Jacques R.
Yelp
I thought this hotel was better located near the Douro river.... it is not.... it is close on a straight line when you look at a map, but It will take a good 20 minute walk to get to the riverside, walking west where all the action is, is climbing and then coming down or if you go east, it will be downward longer and get farther apart where you need to go.
Once we got to the hotel, we were greeted immediately by a nice bell boy who took good care of our car and lugage. The reception people also very nice and amicable... they did tell me that I had a room upgrade.. well here is where my "review" starts.
We came to a room that is super small... I am saying SMALL! Once you walk in, the bathroom is just to your right and the sink at the end of the tiny bathroom. To the right of he sink, an enclosed shower with the toilet all in one space.... the architects probably never thought someone was going to take a shower.... they did put a little metal separation in the floor but no door or curtain (well, it does not fit!) so when I took a shower, even being VERY careful, the whole area was drenched.... and with the metal separation and no drainage, everything was soaking wet.. had to though a big towel in the floor to try to contain a pond being overflowed and getting the rest of the room wet.... unbelievable!!! Then get out of the bathroom and imagine being at a dark room with practically NO light.... colors of the wall and ceiling?? Dark grey.... so if you thought reading, getting dressed, looking at something was an option, well NO.... I was completely annoyed. So much so that I called the reception and made a formal complain.... even though I was going to stay for one night, I could NOT stand it.... they tried to find a solution and offered me to go and see a suite to see if the space and room was better.... so I went to see the suite and again, same problem still small room with a small adjacent living room that was also small and dark!!! So I decided to breathe deep and try to sleep early and forget about this night.... we did not move to the suite as the issue was not solved.
For the staff, I can say they are very good and amicable trying their best to solve problems.... for location, I would not recommend this hotel and for the room, well, probably the worst room I've been in my life.
As for breakfast, in my opinion and coming from several high end hotels in Portugal, this was the worst of them... service was understaffed and variety was not at its best... so, I would skip breakfast there unless you have it included in your room rate.
All in all, been there period!