Aparthotel Oporto Palace

Upon check-in, we received instructions and several access codes from the receptionist and were told to take the lift to “level minus one” for Apartment 1A. I asked if this was below the level of the street and was told it was “on the same level as the carpark.” This was misleading and not truthful, as the apartment is clearly below ground level. A clearer explanation would have better prepared us for the lighting and ventilation limitations of the unit. Unfortunately, the issues did not stop there. We discovered that two lightbulbs were blown in the apartment, and the telephone pad located in the sitting area was not working. Noise levels were also problematic and above acceptable limits — we were frequently disturbed well into the night by loud stomping, scraping and movement from the apartment above, as well as a consistent thumping sound from cars driving over something in the street just outside. Sleep was difficult to come by. In addition, the bamboo outside the unit was so overgrown it protruded through the air conditioning unit causing a dreadful loud ticking noise as the fan rotated. When we raised these concerns with the receptionist, we were informed that nothing could be done to change our room due to the hotel being fully booked but they did send someone to look at the noisy air conditioning unit and replace the lightbulbs The final straw came when we returned to find housekeeping had left us with thin fraying, grey towels that were entirely unacceptable in quality.They were so poor that we remarked to reception they were worse than what we use when washing our car. Only after we returned to complain were we provided with a better set of towels. Overall, this was a deeply disappointing experience that fell far short of the standards one expects from accommodation of this caliber and what is presented on various websites.As seasoned traveller's this was one of the worst stays we have experienced. We wrote to the owner having been given his email address by reception. We have emailed twice with no acknowledgement or response before we posted this honest review. We believe in giving establishments the opportunity to respond first.