"The hotel is exceptionally well located, within walking distance of Porto’s main landmarks, as well as countless excellent restaurants and cafés. From the outside, the property has undeniable charm, with an impressive heritage façade that fits beautifully into the historic surroundings. Unfortunately, much of this historic character seems limited to the exterior, as the interior lacks the same authenticity and refinement one might expect. Ongoing roadworks around the hotel somewhat affected the overall atmosphere during the stay. While the property aims for a classic style, certain areas seem to have aged less gracefully than expected for a luxury hotel — particularly some of the hallway carpets and furniture, which looked rather worn. The entrance bar and restaurant also feel somewhat dated in style and ambiance. On the positive side, the bed and mattress were extremely comfortable and ensured an excellent night’s sleep. The bathroom was also very pleasant, featuring a spacious Italian-style walk-in shower. Breakfast was good overall, with a satisfying selection and quality. The gym is fairly basic but perfectly adequate for a short stay. The real disappointment, however, was the suite. Although reasonably spacious, it was extremely dark and offered virtually no view at all — the windows faced directly onto a wall. This made the room feel gloomy and far from the experience one would expect at this level of hotel. In addition, the air conditioning was surprisingly noisy, which further affected the comfort of the stay. Another rather misleading aspect was the “spa.” In reality, it consists of only a very small sauna and two tiny treatment rooms, which feels quite underwhelming compared to what the term usually suggests in a luxury hotel setting. Overall, the hotel benefits from an outstanding location and an attractive historic façade, but several aspects of the property and room experience fall short of the standards one might expect from an InterContinental property."

"Great location. And very pretty hotel. Only three stars because of the temperature of the room. We were hot at night. We contacted the reception on day one of a 4 night stay. We explained that we were uncomfortable. The thermostat read 18 degrees Celsius (I’m not sure the room even got that cool). We wanted to turn down the thermostat further but we were told that the engineer could not change the thermostat. Other hotels are able to bypass the settings. Anyway, they explained that this is the coolest the room could get. At the price we paid, we should have been able to sleep more comfortable. We only are able to take a limited amount of holiday time. Guests should be comfortable. Anyway, on the last day of the visit, the manager sent us 7500 points (a nice gesture, but doesn’t help much) and they would send a fan. One would think this should have been done on the first day of the complaint. The fan had a small cord and did not help whatsoever. Another issue we had was that we had zero pressure to the shower. I must admit we complained on day two and that was immediately fixed. We had a great time in Porto! But slept poorly. Too bad"

"This is a really lovely hotel in a great location for visiting Porto. The rooms are large and comfortable, and we enjoyed meals for breakfast and a couple of dinners in the very nice restaurant there. The staff at the front desk were friendly and very helpful. Highly recommended!"

"Perhaps one of my most favorite stays anywhere, the location, the incredible staff, the delicious meals & wonderful rooms..the history!! I can't imagine staying anywhere else when visiting Porto..I'm still relishing my time there, so looking forward to returning to the Palacio Das Cardosas.. Many, many thanks..."

"Absolutely perfect experience. The location, staff, room and meals were outstanding. I’m definitely coming back and would recommend this hotel to everyone"