Homestays in Porto District, Portugal

Last year I had the most wonderful stay at Menina Colina, and was excited to return. Unfortunately I now wish I had reserved elsewhere, as it has been nothing but a disappointment. Prices are so much higher than a year ago, but I thought I got what was a good deal on the garden room. Turns out it is greatly overpriced for what is offered, as it has none of the exquisite design or attention to detail that the interior rooms have. It also seems to be neglected in terms of maintenance. The coffee machine was leaking, and after reporting it, it was made out to be my fault as I was using it incorrectly. I had to physically show a member of staff the leaked water for them to agree to replace it. I was really annoyed that they felt that they needed to demonstrate to me how it works rather than just replacing it immediately. The next disappointment was that the room was initially not serviced at all, and no explanation was given. When you are paying $165 for a mediocre room (not even including breakfast), one would at the very least expect the bins to be emptied. The bathroom also had a terrible smell that permeated the room, and mosquitoes were a problem too. Management did offer me lunch or attendance of their fado show, but none of these arrangements fitted into my busy programme. I thought a small financial compensation would have made more sense. That did not happen, and nothing further was mentioned or discussed on check-out. The final issue was the online check-out which they require. When I tried to complete it, my bill was for my entire stay, although 3 of the 4 nights had already been paid months in advance. So my conclusion is unfortunately that Menina Colina’s standards have dropped significantly, and that it is overpriced for the lack of attention to detail that is evident in several areas.

Location was good: close to Casa da Musica and the main Boa Vista roundabout. The apartment was clean and big enough for a couple nights of stay. The only issue we experienced was the door code system. When we arrived at the property on the first day, the main entrance door was open, exposing the building to theft. On the second day, we couldn’t open the main entrance door using the code provided. (The code worked on the first day.) We messaged the operator using their platform and received no reply. We called the operator but nobody answered the phone. Since it was raining, we walked to Casa da Musica to shelter ourselves from the rain. Then the operator called back and asked us to send a video of what happened of the door code. Since we left the building, we couldn’t take the video. Then they agreed to look into it. They sent us a reply saying that we refused to comply by sending a video. They subsequently asked us to ignore the message and said it was their internal communication and was sent to us by mistake, but it showed that they didn’t understand why we didn’t want to walk back to the building in the rain to take the video they requesed. After an hour of us raising the issue with them, they finally sent someone to open the main entrance for us. The person said the entrance code issue was not new! It was a very bad experience and we wasted an hour. We would seriously reconsider staying in a place managed by this operator.

Overall, everything was good: the room itself was excellent, clean, and featured a great, comfortable shower. No issues at all with the cleanliness or the room setup. However, the check-in process was a nightmare. The staff at the reception were openly rude and completely unwelcoming. We arrived just a bit early, but they flat out refused to check us in, without even trying to accommodate us or show some flexibility. Because of this hostile attitude, the entire experience was ruined, even though the hotel itself is decent.

We absolutely loved this place. Great location. Short walk to tons of restaurants, beautiful parks. The room was much bigger than we expected. Three double doors open to the front of the building. A narrow balcony. Lots of day light and fresh air. Noise from the street but we don’t mind city noise. Excellent bathroom with a nice shower. Charming building and decor. Espresso machine in the stairwell that we really appreciated. Attentive staff. Would definitely stay again. So comfortable.

Pros - Location - easy access to Porto downtown area (3 metro stations to Sao Bento) - I choose travelling by metro as walking uphill and downhill in Porto is really tiring! - Room size as well as toilet - spacious enough even for two people, facilities - I like the kettle for boiling hot water. - Water from the shower very powerful and comfortable. - 2 bakery cafes nearby for taking breakfast (with reasonable price), one Chinese restaurant nearby provides hot food. Cons - Did not expect there was nobody at hotel front desk upon my arrival. With the help of a kind lady, I could communicate with the hotel staff via whatsapps and was able to check in without problem. ( I would like to say thanks to that kind lady) - No elevator, staying at lower floors is preferrable. - the room floorings had a cracking sound while walking, may be the building was a little bit old.

Clean and well-located, but AVOID the basement ‘double room’ The hotel is clean, well-maintained, and in a great location with friendly service. However, I stayed in the basement-level ‘double room’. It’s located at the front of the property, directly at street level, with two small windows facing the pavement — making it difficult to get fresh air or natural light, and quite noisy due to passing pedestrians and cars, even with the windows shut and earplugs in. The photos captures many of the other room types charming features, which can be misleading for the double room in basement. In this particular room, ventilation was poor due to its position, and a musty smell from the bathroom lingered throughout the space. Given the price of this ‘double room’, it’s better off booking elsewhere — somewhere less charming but more practical — OR booking the other room types I assume are upper-level room to avoid the drawbacks of this front-facing basement unit.

I stayed at Pensao França Hostel and overall had a good experience. The hostel is clean, although the room size is quite small, which is typical for backpackers. They provide both small and large towels, as well as body soap and hand soap. There was a slight urine smell when I first arrived, but it disappeared after the bathroom was used. The bathroom has a shower with both hot and cold water available. The room is also equipped with a fan. A microwave and an electric kettle are available for shared use on the second floor. The hostel has three floors and no elevator. The owner lives on the second floor and is very kind and friendly to talk to. Since the hostel is located near restaurants and bars, there can be some noise from outside. However, once the windows are closed and especially when you are tired, it is not too disturbing. The location is very convenient, as it is within walking distance of Porto city center.

Excelente para passar um bom momento em casal. Piscina incrível. Excelente localização. Quarto incrível. Pequeno-almoço com alguma variedade.

Must like it. This family hotel is very good, although the appearance is a bit old, but the interior is fully decorated and there is a small kitchen. The boss carefully prepared milk, juice, bread, fruit, etc., as well as coffee and wine! The yard is a beautiful garden with a variety of plants and flowers, as well as goldfish and places to wash and dry clothes. The boss warmly introduced the important local attractions and transportation points. In fact, the hotel is very close to the tourist center area, the subway is only one stop, and it is less than 2 kilometers away. Porto is not big, but there are rivers, seas, bridges, ancient castles, churches, stations, libraries, etc., not to mention all kinds of food, seafood, etc., prices are cheaper than Lisbon, it is worth a visit.

It was renovated from an old 3-storey building, with 10+ rooms and a small garden. As there is no elevator, it might be bit difficult to go up to the third floor with bulky luggage bags, or you may leave them in the common room on the first floor. In few minutes walk, you can go to the Ponte do Infante, there you may have a good view of the Douro river and the Ponte do Luiz I.