Miguel, our guide and driver, was very prompt to pick up all tour members, and was an amiable guide. Both wineries on the tour were great, but the first winery had other visitors who seemed to be on their own tour with more tastings, and the woman at the first winery seemed to cater more to that group than to ours since their tour obviously included more tastings than ours did. The lunch was delicious and plentiful. The boat cruise was a good way to relax after lunch. The final winery’s host was fabulous. It was a very hot and long day, and if water had been provided, it would have been appreciated and welcomed. Also, some stops to take photos along the stunning roads would have been nice. I’m not quite sure why we stopped at a petrol station 30 minutes into the drive to Douro Valley. That was strange and a bit too long of a stop as there wasn’t much to do waiting at the gas station.

The wine tastings were very good and very informative. On the boat ride, one should choose to either let a human do the talking or the tape rather than the two fighting each other. The lady who drove us cannot be recommended. She had nothing informative to share and if she did, only those traveling with her understood what she said. In addition, we have never seen such a bad driver.

The Douro Valley was a beautiful place to visit and contrast away from Porto. The wineries we visited were wonderful and they were very informative. The cruise was relaxing and offered views from the valley, and the lunch was delicious and was full of locals (a good sign!) Our tour guide, Helio, was full of information and had a warm and kind demeanor. I would recommend him as a guide. We are so glad we took this tour out of Porto. The views, tastings, and experience were 100% worth it.