Nothing quite like road cycling to explore more of a country. Ride the distance, as fast or as slow as you feel like, embracing the climbs and enjoying the descends - get to know a country's topography in your legs, stop at the cafes, conquer the viewpoints and finish your day relaxing at hand-picked hotels and soaking in the culture in one our our local experiences.
We had a wonderful week on the Alentejo bike tour. The programme itself was excellent - we loved all the places we visited - the accommodation was outstanding - so unusual - and the towns and villages all so beautiful. The rides each day were great fun - challenging, but manageable, and the reward at the destination - reaching the beautiful town or seeing the magnificent view were always worth it. and lovely scenery along the way, good roads, fun coffee stops. Our guides Rodrigo and Luis were both super guys - we couldn't have asked for better - not only efficient and organised, but so friendly and always helpful and patient when dealing with any request from anyone, and just fun people to be around! They took us to lovely restaurants, different every time, and we all really enjoyed the delicious Portuguese cuisine and wine! It was a lovely week, a great experience from every angle, and the beautiful weather iin Portugal is just a bonus! Planning on doing the Douro tour next year!
This was my first bike tour trip and it was the best vacation I have taken. Despite having biked recreationally in many different places, I greatly underestimated the joy I would feel from cycling as a mode of transportation while on vacation. Traveling town to town, over varied terrain including beach boardwalks, medieval cobblestone roads, dirt paths, rocky trails, and cruising through small towns, thriving cities, beautiful agricultural lands and vineyards, and bisecting gorgeous pine forests, fed all my senses. Each day led to a different challenge with unique rewards along the way and at the finish line. My biggest concern going into this trip was not having enough time to explore each town once we arrived by bike. Fortunately, this was not an issue, we arrived each day with plenty of time and extra energy to really enjoy the scene.
The boutique hotels Live Love Ride chose for us were each special in their own way. Whether it was a lushly landscaped garden, a castle walled courtyard, or a cozy hotel bar, arriving to a beautiful stone walled manor at the end of the day’s ride was always a great surprise. The luggage transfer service was very reliable and well worth it. In addition to the exceptional customer service and outstanding hotel choices, we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the restaurant recommendations; I strongly suggest going with their choices.
Portugal and Spain are each beautiful countries and the culture changed more than I expected as we moved along the route. Experiencing the region on two wheels gave us the opportunity to experience these countries using all five senses, at a perfect pace to take it all in. We Lived. We Loved. & We Rode our way through one of the best experiences of our lives.
