Hotel Dom Henrique Downtown

Don’t be fooled by how ugly the building is! Or the panoramic view of an equally ugly car park….it’s a good quality, well located hotel with a great breakfast (orange juice and bread especially) selection and comfortable, well air conditioned rooms. The bar is a great place to see the sun set over views of Porto (accompanied by dozens of swooping swifts) and there is a gym that although small is perfectly acceptable. It’s only 5 minutes to the market, 10 to Trindade metro and about 20 to the river. Don’t miss the small church/chapel next to the hotel though, the tiles inside are incredible!!

The hotel was centrally located and very beautiful. Way bigger than I expected. We were immediately greeted on the street by a polite, helpful valet, who took our luggage and brought to our room. Check in was easy. I was disappointed with the room selection. I booked in October and requested two beds instead of a king in our Comfort Suite Plus. Our room had a king. When I questioned at the reception, I was told it was “depending on availability”. The description only states the views depend on availability. I booked 8 months in advance.. it most definitely should have been available to me!!! Other than that, we had a nice time. View was lovely from our balcony.

I’ve been in this hotel three times and this has been the best of them all. The service is great, especially from the people in the restaurants. There was one specific lady that spoke Spanish to us that even remembered the order during multiple days of some special food requirements we had. I didn’t get her name but she made the difference. The view from the bar up top is amazing. The rooms are spacious. The location is good. 3 minutes away walking from supermarkets and the Bolhão market. To improve: Im not crazy about the hotel building, the architecture looks a little odd and the breakfast is complete but is a little too basic.