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Portugal by Van is a small friendly campervan rental company in Portugal. Our mission is to give you the most unforgettable road trip experience through our beautiful country. Sun, surf, sand and golden sunsets, welcome to Europe’s west coast, Portugal, the most welcoming country in Europe. Set off an adventure and travel the 943 kilometres of its coast. Rent one of our campers and enjoy all the freedom in the world, with no schedules, without being tied to any place and routine. Portugal has 300 days of sunshine per year, enjoy each one of them at your own pace and do it lowcost. Based in Lisbon, but also with pick up and drop off in Porto and Faro.
Tourist License / Licencia de turismo N °: 123
Mixed Experience with the Practical Explorer Van: Reliable but with Room for Improvement
We had the opportunity to use their van (Practical Explorer - 3 Seats).
Positives:
- We managed to book the van on short notice (over night), which was a pleasant surprise.
- The van was ready as agreed.
- We were able to extend our booking seamlessly for an additional night.
- The van itself performed reliably on the road.
Areas for Improvement:
- The van is a bit older, with basic amenities. It has two beds and a sink and fridge, although the sink stopped working on the second day.
- The USB port and 12V socket were not functioning (luck of the radio that had usb port)
- The middle seatbelt was broken
- We didn’t receive any response for two days after self-dropping off the van on Saturday morning.
- The deposit was returned after six days.
- Due to transfer taxes and exchange rates, I ended up losing around €24.
Despite the issues mentioned, I had a wonderful vacation in the north of Portugal.
Visited August 2024
Written August 20, 2024. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Trek30965048955
1 contribution
A great way to travel with the kids!
The van was nice and it had the right setup for a family trip. The foldable chairs were not in great shape neither the sink but, in any case, the experience worthwhile.
Visited July 2024
Written August 5, 2024. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Michael S
2 contributions
Great experience
Great experience from start to finish. Perfect way to see Portugal and create memories with my daughter.
Teresa and staff were very lovely and helpful
I would recommend Portugal by van to all.
Visited May 2024
Written June 7, 2024. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Matilde B
1 contribution
Esperienza fantastica! Grazie
Esperienza assolutamente positiva! Come da accordi, abbiamo ritirato il van a Porto e lo abbiamo lasciato a Lisbona.
Il van era pensato per accogliere 3 persone ed era assolutamente adatto a questo numero di ospiti. A disposizione, senza costi aggiuntivi, erano inclusi: lavandino, frigorifero, fornello da campeggio con bombola, 3 sedie, 1 tavolo, 2 pentole, 1 padella, utensili vari per la cucina e ovviamente i set di piatti, posate e bicchieri. Il van era inoltre dotato di un doccino esterno, un tettuccio aprile, una finestrella laterale e le tendine per la privacy. Erano presenti due prese USB e una presa classica (quest'ultima utilizzabile però solo se collegati alla corrente). L'energia del van si ricarica attraverso i pannelli solari e il movimento dello stesso mezzo. Non siamo mai rimaste senza energia.
I letti erano disposti a castello: uno adatto a due persone in basso e uno singolo sopra. In quello superiore può stendersi con gambe distese una persona alta fino a 1,70 cm.
Il deposito dopo il noleggio è stato restituito in pochissimi giorni. Un ringraziamento speciale a Teresa, che ha risposto in maniera tempestiva e puntuale a tutte le nostre domande!
Visited April 2024
Written May 7, 2024. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Lena S
1 contribution
Absolutely amazing!
I really only have good things to say about this small rental. The staff is incredibly thoughtful and ready to help you. The van was fully equiped, clean, worked amazing and was easy to drive. I rented out the Elegant Duo for 19 days. This car is great if you want to move around some more since it is relativly small, yet nothing is missing on this car! Thank you to the staff for this opportunity!
Visited January 2024
Written January 29, 2024. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Marta S
2 contributions
Excellent experience
We hired a ELEGANT DUO van for 2 weeks in December and travelled to Spain (south and east coastline). This van allowed us to move freely and park with ease inside city limits (mostly using underground parking). The van was perfectly clean and the staff was super helpful in explaining everything. We had a lot of storage and the kitchen had everything we needed to make our meals with ease. We are very happy with our choice and will return definitely!
Visited December 2023
Written January 19, 2024. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Clare
2 contributions
Do not use this company
For the love of God do not use this company! Especially don't hire the "practical explorer" van. I have never been in a worse designed van. There is no where comfortable to sit down because of the shelves located above the bed. In any case you can't sit up on the lower bunk because it is too close the the top bunk. The van has done over 130,000 miles and it broke down whilst we hired it. In fact almost everything broke: the window blind (not to mention there weren't any sunshades or blinds included so sleeping is almost impossible and the thing becomes a sauna without a windscreen shield to keep out the sun and there is no privacy at all), the gear box, the window button, the seat...need I go on. There was almost no equipment included with the van - three bowls, plates and useless plastic cutlery which broke when we tried to spread butter! We didn't have a sharp knife, a chopping board, a tin opener, let alone a wine bottle opener. No chocks were included so you can't level the van and there is almost no storage. The staff tried to be helpful but when the van broke down they refused to compensate us or pay for the additional hotel and taxis we had to take. All in all, we would not recommend this company, or their vans. Funnily enough, they are located on a street in a dodgy part of town which we were told means "you've been robbed"!!!
Visited September 2023
Written January 5, 2024. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
FrankWaters
Rome, Italy21 contributions
Excellent experience and very kind crew
I had a superb experience and I reccomend to everybody. They are extremely professional and kind. The van was really nice equipped, solar panels gave us a huge autonomy without being connected to the line (for phones, lights, fridge). The kitchen worked nice, the fridge had nice space and made its job and less than a half of the gas bottle was enough for 5 days (as italian you know, moka in the morning and pasta for lunch). Teresa and the crew were wonderful and I will use their vans again in future. A little, little not nice experience with the bed, it's just my personal opinion but it was too thiny and needs to be improved with a foam model or anything else more comfortable. But yeah, it's a van not a hotel room, if you bring some inflatable with you is better for your back.
Excellent experience....looking forward to come again!
Visited July 2023
Written August 9, 2023. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Jenni P
1 contribution
Superb experience
We were really pleased with everything; the condition of the van, smooth booking and customer service, prices, instructions, and trustworthiness. Had an amazing trip with driving around and would recommend Portugal by Van for anyone :)
Visited April 2023
Written May 11, 2023. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Brian D
San Francisco, CA3 contributions
What a Great Expoerienc
I had a wonderful time with my family on our surf adventure along the Portuguese coats. What a great country and an amazing way to enjoy it.
Visited April 2023
Written April 20, 2023. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
100% refund within 24 hours after booking (provided the stay is at least 60 days away).
50% refund* if you cancel at least 4 weeks before check-in
No refund available once booking is confirmed
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