal.

The Heritage Avenida Liberdade, was our favorite hotel - historic with lots of character, very comfortable, and the service, breakfast, and location was perfect.

Margarida was a wonderful guide, sharing the history and culture of Lisbon and answering all our questions as we walked around.

We had private sunset sail, which was beautiful.

Beautiful hotel with great service!

Gorgeous views!

Fun to see some of the off the beaten path areas of Lisbon. Learned about portuguese food and wine pairings. Love hearing the history behind the places we visited.

Our tour guide was amazing as I described in the earlier review. But the helicopter ride was horrible. We could hear all chatter from the communication chatter and it was screeching in our ears. The pilot did not describe any of the sites we were flying over. We paid quite a bit of money for this helicopter ride and could not be more disappointed.

Our Captains were so accommodating. A relaxing experience with gorgeous views. We sipped wine while laying on the catamaran with pillows they provided. When it got cold, they had blankets ready for us. Great experience

We had the same guy as before. See previous review on how amazing he was.

Great location. Comfortable rooms. Good quality and selection of foods at breakfast. Staff was helpful and friendly.

Beautiful location with amazing views of the Douro river. The on-site restaurant was delicious! It was nice that they included a free tour and port tasting.

Very central location within walking distance to everything.

It was great to get a historical perspective of the city and to see the main sites and neighborhoods.

Very fun to walk the old city and taste local foods.

Lovely cocktails

Nice big rooms with beautiful view of the ocean and hotel pool. Towels were thread bare, no shampoo or conditioner was in the bathroom. The pool bar serves a small menu of choices for lunch and dinner but closes around 9:30, which is odd for a country that usually eats very late dinners.

Great location in downtown Lisbon, with great bar and restaurant. The rooms are very small and no space in the bathroom for personal stuff. Staff were very attentive and friendly

The tour had 6 passengers, all of us senior, and in a regular jeep, so 2 of us had to sit in the jumper seat in the back. I would not have booked this tour if I’d known what the vehicle arrangement was. Tour was nice though, in terms of views and photo ops. Guide was nice and friendly

This was an amazing trip! Joao was our driver and guide and he was very informative and knowledgeable. We visited a castle and medieval town where there was a beautiful little church, and sweet little town. The wine tasting included a charcuterie board and several very good wines. In the town of evora we saw the church of bones and a Roman ruin. Beautiful day!

Highly Recommended Great Guide Fascinating information Well organized SMALL GROUP - this was a huge benefit. We saw large groups parading down the streets behind a guide with an high-flying flag. No thank you. In small group tours, one gets to meet and enjoy others in the group. In small groups you can hear the guide and ask questions as they arise. It was all very enjoyable.

Relaxing river cruise with winetasting Breath-taking heights and winding roads Beautiful wineries and food Highly recommended

This was so much fun. We enjoyed a catamaran with just 13 guests and 6 crew members. The vista was beautiful, the food and drinks were excellent (I even tried the sardines). And the staff was extremely accommodating and fun.

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.

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.

Great breakfast, excellent location and very helpful and caring staff!

Great location, helpful staff and good food!

Beautiful view and great breakfast! Helpful staff! Nice central location!

A very nice leisurely tour with excellent variety of local food. Lots of history shared too! Dani was an excellent guide!!

This was very helpful! We didn’t get to everything because it was raining.

We learned so much on this tour! Highly recommend it!

We really enjoyed our driver and the knowledge he shared!

It was raining but that didn’t stop us! Our guide was very knowledgeable and we saw some amazing things! It was a good thing to get your bearings and the highlights of what to do and see.

It was great to have these as suggestions! We went to two of the three that were suggested.

Amazing!!! Fun experience with a few drink and food samples! A really cool way to see the city from a different perspective. Lots of great photo ops!

Definitely recommend this tour! Vasco took exceptional care of us!! It is nice to interact and experience something really local! Very interesting and educational…beautiful too!

I think this was the highlight of our trip! We got some very personal and unique experiences! Talking with the archeologist from the dig site was incredible! Our tour guide was the best!!!

Even in the pouring rain we had fun! Lots of cultural local and unique food! Definitely worth it!

This was also a definite highlight of our trip! João and Sophie were incredible hosts! The food was incredible and it was just fun sharing stories and visiting! The markets were very interesting too!

