Duca Reviews

The Perfect Private Tour of The Algarve and Benagil Caves My husband and I did a full day private guided trip to The Algarve from Lisbon with Rui Catalao. Rui picked us up from our hotel in downtown Lisbon in his well-appointed van and from there whisked us off to the Algarve. We found Rui to be extremely knowledgeable of all aspects of Portuguese lifestyles, cities, and regions. He's very laid back and let us choose our own adventure! We stopped on the way to The Algarve to a favorite beef stand where was had the most amazing beef sandwiches! He then took us to the cliffs of the Algarve where we took in the most scenic and iconic views of the region. Rui encouraged us to explore a little on our own, which we really enjoyed. When we were done, he then drove us to meet the boat tour of the Benagil Caves. With some encouragement, he joined us on the boat, and it was very clear that Rui was a favorite and well-known guide among the tour operators. We felt like VIPs having Rui with us. After a stunning boat tour of the caves, Rui encouraged us to spend as much time as we wanted exploring. We decided to stay a few hours laying around the pool at a local beach club, which was exactly what we needed! Rui was extremely accommodating and a pleasure to travel with. The 2.5-hour drive from Lisbon is well worth it! We spent some of the car ride catching up on some needed sleep! We highly recommend this trip and most assuredly, we highly recommend you request Rui as your personal guide!

Simply wonderful! Rui was such a kind, professional, and attentive tour guide! He was a pleasure to be with, from the moment of his prompt pickup until we were dropped off at our hotel. Rui took us around all of the Algarve region, giving us plenty of time to explore and take pictures! He even went out of his way to be our very own photographer at times!

Algarve Magic We had an amazing day with Rui in Algarve! I highly recommend this trip, and be sure you go with Rui. He’s the very best! We will happily use him when we come back to Portugal for other excursions.

Full Day Tour to Sintra We had an amazing day on the Sintra Fill Day tour with Rui as our guide. He went above and beyond to make sure we saw all the beautiful sights . He suggested some of the best restaurants we have eaten on our trip. It was the best tour of our trip!

Lisbon Tour Our guide was very helpful and patient. He helped answer all our questions regarding the history of Portugal and did a good job in taking us to scenic and interesting locales.

Awesome tour Our tour guide Rui was amazing. He was great with logistics and worked with us in incorporating requested activities. We were able to see all the scheduled sites and even had some unscheduled stops. Learned so much about the sites visited as Rui is very knowledgeable. We had a wonderful time! Muito obrigado, Rui!!

Excellent tour We had a lovely day with Rui. He messaged us before the trip to ask what we would like to do and catered for our needs despite being a mixed group of different nationalities and one with limited mobility. We were never rushed and he made sure we saw everything from the best vantage points. Sintra was beautiful and he recommended the best pastry shop for lunch! Quinta da Regaliera was also beautiful but the jewel in the crown was the Palace of Pena, the views are amazing and the gardens stunning. Rui was knowledgeable, helpful and interesting- having a guide really made the day special- we would book again in a heartbeat. And we finished the day with a perfect sunset….Tracey and Carl

The best tour of our lives We had one of the best tours of our lives. Rui, our driver and tour guide, was absolutely amazing. He took ample time with us. Extremely professional and considerate to every need of ours. We never felt rushed at all. It is extremely clear that he loves showing people the beauty of Algarve and the Portuguese culture. Rui is a great photographer too and took us to the best spots to capture lifetime memories. Will highly recommend this to everyone

Excellent This was a very nice trip. Rui, the tour organizer, was responsive and kept us informed about the trip logistics, and Fatima our tour guide was excellent, punctual and a very nice person!

Outstanding Algarve Day Trip ! This tour of the Algarve is an incredible life experience. It was the best adventure of our 2 week European trip. Rui is a professional guide who knows the Algarve from decades of exploring it. He will take you to see sights and explore which will leave you excited to return to stay in the Algarve. There is so much to see and we were thrilled to be offered more and more by Rui. He will tailor the tour to what you want and take you to do as much as you wish. It was an adventure which we will always cherish!

Amazing beach views This was an excellent day of adventure. Our guide Rui was amazing and provided us with opportunities for breath taking photos. He provided interesting information and background on the neighborhoods and beaches we visited. The mid day boat tour to Bengali caves left us amazed.The drive was comfortable and my guest and I enjoyed the Gelato and food stops throughout the day. Private tour with Rui as the driver 10/10.

