Overall great trip, the small group size was perfect, and our tour leader Monik was simply amazing, super knowledgeable, always friendly and helpful and making sure everyone was included and happy. The only suggestion I can think is for improving the trip itinerary for the drive day from Porto to Madrid as there were no sights to visit along the way, just a stop for lunch at a roadside service station near the Spain/Portugal border. Maybe worth flying for that leg instead. Also I wish I’d known to book an extra night in Barcelona at the end of the trip, as you arrive in the evening on the last day and won’t have time to do much there unless staying an extra night. Also prior to the trip it was quite difficult to contact Topdeck customer service about my booking, they did not reply to any emails, I eventually got it sorted via a phone call.
Absolutely fantastic Portugal This trip was an amazing experience with absolutely stunning scenery, around every bend was a picture postcard view of the ocean. The guides were excellent and their spoken English was great. This being my first premium trip I was very impressed with the hotels and watching the sunsets over the Atlantic from our hotel balconies and resteraunt tables was a highlight for everyone. The cycling was a bit harder than I anticipated, the trip is graded a two but is as hard / a bit harder than the indochina trip I did earlier in the year which was graded as a three. The first few days are definitely leisurely, but on later days there are a couple of hills one long climb and one short but steep one, the last day is more undulating. I wouldn’t let these put you off though they are manageable by anyone that’s done a bit of prep or cycles regularly and there’s always the van or an ebike. The bikes were trek dual sport 3’s and were excellent hybrids with hydraulic disc brakes giving confidence on the way down. The trip was mainly on excellent quality cycle paths with only a limited amount of road riding to link them together. We were generally in the hotel for 330 each day with most starts about 930
A great trekking trip. The Azores are an unknown quantity to most people, but I fell in love with the islands natural and unspoilt beauty. The hotels that we stayed at were apparently new to this year and were excellent. Friendly staff and very pleasant food (and wine!)