We didn’t get to experience everything because of the rain but what we did see was so beautiful! The guide is very helpful!

This was very interesting and beautiful. Our guide Luis was very flexible and helpful! We changed one of the sites we wanted to see and no problem!

This was such an adorable boutique hotel! The staff was wonderful, answering all of our questions and helping with directions. Our room overlooked the square and we had a fabulous view. Loved that breakfast was included and it offered everything you could think of. When we walked in the waitress asked for our choice of coffees and they made them from scratch every morning. In the evening that restaurant offered wonderful options. We loved the seafood platter and sausage plate!

This tour was not what the description said it would be. We were supposed to meet and talk with locals as we walked through town. We had one guide the entire time who was extremely knowledgeable and a great guide, but toward the end he was checking his phone quite often. All in all it was excellent, but not what I thought it would be.

This far exceeded our expectations! The guide and her trainee were very knowledgeable and we loved every minute. We recommended it to our friends that would be in Portugal in a few days and they were excited to try it too!

Loved having a comfy car tour instead of a standard bus tour! Our guide was amazing! He shared a lot about each local and even suggested two different options when the second stop on our schedule had a really long wait due to the number of people and gave us those options. Loved the seaside visit and one palace. It was just enough of each to make it enjoyable. The guide at Peña Palace was exceptional. He took us to the most amazing restaurant for lunch in a place we would never have found ourselves! The food he recommended as local fare was great and something we hadn’t experienced before.

If you want an updated great small local hotel this is the place. Staff was friendly and helpful. Breakfast exceeded expectations. The hotel is in the center of all night time action. Great dinning options and music all around.

This hotel is a real gem. The location was beautiful. The staff friendly and welcoming. The breakfasts delicious. We loved history and the art deco furnishings. One of the nicest boutique hotels we have ever stayed in.

While this hotel is right on the river, it feels very corporate and sterile in comparison to the other lovely hotels we stayed in while in Portugal.

Wonderful staff. Very accommodating and friendly. Great location. Beautiful view. Delicious breakfasts.

We thought this was a wonderful hotel. All the comforts: great location, welcoming and friendly staff.

Our day in the Douro Valley was absolutely magical. The winery we visited was the best wine tour we've ever been on, and the lunch there was incredible, probably one of the best meals of our trip. We had choices for our entrees, and all of them were accompanied by different wines. The scenery was beautiful, and our driver, Ricardo, made the experience even more enjoyable with his personal stories and history. It was a perfect day.

The private walking tour in Lisbon was fantastic. Sylvia, our guide, was very knowledgeable and provided us with so much information that was almost overwhelming—but in a good way. We almost rehired her for another tour because we wanted more. The tour was very well done, and trying Pastel de Nata was a highlight.

A grand old hotel in a very good location. Fantastic location near public transport.

Nice location on the river but very crowded area. No air conditioning and the room overlooked an alley with little air flow into the room.

Perfect location inside the old city walls and very comfortable but a bit sterile in design given its location.

A large, historic hotel with amazing views and very comfortable rooms. Our experience was impacted by large numbers of children filling pools, saunas, etc. It tends to be a family hotel with access to the nearby skinheads and mountains.

A beautifully appointed luxury hotel on the banks of the Douro River. Everything was amazing and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay!

Very nice hotel. We were upgraded to a junior suite with a large balcony. Very comfortable! Not central in city but we were more interested in exploring the island so it was ideal!

We really enjoyed this Riad, once we got used to the walk through the narrow, twisting alleys to the very unpretentious entrance door. Then, like so many other medina riads, it opens into a hidden world. It is inside the very large medina and we greatly enjoyed being able to wander at will.

What are greatly, family run guest house! The rooms are excellent and the owner is so friendly! The cook is also a family member and the included dinner and breakfast were excellent!

We were a bit disappointed. Descriptions suggest this camp is set amongst the dunes and you ride camels to get there. In fact, the government moved all camps out of the dunes some time ago and now there are more than 100 camps all located on the fringes. We reached camp via a very bumpy 4x4 trip. The "luxury" camp is already starting to show its age and there was no orientation welcome to tell us what to expect. In the event, camels did eventually arrive and we had a pleasant ride into the dunes for sunset! We have previously done a desert experience in Dubai and it was far better organized and set up than this one.

