Duque Center Hotel, Porto Alegre

Advantages: convenient location, clean quiet and comfortable
Disadvantages: single room a touch on the small side, breakfast quite pricey compared with local cafés.

...I stayed in the Gran Hotel Conde Duque for five nights when attending a conference which I had been organising in Madrid last October. As I work for a non-profit organisation my remit was to ensure that my accommodation was not overly expensive - no easy task, as well as being one of the official conference hotels. By booking on Activehotels.com I was able to get a single room for EUR 91 (ca. GBP 63) a night – coming out at just under EUR 98 (ca GBP 70) a night including the mandatory sales tax. This was substantially cheaper than the “reduced rate” of EUR 135 (ca. GBP 97) excluding tax being offered for single occupancy of a double room by our conference partners. It should of course be noted that as with nearly all hotels in Madrid, prices are exclusive of breakfast – for breakfast you will pay approx EUR12 (ca. GBP 8) extra. I did... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: friendly efficient staff, good location
Disadvantages: poorly promoted restaurant

...In September we had a great holiday in North Portugal and I wanted to tell you about my favourite hotel. We booked into the Pestana Porto for 4 nights and it was a very enjoyable stay. My Aunt had recommended Oporto so after a search on Tripadvisor for hotels there, we booked a room with a river view. Location The Pestana Porto is ideally situated for tourists. It looks out onto the river Douro and the riverside cafes. Nearby are old, narrow quaint streets with bars and restaurants. River cruises regularly set off from just below our bedroom window. A walk across the bridge to Vila Nova de Gaia takes you straight into the old part of the town and you can easily walk to many of the famous port houses. The fabulous Palacio da Bolsa is located a short walk away. We walked into town although this is not recommended for all. Parts... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Service, cleanliness, ambience, views, value for money
Disadvantages: None but not suitable for young families or clubbers!

...First of all, a word to the warning for anyone who enjoys the Magaluf/Palma Nova style holiday experience - the Hotel Felip and the resort of Porto Cristo are not for you! I say resort but in fact, Porto Cristo is a small coastal town built on the fishing industry and now boasts a very busy marina for private boat owners in addition to the still substantial fishing fleet. The town is on the east coast of Mallorca, about 62 kms (55 minutes) from Palma by car. Porto Cristo is probably most famous for the popular and stunning Caves of Drach which hosts day trip coach loads from all parts of the island, on a daily basis. The small town centre has a few tourist shops and cafe/restaurants together with local bars but no large clubs and you're very unlikely to spot a lager lout here! To be serious, the ambience of Porto Cristo is suitable... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful