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.

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 of the town are quite steep and its uphill into the centre of town.

The Staff

At breakfast the next morning, the service was again excellent. A friendly smiling waitress brought us coffee and told us to help ourselves from the buffet. Another member of staff continually checked that all dishes were replenished as needed. During our stay this waitress recognised us, smiled and said hello whenever she saw us. She spoke excellent English and chatted with guests in different languages as she moved round the room carrying out her duties.
The staff at reception also spoke very good English. They provided us with a map on request and offered any advice we needed. At the end of our stay here, a hire car was due to arrive so we could continue our holiday touring around and staying in another location. This was not the hotel's arrangement, but they were still helpful, ringing the hire company to check the arrangements were in place when there was no sign of the car.

The breakfast buffet was attractively set out and was delicious. Hot coffee and milk were served at the table by the waitress from metal flasks and topped up as required. An amazing selection of teabags was produced with a teapot of hot water for other guests preferring tea. Different breads and pastries were available in large baskets (and a pretty inefficient toasting machine). There was a bowl of fresh fruit as well as fruit salad, yoghurts, cheese and cold meat platters, a wonderful jam selection and scrambled egg, bacon and spicy sausages in the hot selection. (We didn't really bother with lunch…)
On our last night we decided to try out the hotel restaurant. Unfortunately, this is not well publicised, so it wasn't very busy. (We had to ask to see the menu and it was kept behind the bar.) The service was great, the food tasty and varied and the prices not much different from the less sophisticated restaurants we had eaten at on other nights. What a shame there were only four people in the restaurant. (Well six if you include the staff.)
We were brought marinated cheese and olives and little toasts with tuna pate included in the cover price (common in these parts). Mr kazbo had the caldo verde (local vegetable soup) and fresh fish, I had clam soup with garlic croutons and a puff pastry parcel containing chicken breast and local cheese. The waiter was very helpful and volunteered information about the dishes and wine we had chosen. (Maybe just to relieve his boredom!) As with most meals on this holiday, we were too full to manage dessert.

Our double room was located at the front of the hotel with long windows looking out onto the river Douro. The room was good overall, but it felt a bit like they were in the middle of refurbishment: completely new huge bed, padded headboard, wide screen TV, gorgeous linen and curtains but some other slightly tired, worn furniture. The bathroom ceiling showed signs of a leak some time in the past. The room was cleaned daily to a high standard and fresh towels provided.

Overall the hotel seemed to achieve a good blend of efficiency and friendliness and it seemed to have avoided the facelessness of a large hotel which is part of a large group. (We didn't discover this fact until we read the literature in our room.)