Beautiful hotel on a lake in the mountains. We loved the ski lodge feel and look of this hotel! Amazing use of rough hewed wood and stone throughout. The meals were excellent! Rooms were very large and comfortable

It is hard to rate this hotel! Our first impression was a five star based on the amazing reception courtyard and historic decorations and appointments! However, our allocated room was in a very poor location overlooking a noisy alley. It suffered from some sort of drainage smells for which staff had placed a noisy electric air freshener in the room and the air conditioner malfunctioned. (Our early notes indicated that we would havea pool view room - which this was not). After raising concerns with Marina, there was rapid action to shift us to a pool view room which was vastly superior to our original room. If we had had this room from the start we would have rated this hotel five stars!

Great riad in the middle of the old town area. Thoroughly enjoyed our stay here.

Excellent riad in a great location.

What are great, family run B&B! Lots of history, very comfortable, and located in a quiet little country town. Ideally located for visiting Monsanto. Excellent breakfast.

Our guide was enthusiastic, informative, humorous and happy for questions. He gave us a wonderful feel for the old neighborhoods of Lisbon.

The area really didn't have what we expected, though it was good to see the famous custard tarts being made.

A wonderful experience. Our guide was enthusiastic, entertaining, informative and helpful. The food was pretty good also 👌 😋

A fascinating location, beautiful historic village. We didn't have a guide but enjoyed walking around. We were pleased our driver got us there early.

We really enjoyed the restaurant, the staff, the food and especially the music.

We really wanted to learn more about cork, it's growing and production. This tour was great for achieving this.

Our driver was very friendly, and did provide a bit of an overview of Sintra however suggested one historic property to tour but didn't accompany us... the signage in the property was not good- none in English so we wandered around not understanding what we were looking at and missing some highlights. We spotted other visitors with audio headsets after we were well into the property unfortunately and didn't have time to go back. We were then rushed off and didn't have time to explore further. Cascais and Estoril were time wasted. It would have been better to focus the day on Sintra only.

An excellent day viewing the vinyard landscapes of the famous Douro valley. The olive oil tasting experience was great, both in terms of the tasting itself and the farm host who did an amazing job with his knowledge and humour (9/10). The port tasting was interesting but not as well presented as some (7/10). The river cruise was enjyable but the boats are very crowded (7/10). The overall day was well worth doing (8/10).

We were expecting more from Aveiro based on our reading and our request to include it in our schedule. In the end it was something of a tourist trap. Very crowded and a disapointing network of canals.

This is a beautiful and fascinating city with much to see. We were the only tour participants which was very good. The guide was very friendly and knowledgeable, however, we think the she tried to fit too much in the time available. There is lots of up and down walking and our guide tended to try to move too fast and fit too much commentary into each stop. We greatly enjoyed seeing the city but would have preferred a slower pace with slower commentary. (7/10)

We weren't expecting it, but this turned out to be one of the major highlights of our trip! (12/10) An incredible evening in a superb penthouse unit with our own private chef and his informative, friendly and fun guide/assistant! We thought it would be another cooking class but we were able to sit and watch this very talented professional chef prepare a gourmet multi course meal for us - all the time sipping on readily flowing quality wine! The night was enhanced by the friendliness and humour from our two hosts! Great night and highly recommended! The tour usually includes a visit to the local markets but they closed early for the holidays - The chef went ahead and selected an amazing array of food based on our openess to trying different fppds. Fantastic.

We thoroughly enjoyed the tour of this amazing property where there is mixed production of a range of agricultural pursuits, including cork, in a certified organic environment. The wine tasting was excellent and the guide for our individual tour did a great job. Highly recommended.

The Park is beautiful and the waterfalls we visited were wonderful. Our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable, loved the area and it showed. We were extremely fortunate that it was a holiday (easter) so there were not many visitors to the park pn the day, it made the experience special and a treat. We also enjoyed visiting the local village and sharing a meal. The trails are quite steep so it would not be for anyone with mobility limits... The guide and other 4 participants were much younger than us (25+ years) so we did slow them down a bit but we made it to each site! It was great to get out in the forests. The addition of a visit to the historic olive press was fantastic. Note: the guide and others often got a bit in front of us so we missed out on some of the commentary.

