Exploring Portugal’s Stunning Coastlines: Active Senior Vacation

The travel agent from Zicasso's tour company planned for my family of four the most spectacular and luxurious two-week trip around Portugal. We traveled to and enjoyed the highlights of Lisbon, the romantic architecture in Sintra, the incredible history of Évora, the beautiful coastline of the Algarve, the laid-back atmosphere and gorgeous scenery of Madeira, the beautiful, historical, bustling city of Porto, and the stunning scenery of the Douro Valley. 

The travel agent's suggestions and bookings were all perfectly aligned with what we envisioned and the accommodations booked were all beautifully appointed and family-oriented – five-star hotels that catered to the entire family, with indoor pools and kids greeted with backpacks and toys at the door, and nightly treats on pillows.

The tour guides booked were all very knowledgeable and kind. They were patient with my two- and four-year-olds, and taught us all so many new, amazing things.

Every day was a highlight, but I would say my girls really enjoyed the tile painting as well as the pastel de nata-making workshops.

My husband and I really enjoyed Évora and Sintra, and truly seeing the beauty and history of it all.

We absolutely fell in love with Portugal, the culture, and the food. My only regret is not having more time so we could’ve seen the Azores as well and stayed even longer. 

We so look forward to this travel agent planning us another perfect vacation in the near future!

Zicasso's travel agent was very easy to work with. She put together a great itinerary for our family vacation. She listened to our interests and also included some unique experiences for us that we would never have been able to set up on our own. She was also very quick to take care of some miscommunication at one of our hotels when we got to Lisbon and quickly got it resolved for us. Her communication was great and she took good care of us.

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.

We took our fourth private tour to Portugal using Zicasso. The travel company we selected was superb from the day we arrived to the day we departed. We received personal care at the highest level. 

The vehicles were top of class, so we were always comfortable in transiting between locations. The guides/drivers were knowledgeable and friendly. They had a well-thought-out itinerary that lasted 12 days and each lodging was six-star in every way. We stayed in a restored nunnery, and several other amazing places. 

The company arranged a wonderful nature hike along the coast with a naturalist and a boat ride along the Douro River, along with a visit to a winery, which had a gourmet lunch for us, combined with the wine tasting. At the end, in Lisbon, we went to a fado dinner at a Michelin-star restaurant, with amazing performers and food. If you want carefree luxury travel, they will hit the mark!

Overall, our itinerary, meals, excursions, drivers, and tour guides in Portugal were top-notch. Our first two hotel accommodations in Porto and the Douro Valley did not meet our expectations. The first one was extremely small and poorly lit; the second one was very isolated and difficult to get around. After that, the hotels improved substantially.

All communication with our Zicasso travel agent was done by text or phone.