Portugal Vacation Review: Lisbon, Porto, Sintra, Douro Valley, Vineyard, 1-Week Trip

Review by traveler

Lisa H.

9.21.2023

General Info

Traveler Review

Which Country (Countries) did you visit on this trip?

Portugal

Your overall comments on the trip and the travel company:

The travel company was selected after speaking with three other travel agencies. Our agent came across as the best listener and I thought she was the best person to help us design our trip. The drivers were all great, they were on time, very friendly, they were very knowledgeable about the areas, and spoke English very well. The hotels selected were in great locations, the rooms were well-appointed. The breakfasts were fantastic. The excursions did not go as well as I hoped. The trip to Sintra was not described well. The included hike did not mention the fact that the guide was not allowed to take us into any of the national monuments. It was very disappointing. We actually let the guide go and entered Quinta da Regaleira on our own. We appreciated the fact that our driver was very flexible and accommodating once we abandoned the hike. I think the issue is that the trip was mostly planned over email given the time difference. Not enough opportunity to lay out expectations and fully understand what was being planned.

The trip to the Douro Valley was also somewhat of a letdown. The driver was not as attentive to the guests. He left us wondering what was going on while he was taking cigarette breaks. He also didn't speak loudly enough so those in the back of the vehicle could hear. The servers at the vineyard where we had lunch made no attempt to discuss any of the wines that we were being served. This wouldn't have been so noticeable if we couldn't see the servers at the next table speaking about the wines (in Portuguese). In the end, I was glad we hadn't planned an excursion for every day because the trip would have cost more and we probably would have been more disappointed.

What were the most enjoyable or memorable parts of your trip?

I thought the country was lovely. The sardinhas were delicious. We enjoyed the free walking tour in Lisbon. We will come back to Porto one day.

If you could take your trip again, what would you do differently?

I would have to ask a lot more questions. I wouldn't use a travel agent that was in a time zone such that it was difficult to have more conversations about the itinerary.

Travel Company Comments:

Dear Lisa,

On behalf of our travel company, I’d like to thank you for taking the time to share your experience.

We're sorry to hear that the trip didn’t go as you envisioned and that some of its components weren’t up to your expectations. As you know, all feedback we receive from travelers is taken seriously and into consideration, so again we appreciate your honest opinion about what could have gone better with regard to your itinerary.

I’d like to also present my apologies if you ever felt like you didn’t receive adequate assistance from my end during the planning process or while you were in Portugal. We believe that the benefits of having a local travel advisor outweigh what could be considered a hassle due to time difference and that the overall value of the experience you get is higher when compared to seeking out a company that is not local just because it ends up being more convenient.

At our travel company, we pride ourselves in presenting the best our country has to offer and we go beyond what could be considered standard customer service by being flexible and sensitive to time differences, always putting our clients’ schedules first, offering 24/7 support should the need arise and also taking care of operational and logistical matters that come with organizing a trip (this includes double and triple checking with every partner involved to assure the arrangements for a client arrival are all taken care of prior to his/her arrival; last-minute changes or requests).

Even so, from my end, I can say it was a pleasure to help you with the travel arrangements to our beautiful country. Despite the mention that you felt some of the elements included on your itinerary did not work well, I honestly hope you were pleased with the overall journey, but most importantly that you had fun, explored, and relaxed during your days in Portugal with your loved ones - this is my ultimate goal and what I work for daily; not only to be able to show off all the wonders my country has to offer its visitors but also to have a direct impact on someone’s life and to be able to witness customers creating memories that hopefully they will fondly look back to, for many years to come.

It’s great to hear that you enjoyed the hotels, restaurants, and the level of service provided during the transfers – every partner we work with is carefully selected based on our clients’ profiles, what they look for regarding their trip, as well as a bit of our personal taste - all to produce the perfect result (or at least the next best thing!)

The keyword of what I said above and a major piece of the puzzle I like to call “our clients’ trips” is most definitely “partners”. We pride ourselves in picking who we consider are the best partners for accommodation, experiences, tours, transportation…basically everything that is needed to put together a complete itinerary. Tourism is an industry composed in its entirety of relationships, either with clients or commercial ones with partners, which means that we depend a lot on our partners for everything to work during our clients’ trips; we organize and get the ball rolling however they are the ones who make it happen.

I don’t want you to take this as an excuse, I’m simply sharing with you how we work, and what we believe in but also shedding some light on the logistics that go with putting together an entire itinerary, which most of the time our clients aren’t aware of.

I’m sad that one of the last remarks you have on your review is that you are glad you did not include more services and that you wouldn’t have used a local travel agency again…this is far from what we strive for and it's disappointing to hear that we fell short in your case. It wasn’t my intention at all to have one of my clients feeling like this by the end of their trip since I like to view myself as a trusted partner to customers and not as someone who is not available when needed.

I believe we always have room for improvement so we are very grateful for your feedback and will use it to improve our business.

Thank you again for your candor and openness but also for trusting in me with your trip.

I wish you the very best in life and that you have a wonderful day!