Our guide was excellent. He spoke very good english, was very knowledgeable helped us understand the amazing medina area of Marrakech. We loved the history and architecture, were very thankful for his helping us get our bearings around the winding alleyways. He was very easy to ask questions of and happy to discuss the cultural and political environment of Morocco. He also helped us skip some of the long lines of tourists at several of the areas we visited.. We were not focused on shopping so he was able to walk us through and explain some of the different areas and what and where to look for items if we decided to explore on our free day.

The best part of the day was the tour of Ait Benhaddou and the drive through the countryside. The driver was an excellent driver, his offsider the 'guide' didn't really understand what his role was at this point so was unable to answer our questions regarding the countryside we were driving through. We did stop at a viewpoint of the mountains (the required 2 hr stop for the driver). We really enjoyed the tour of Ait Benhaddou as we had a site specific guide who took us through the site and was very knowldgeable. An amazing historic site! On to Ouarzazate for a view of the remaining movie sets still standing from some of the famous movies made there. We opted not to do a tour and did not realise there was the "musee de Cinema' till after, driving straight through the town and heading to Boulmalne Dades. The valley is beautiful.

The drive to Todra Gorge was a letdown.. the gorge while at one point was probably spectacular has been overrun by tourists, stalls selling the same thing over and over and trash and tagging (grafitti). On our arrival at Merzouga our camel ride didn't really proceed as described as we were transferred to camp by vehicle not camel. After a bit of confusion, a guide and several camels arrived at camp and we did get to ride out into the dunes to watch the sunset with a friendly young guide who took us out to the top of a low dune where we got off and sat relaxing to watch the light and shadows travel over the dunes. It worked out well as we were not part of one of the large groups we watched traveling through the dunes towards the many camps scatttered along the edge of the dunes and the camels climbed the dunes for us for sunset! Our guide was helpful and informative and it was a beautiful and relaxing sunset.

We did a short tour of the souks - which most were closed as it was Friday. There were a few craftsmen working and our guide took us to a trader of many items from the many different tribes that live in the surrounding area. We did not see the Tomb of Moulay Ali Cherif, the square or the large garden. We did get a great view of the oasis of Aoufous. Did not stop for photos of the dam or gorges, or tunnel. The oasis and the scenery were quite enjoyable.

We really enjoyed the drive through the landscape and forests. We did not explore Azrou, we did see the monkeys, and visited the dead old tree. Ifrane is a beautiful city, lovely gardens and we quite liked the 'Lion of the Atlas' . Our onboard guide was much more forthcoming about the areas were travelling through which was good. We drove by the University but were told that they do not allow visitors anymore.

Our guide Hamid was excellent. Very friendly, informative and helped make the day engaging in spite of it being a friday and having much of the medina and craft shops closed. We did get to see some of the ceramic work - our guide explained some of the areas where there were no staff working and got us behind the scene to see those craftspersons who were working. Though the tanneries were not working we were able to do a short informative tour on the process. The Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts and Crafts was also closed. Hamid provided us with a very informative and enjoyable day in Fez (plus there were no motorbikes in the narrow alleys?)

Loved the countryside we passed through, amazing agriculture, quaint towns. We also stopped at the Roman ruins and had a guide take us through this amazing remnants of city that has been uncovered. It was a bit like being in Greece... except greener.

Loved the blue and we had a fantastic guide with Hamid. He loves the city and explained the history, pointed out the wall and the remaining towers. He was able to help us find some of the quieter streets and great views then down into the main square. He was really good about helping us understand the 'blue' and yes other colours of the old city. It is a delightful place to wander with the guide and on our own early the next morning. It was kind of interesting - motorcyles are not allow in the streets of the old town... but as it was a Sunday - young locals knew the police were not about so there were some buzzing through the narrow streets... but nothing like Marrakech.

Our team/guide were happy to let us have some extra time in Chefchaouen in the morning before heading to Tangier. We didn't walk to the overlook. Today's drive was a pretty easy trip and they were happy to check out the suggested Cave of Hercules and lookout and lighthouse for the Strait of Gibralter. The cave was a tawdy tourist spot - though with valid history... the lighthouse, viewpoint and museum at the key point of the strait of Gibralter was a great stop. Tangier itself didn't appeal.