Holiday Reviews
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same trip can have different views!
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Self guided walking holidays in Portugal, independent reviews
 Reviewed 30 Apr 2006 by Eliza Mood |  |
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Many memorable parts. The tiny ancient synagogue in Castelo de Vide with its sacred niche above the doorpost, the water pant in a diminutive square in the Jewish quarter where people would have gathered to talk life and belief before the inquisition closed down the conversation, the cobble patterns climbing to Marvao, water snakes, a baby gecko on the whitewashed step of Ken's Quinta, our host family, the American family we met staying there, a donkey peering down at us from a wooded knoll, the music of sheep bells, the Portuguese people, mainly older as the younger generation have moved to the city, smiling and pointing down another green lane, the swathes of vipers bugloss and birdsfoot trefoil the size of lupins, climbing a hill to find another country, Spain, sweeping away on the other side, the shrike's cache, the down to earth local restaurant where one order was a whole casserole of venison or black pig...and on and on... even the dog bite that still brands my leg...how can I forget...
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Follow the instructions on the 'how to get there' sheet to the letter. Try the walks suggested and have a map with you so that you can sort out the overgrown bits. Take a European spotting guide for any thing you might be interested in.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
We spent a little bit of money locally but the villagers live a hard rural lifestyle. Foreigners are buying up the farmhouses abandoned by death of the older generation of families. Some stared at us out of a different world. Why should they connect with these tourists passing through? Traders have always had exchange of goods for money to connect them. We did have gesticulating conversations with some. I think the place to start would be to learn more of the language. The phrasebook got us by. I don't think we contributed much, though another type of holiday may have had a more detrimental impact. thing you might be interested in.
4. Any other comments?
For us it was five star because we really did find a little nook where the culture was pre-industrial, living concurrently with other lifestyles. A sign though that people may have felt threatened by the outside world was the tradition of keeping dogs chained up on each farm for security (which felt less comfortable for the visitor - and unnecessary - but who am I to criticize). Thanks...we really enjoyed it.
| Reviewed 22 Mar 2008 by Simon Alterskye | |
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
For me it was having the experience of visiting not only a new country for the first time but really seeing and experiencing the country at first hand. It was wonderfully invigorating, and a perfect place to spend a 'special birthday', particularly being at the Cabo da Roca on the day.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Approach it all with an open mind and a smile. Portugal is wonderful and a value for money place to visit. If you're a vegetarian, make this quite clear. Food for vegetarians can be limited in Sintra, however there are some real value for money vegetarian restaurants in Lisbon itself. Be prepared for all weathers, we were lucky that our time in the Sintra region remained dry and on occasions hot. However, this changed in part when we returned to Lisbon. Try some of the local delicacies, they were value for money but as with all things, shop around!
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Yes, certainly, public transport was used whenever possible and taxis rarely. We did try all sorts of places to eat and drink and really benefited from this.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
We'll be recommending both this particular holiday and the general website itself to family and friends. We were really pleased with the holiday, its range of walks, activities and general value for money etc.
| Reviewed 29 Nov 2006 by Jan and Laura Burns | |
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
We had a great time on the holiday. Julie was great, we felt very looked after, it changed our view of the Algarve and we would definitely recommend the company to others, and have already. What was special was the personalised treatment, we felt like it really mattered that we were enjoying ourselves and getting the most out of the holiday. Of course also the breakfasts provided by Susan in Bica Boa and the great packed lunches, which we are missing badly now back at work.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Tips to others - eat the local fish, drink the local wine and make friends with the dogs. Do not let your travel companion attempt to throw your boots to you after wading through a river, put them round your neck!
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
The trip definitely brought commerce to the local people, and smaller local businesses. It also made us appreciate the beauty and nature of the Algarve countryside and coasts. Also made us keener to do more walking holidays. Final rating **** Go do it!!
| Reviewed 14 Jun 2006 by Gali Beiner | |
I am quite happy to say that the couple of holiday packages I combined together with the help of this operator were truly enjoyable. I especially recommend the Serra de Sintra one to everyone: not only the area itself is hugely attractive, but each walk, each day, offered a different perspective of the region and the place arranged for me to stay in was fantastic, and in both holiday packages, run by Portuguese people.
My hosts in both places were extremely helpful and were a pleasure to stay with. They also knew best which local services to use. Even though many tourists come to this region of Portugal, I was mostly away from the crowd - saying hello to local people at the local fountain or some such thing.
Other travellers booking the Sintra holiday should know that if they arrive in the morning of the first day rather than the afternoon or evening, they will benefit from being able to take all four walks given in the holiday package instead of choosing only three of them. All four are worthy and enjoyable! and each one is different, even the two starting from the same spot go completely separate ways.
Considering the places of interests, views, options of activities etc. my rating for the Serra de Sintra package is 5 stars - absolutely amazing, and for the Lisbon Coast package 3 stars - very enjoyable.
My hosts in both places were extremely helpful and were a pleasure to stay with. They also knew best which local services to use. Even though many tourists come to this region of Portugal, I was mostly away from the crowd - saying hello to local people at the local fountain or some such thing.
Other travellers booking the Sintra holiday should know that if they arrive in the morning of the first day rather than the afternoon or evening, they will benefit from being able to take all four walks given in the holiday package instead of choosing only three of them. All four are worthy and enjoyable! and each one is different, even the two starting from the same spot go completely separate ways.
Considering the places of interests, views, options of activities etc. my rating for the Serra de Sintra package is 5 stars - absolutely amazing, and for the Lisbon Coast package 3 stars - very enjoyable.
| Reviewed 11 Sep 2006 by Laura Burleson | |
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Seeing two great blue herons take off from the riverside and fly by only feet above our heads. I knew that they were big birds, but just HOW big doesn't really sink in until you're that close.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
a. Bring hiking boots with a little extra room in the toes. There is a LOT of steep downhill travel on these walks and even boots that are normally fine for hiking can lead to minor bruising.
b. Learn a little Portuguese. Polite words and being able to ask directions (however haltingly) go a long way if you manage to get off track in one of the tiny villages (like we did).
c. On our particular holiday, everyone staying at the Quinta spoke Dutch! They spoke English too, but after a few glasses of the fantastic wine, everyone reverted to their native tongue. Just know that this might happen.
d. Don't worry about the Portuguese dogs. There are a lot of them in some of the villages, but they're pretty skittish and will bark at you but not chase you.
e. The end of August is not an ideal time to do this walk. It's very dry, but also VERY hot. Spring and fall would be better. If you DO go in summer, plan to walk early when it's cooler (arrive home by 2) and then enjoy some nice relaxing time in the garden.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
I think that the trip benefited the local people. We ate food that was grown almost exclusively in the local region-- the hosts pointed out where the beef came from, the cook picked vegetables from the garden, etc. Lots of very small, local vineyards were showcased in the wine tastings, and we made purchases because of it. As for the walking, all the walks were along dirt trails through woods and vineyards, making it easy to minimize our impact.