Ride in the sun close to Lisbon Traveller Reviews

This was our third trip to Portugal at Antonio's place. We went this year to enjoy the riding and for Golega Horse Festival. It was an absolutely amazing experience - horses everywhere! And the riding was - as always - exceptional. Antonio is a fantastic host and caters for all riders. Highly recommend.

Booking through Equestrian Escapes has always been quick and easy - probably why we keep coming back. The staff are very helpful and knowledgeable about all the holidays available.

I am a returner to riding. It is almost fifty years since I rode regularly, so it was with some trepidation and a lot of excitement that my friend Sue (also a returner) and I planned a riding holiday. On the advice of Equestrian Escapes we chose “Ride in the Sun” Portugal for our adventure. Booking and arrangements were made smoothly and efficiently. It is now three months since we visited Portugal and there isn’t a day goes by that I don’t think about it and smile. We had such a good time and learned so much. I look at the photographs and remember a great holiday with lovely people and (dare I say it) even lovelier horses. Antonio is the perfect host. He is knowledgeable and a very talented teacher. I have never been so well looked after, or worked so hard, a perfect combination. Every morning we rode out in the beautiful countryside and in the afternoon we had a lesson in the school. When we returned from our ride out Antonio served very welcome cold beers. He was a hard task master in our lessons and I can still hear his cry of “Come on Ladies” – I don’t know if he meant the mares or us! We learned so much from him and his beautifully schooled horses. After our lesson we retired to our B&B (just a short walk up the road) for a shower or a swim and in the evening Antonio collected us and took us out for dinner. There is nothing better than eating out with a “local” who knows the restaurants and food. Everything was included and I honestly spent less than fifty euros the whole week. The wine was excellent and Antonio recommended dishes and drinks – perfect. Now I am home I can enjoy riding our lovely thoroughbred mare with much more confidence and skill. Though I think I may well need to return to Portugal (or maybe another Equestrian Escape) in the not too distant future to learn some more!

I was unsure what to choose for my very important "return to riding" holiday. The staff at Equestrian Escapes were very helpful and suggested we look at Ride in the Sun, Portugal. The recommendation was perfect, Antonio tailored our experience to our skill level and pushed us on (quite a bit!!). The booking was straight forward and the information both in the overview on the website and subsequent communications was detailed and accurate. Any questions we had were answered promptly and in detail. Full and very clear explanations of policies were given where necessary. It was exemplary service.

Reviewer's images:

Beautifully schooled & responsive horses, fantastic instruction from Antonio and a lovely place to stay (food, wine and sun!). I highly recommend the riding holidays in Portugal.

Sarah took the time to understand what we were looking for in a holiday and made a recommendation which was spot on. Thank you to equestrian escapes!

I and a friend had five days of riding (lessons and hacks) in Portugal in the region north of Lisbon, on Lucitano horses. The instructor tailored the lessons to us since we are novice riders and we gained hugely from the close attention, honesty, humour and kindness of our instructor. We were taken out for lunches and dinners to places we might never have found for ourselves - a real taste of local Portuguese cuisine. The whole experience was magical.

From the initial conversation to booking the whole holiday took a matter of a few hours. The planning was so simple - Equestrian Escapes had done all the hard work. All we had to do was pack our jodhpurs, turn up and enjoy ourselves. I felt that Lindsey at Equestrian Escapes understood our interests and needs, and she suggested a plan that worked perfectly for us.

Absolutely brilliant holiday, can not wait to return! Antonio, his family and Ingrid could not have been more welcoming and hospitable. Everything from the moment I enquired about the trip to getting off the plane and returning again was seamless. Equestrian Escapes were very helpful in finding me the right trip to suit a solo traveller and Antonio did a great job showing us the sights of Portugal and teaching us well! Horses are beautiful and well bred and perfect weather topped it all off. As a solo traveller I was worried about being alone, but was well looked after by both the travel opperator and the riding school. Well recommended by me!

Very helpful and friendly, quick to respond to emails and questions and very professional.

I just wanted to say a massive thank you to Equestrian Escapes for an amazing trip to Portugal I have recently been on. Antonio and his wife are outstanding hosts and the horses were amazing to ride! The hotel with Ingrid was also perfect and made for an altogether perfect few days… my only issue being that I didn’t book to stay for long enough! I will be 100% be booking with Equestrian Escapes on a regular basis and am trying to work out dates to be able to go back to Portugal before the end of the year!

I found the tour operator to be incredibly easy to contact and always on hand to answer any questions I had about the holidays they had - there were a lot of questions!

After a break of a few years I discussed with Sarah what were the best options for me and the few days I had to take a break. After thinking about it I went for a 3 day break at Ride and Escape just north of Lisbon, Portugal. The team at Equestrian Escapes were excellent and organised. They advised on many aspects even the recommendation to take the train back to Lisbon - I did and it was the right choice! As for the holiday a definite 5 stars. The stables, instruction and horses were fabulous. Antonio was an great instructor plus the rides out in the river or in the hills were amazing. The pictures you see are exactly what you do I've got my pictures of myself with a splashing grey horse! In 3 lessons I felt an improvement and anyone would benefit regardless of your riding level. Antonio and his wife Marisa took us to different local restaurants for lunch and dinner. We learnt a lot about horses and history of the area. The accommodation with Ingrid and Hans is excellent just a 5 minute walk from the stables. Nothing is too much trouble for them. One of the reasons I chose here was Sarah and the team plus all the repeat visits Antonio's clients make I now understand why!

Organised, friendly and extremely honest and helpful. They listened to what your riding ability was and advised. They also took into account where you wanted to go. Their match for me was spot on. Thank you!

Fantastic mix of really exciting hacking, including through the local town with a splash in the river, with in depth and informative lessons delivered by the owner who has more than 30 years of experience and always seemed to push us to just exactly the right level. The horses are beautifully presented and very well mannered. They have buttons to push that I did not know existed. Their lateral work was to die for, if we applied the correct aids, the horses instantly responded. The owner personally takes you out for the lunches and more impressively to dinner every night as some wonderful places. We have had the best fun trying out his recommended Portuguese dishes. We have already booked to return which is very unusual for us.

We have used this company 4 times now and on every occasion they have delivered everything asked of them. Very friendly to interact with. They recommended our Portugal holiday only after a lengthy discussion as to our riding abilities and what we wanted from our holidays. They were very impressive when they helped us out after our flights were delayed. They ensured that the riding stables were kept informed as to our tardy progress across Europe. I would be very happy to recommend them to anyone looking for a riding holiday.

Spent a week riding Lusitano horses under the instruction of Antonio. Well trained horses with expert guidance from our instructor. Improved our riding skills greatly. The accommodation was excellent and Antonio took us to great dining places each, including at a medieval festival nearby. We have already booked to go back again in 3 months time.

Equestrian Escapes made sure that all of the arrangements worked for us.

My daughter , grand daughter and I gravelled on Easter Saturday to Portugal for a 5 day riding holiday, I was a non rider. We were met at the airport and taken to lunch with another couple who were also on holiday. Every day the girls had 2 hours riding and an hour lesson in the afternoon. Every lunch and evening we were taken out to a local restaurant for lunch. Mostly a different restaurant every day. Antonio's wife mostly accompanied him , so it was like a family outing. The local village had a festival on and we enjoyed the music and the stalls, with fireworks on the Monday.This helped to make it special

Equestrian Escapes were very helpful, , any query by email was dealt with promptly . Nothing was too much trouble.