Pestana Vintage Porto Hotel

Despite a port wine welcome, this hotel felt like a downgrade, especially after a wonderful stay at The Pestana Palace Lisbon. It was off to a bad start from the beginning. On arrival and after a long and tiring journey, we had to retrieve our bags from the taxi and carry our own bags into the hotel via a lively public bar and terrace; not quite the 5-star welcome one has come to expect. We had, of course, read that the riverside rooms could potentially overlook a lively and potentially noisy riverfront vibe and our initial impressions of the area, on arrival, confirmed this. The taxi had to navigate its way through crowds of revellers as it approached the hotel. Fortunately (or so we hoped) we had asked our agent to request a quiet room away from the riverfront and had decided against a river view room, not on price but by choice. We repeated this request on arrival and after some reassurance we headed off, key in hand to the rear of the hotel, believing we had made a necessary compromise. However, could we have been more wrong? Our room (119) towards the rear of the hotel was on the first floor, just above a small alleyway and opposite a lively and very noisy restaurant and above the hotel’s own Porto Rib restaurant (more about that in a separate post). You could practically see and hear conversations. Finally, after what seemed like a very late night, I was woken at 6 am by annoying buzzing sound. I later discovered that our room sat just along from and above what seems to be a vibrating electrical sub-station/ refrigerator like facility. Even my trusty earplugs didn’t help on this occasion. So little or no sleep that night. Not good. Okay…. When we raised these concerns and, after a relatively short wait, we were relocated to a less noisy room, but by this time, our two-night stay was 50% below expectation, made all the more disconcerting when the room transfer assistant did not seem at all surprised by our complaints. Indeed, he was surprised to learn that we had requested a quiet room. Apologies don’t quite cut it. 😢 Moreover, our yet-to-be-consumed complimentary port wine decanter was left behind and not replaced despite a reassuring promise to do so. Hotels usually offer gifts of some sort; not take them away when they make mistakes - don’t they ? One final note. Call me old-fashioned, but I’m not at all sure about loud contemporary beat music 🎵🎵 being played at breakfast. So, I mentioned my misgivings about the ‘sounds’ to one of the waitresses, and she declared that she liked it… well, really 🧐 In fairness, I did witness an understaffed and seemingly overworked establishment, with staff trying their very best but not equipped for high-volume occupancy. Not great . The long queue and wait in a narrow and cramped passageway whilst waiting to be registered for breakfast was simply unacceptable and not worthy of a so-called five-star establishment. So sadly, this was a disappointment and I’m still finding it hard to understand the reference in the title to this hotel being vintage. Business and functional might be more relevant. Not an antique in sight. Indeed, I don’t recall seeing a modernist glass-wall partitioned bathroom pod in a hotel bedroom before. Made me laugh. 😆 Especially, the draw string curtains for privacy. On a serious note I did worry about walking into it at night (without my spectacles) and cautiously draped some towels here and there as a precautionary warning . Regards, Critica Independent Hospitality and Restaurant Critic Please below if you found this review helpful

Beautiful hotel, very central. Breakfast was 10/10. Waiter Oliveria was extremely helpful.

Incredible experience. Fantastic hotel located perfectly for exploring Porto. All the staff were super friendly and attentive, especially Oliveira who deserves a mention.

Great location to base yourself from. Very vibrant atmosphere, friendly staff and Oliveira in the breakfast room was especially attentive. Rooms were clean , bright and welcoming. Definitely will be returning to Porto again and have no hesitation in staying here for sure

A Perfect Stay – Highly Recommended! ​We had an incredible stay at this hotel! The location is absolutely superb, situated perfectly for exploring the charming city of Oporto. ​What truly made our stay unforgettable, however, was the team. The staff was remarkably warm, welcoming, and always available to help with anything we needed, always with a genuine smile. Their attention to detail and hospitality made us feel right at home from the moment we arrived. ​We will definitely be coming back. A must-repeat experience!