Alentejo Trails - Portugal

Kimberly who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful horses and trail ride | The horses were well looked after. The tack was in good condition and we were helped to tack up, if needed. The saddles were very comfortable. Miguel and Altaff were always careful to ensure the health, safety and enjoyment of all the riders and horses. The ride was mainly at walk but there were plenty of long trots and canters too which were great fun. The beach ride was a couple of short gallops because the tide was in and the sand soft. I started with one horse, Delluvio, for 2 days who was steady and forward, and was switched on to another who was coming back into work for the next 4 days. He, Link, was a bit more sensitive but was fine if you sat quietly and had soft contact. They are responsive to the rider but also to Miguel and what the rest of the group were doing.

Do you have any comments about the accommodation and food?

We stayed in 3 different hotels. They all had lovely swimming pools and sun beds to relax on at the end of the afternoon. The hotels varied with the standard of the room and food. Hotel Vila park was nice. Friendly staff and we had one meal there. The next night we went to a restaurant which was fun - the food was good and the atmosphere was buzzy with local people eating there too. The food at Quinta de Malmadra was ok but it could do with a room refurb and my shower didn’t work. We were only there one night. Casas Verdemar was a lovely family run hotel and the food was delicious here.
Also lunches out on the ride were amazing. BBQ meats, veg, fish and salad each day!

How could we improve the quality of pre-holiday information that we send?

Nothing. FYI saddle bags are not necessary and there is no need to carry them as the support van carries any equipment you might want which you can access at lunchtime.

How could we improve the way we handled your booking and payment?

Nothing