Spectacular Portugal Adventure: Kayaks and Cooking

I have used Zicasso for a few of my trips and I appreciate that they assist in connecting you with a local travel company, without trying to find someone on my own. Having booked a few trips, I have a pretty good idea of what to expect with the arrangements being made with the local company. What I have learned is that this travel company doesn't deliver some of the concierge services like other companies.

Upon arrival, the travel company was there to greet me and check me into my hotel, which was great after a long day of travel. However, I never heard from them again until the fourth day into the trip. Yes, I could have messaged them if I really needed something. However, I have been accustomed to some of the other agencies that check in each day to see how things are going and remind me of what is on the schedule next. In addition, if there were tour days that needed to start prior to breakfast being served at the hotel, they arranged for a breakfast box at the front desk. This was an arrangement I did myself on this trip. With other agencies, they took on this task. It is by no means a deal breaker, but just a different level of service provided.

The lodging booked in Lisbon was extremely tight in space and I would not recommend staying at that site, which I told the travel company. It was so tight that I could not even open the closet door when pushing the bed as far as I could. Thankfully, I was traveling solo, or it would have been absolutely miserable trying to fit two people, with luggage.

My trip included going to Lagos. In that area, the travel company did a good job arranging a local driver and an excursion with a local guide; it was nice to get out of some of the touristy type of excursions in Lisbon (Sintra and Fatima).

Overall, the trip was pretty seamless and enjoyable.

Our Zicasso travel agent curated a private tour for the six of us, including the perfect mix of historical, gastronomical, wine, and cultural experiences. 

We stayed in Lisbon, Évora, the Dao Valley, the Douro Valley, and Porto. We traveled in a comfortable Mercedes van and, to break up our trips, we stopped at amazing sites along the way as we traveled from city to city. 

Some of our favorite things were a private sunset sail in Lisbon, a fado dinner, the Évora Cathedral, a cork trek and wine tasting in Alentejo, the monastery at Batalha, wine tastings in Santar (Dao Valley), a boat ride on the Douro, wine tastings and hiking in the Douro Valley, the Bom Jesus shrine in Braga, the Port tasting and dinner in Porto, and multiple pastry tastings along the way. 

Our guides were fantastic. They were attentive, on time, and very knowledgeable about the history and culture of each place we visited. 

There were very few issues on our 17-day tour, which was literally one of the smoothest and best-curated trips we have ever had. We will use our travel company and agent again as we intend to go back to Porto and the Douro Valley.

This was a fantastic trip to Porto, Lisbon, and the surrounding areas, tailored to our needs and interests. We had an extensive walking tour of Lisbon, vineyards, and historic sites with our tour guide. Zicasso's travel agent provided personalized service consistent with a good small company. There was a rail strike while we were there and they handled it.

My husband and I were lucky enough to have found Zicasso’s travel specialist and the tour company. She, along with our amazing guides, gave us the most amazing experience in Portugal that I know we would not have had without their guidance. I wanted to make sure we had the typical tourist attractions and some that were not typical.

Our travel specialist planned a perfect trip from Lisbon to Porto for us. She was always a text or call away for any questions and was the most amazing host. Our guides were wonderful and they were very knowledgeable about the country and the places they took us to. It was so nice going into little cafés and special places that they wanted us to see, which we would never have gone to on our own.

We have traveled all over the world and this travel team is top-notch!!

We enjoyed a relaxing trip to Portugal in December 2025. Zicasso’s travel company and their team were awesome, very present, tailored the trip based on our needs, and we got to explore much of the country, given the time of the year. The itinerary suggested was wholesome, relaxing, and covered most of the sights and sounds. I would highly recommend them to friends and family.