I can’t imagine a better way to see Sintra. There's not enough words to express how great of a day we had in Sintra with Rui. Our daughter injured her knee earlier on our vacation, and Rui went out of his way to make sure that she was taken care of and included despite her limited mobility over some tricky terrain. On top of that, Rui took our input and created a great day for us. (You like wine, let's stop here for a taste instead of seeing this). It was better than a 5* experience, but that's the highest rating I can give. Highest of recommendations. I can't imagine a better way to see and experience Sintra and its surrounds.

Memorable day! Rui was a knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide. We would have never experienced the scenery, boating, local cuisine and culture without him. He went above and beyond customizing a memorable experience, including the boat ride to view the stunning coastline!

Don't Miss This Adventure Fantastic boat ride thru the caves and great hiking around the cliffs. Rui was great and took us everywhere. He even took so many great pictures of us.

Fantastic Day trip to Algarve Rui was our tour guide to the Algarve and surrounding towns that included a boat ride cave tour. The cave tour boat had a seat for Rui and he enjoyed the tour with us and added comments about some of the history and sights along the way. Rui"s experience with the boat sights and subsequent areas we viewed from the boat were additional visited with him by car. It gave a perspective that you would not receive if you were on your own. Using the private tour with Rui gave us his "secret" spots,in Portamao and Ponta da piedade.that were wonderful.On the way returning to Lisbon, we were able to visit several spots for "sunset pictures" and had the pleasure to meet Rui's wife and daughter. This gave our day a special family "touch" and eventually, ended with Gelato!We would definitely being revisiting the Portugal and surrounding area in Spain where we can see a Rui tour in the future.

Algarve full day of touring with Rui The trip to Algarve with Rui ended up being one of the most memorable days of our two week vacation in Spain and Portugal. He picked us up at our hotel at the agreed upon time in his very comfortable large SUV. He had waters and power bars waiting for us for the long drive and even stopped for coffee and breakfast on the way since we had missed our breakfast at the hotel. The day was jam packed full starting with the boat tour of the caves and continuing with him driving us to various lookout points and small towns along the coast sharing with us his beautiful country. He recommeded a restaurant for our meal stop and made sure we were settled in at our table with a view before he left us to enjoy a seafood feast that he also recommended. After lunch he resumed showing us wonderful view points and georgeous towns while working our way back to Lisbon. He even made sure he timed a stop to watch the sunset followed by gelato. Rui is the perfect tour guide and he gave us a memorable day exploring this beautiful country!!!

Sintra, Roca and Cascais He knew so much history that he gladly shared with us. You should book his services for this trip as you will never be disappointed. I learned so much from him regarding the tour as well as the history of this area.!

Fantastica. Valeu muito conhecer esse lugar historico Visitas maravilhosas, nosso guia sábio e educado, prestativo. Tiramos lindas fotos. A viagem proporcionou muito conhecimento

Day tour of Sintra Had a fabulous tour of Sintra with Rui. About 8 hours which included the Quinta da Regalaire, the Pena Palace, lunch in a lovely pastelaria which was the best value meal we had during our week in Lisbon, stopping to take in the sea views near Colares, a stop in Casa Piriquito for the most delicious travesseiro and trying the ginjinha in Cantinho Gourmet. Rui was a wonderful guide, very friendly and lovely company with a marvellous knowledge of the area and the history. He made the day very easy and enjoyable and it was incredible value for money.

Uma experiência inesquecível com Rui em Sintra, Cabo da Roca, Ericeira e Lisboa We had an incredible experience thanks to Rui, who took us on a tour of the Sintra region, Cabo da Roca, Ericeira, and back to Lisbon. We were a group of seven people, and Rui treated us with great professionalism and cordiality. He also took us to an excellent restaurant and patiently waited for us while we ate before continuing the tour. His attention to detail, driving skills, and knowledge of the local culture are truly impressive. I would recommend Rui to anyone looking for a guided tour in this part of Portugal. Thank you, Rui, for the wonderful experience!PT: Rui nos levou em um passeio pela região de Sintra, Cabo da Roca, Ericeira e de volta a Lisboa. Éramos um grupo de sete pessoas e Rui nos tratou com muito profissionalismo e cordialidade. Ele também nos levou a um restaurante excelente e esperou pacientemente enquanto comíamos antes de continuar o passeio. Sua atenção aos detalhes, habilidades de direção e conhecimento da cultura local são realmente impressionantes.