This independent vacation was the perfect introduction to European travel. We felt a bit spoiled with the personal tours and transfers (kudos to guides Samuel, Livramento, and Andrea, plus drivers Bruno and Joah), and enjoyed walking the hills for 8 to 10 miles each day. Every tour guide and transfer were on-time and professional. Highlights included the Douro Valley Quinta Covela tour/tasting, the Quinta das Sequirinhas lunch, the six bridges Porto river cruise, the high-speed train, and the optional Sintra Palace tour with Andrea, the best tour guide we've ever met. The library balcony at the Hotel Heritage was a special place to relax and meet people from many other countries while enjoying a beverage from the honor bar. The hotel's breakfast was also superb.
A few items might have been better. As the itinerary was compiled by Century Incoming in Madrid, the second person that we contacted at Vacations by Rail was able to decipher unclear itinerary details (the first VBR rep didn't know and didn't return our call as promised). While booking, we had requested that an additional day be added to our reservation so we could acclimate/recover from the red-eye flight, but the extra day was added in the middle of the Lisbon visit. By the time we received the final itinerary and discovered this error, Vacations by Rail indicated it was too late to change or book an additional hotel day, but that we could ask for early checkin on the day we arrived. We landed at 8 am, having been up/traveling since 6 am the day before, and were unable to check in early. Luckily, we found a quiet spot on library balcony, but had to change clothes in the lobby bathroom in order to meet our 3 pm tour guide, as checkin was at 3. It wasn't the hotel's fault; an additional day should have been reserved and the tour should have been on the second day, as requested. In addition, Century Incoming listed a specific, delicious menu for lunch at Cozinha da Estacao in Lisbon, but we were given a basic lunch menu. The show and dinner at Cafe Luso, as well as the Bodega Burmester tour/tasting, were all okay, but we would not recommend them to other travelers. Finally, on our first day there, the Porto walking tour guide picked us up at the hotel, was enthusiastic about the sights on a hot, late afternoon, but left us, a half hour late, at the river. Our hotel was steeply uphill over a mile away; we opted to walk and find dinner along the way, away from the overcrowded restaurants in the area where the tour ended.
Overall, we appreciated that this tour provided independent tours, ease of travel, connections with friendly, local tour guides, local cuisine, and allowed us to experience hidden gems. We look forward to our next adventure with Vacations by Rail.
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