"Very stylish-looking hotel on the bank of the Douro, but a few issues that make one question the 5* Leading Hotels of the World designation: 1. Leak in our bedroom. The hotel duty manager offered to move us, but that didn’t work in terms of our schedule. However, the fact the curtains were stained around the leak suggests it had been an issue for some time (or else the maid service is poor), but they still put us in the room in any case, perhaps in the hope it wouldn’t rain. 2. It’s a 5* hotel, but the answer to the request for more water in the room was no. Apparently water is added to the room in the morning and at turn down and in limited supply. They then, without comment, added two more bottles of water to the room, for which we were of course grateful. (I think the management need to educate the staff that the immediate answer to a question is not “no” but “let me see what I can do”, if indeed it is within the person’s control.) 3. When taking an order from the menu (at breakfast) if the house style is not to write down the order, it’s important it is correctly executed. Similarly, if a customer asks for something and the staff member agrees to do it, then it’s important to fulfil that request. 4. When doing turn down, don’t take towels away and fail to replace them. 5. Sketchy schedule for the shuttle into the city (1hr 15 mins walk away), with no return option, and the timings are approximate to say the least. 6. The most egregious bit is having to pay €10 to use the pool, plus an extra €5 for a swimming cap, each. To qualify as a 5* hotel I believe you need to provide certain facilities; to charge for them seems infra dig. It’s a pity; I feel with more focus on service it could be a great hotel, whereas it’s distinctly average. The pool charges are baffling. The Vinha * Michelin restaurant was excellent though and reasonably priced considering the quality (tasting menu €150)."

"Stunning hotel….staff was beyond fabulous…shout out to the terrific Alan at Reserva bar….food was ok but his drinks were magnificent! Daniela, Flavio and Yannick at the restaurant were top notch! Marina at the breakfast restaurant was a delight. Housekeeping….impeccable. Get a room with balcony overlooking the river. Oh and Riy (not sure I am spelling this correctly) was dynamic and gave us great advice on what to see in Porto. A quiet retreat…"

"Beautiful hotel over looking the river, Unfortunately not the service or guest experience of a 5 star hotel. Upon arrival wanting to have lunch on the terrace, where unable to do this due to there being nothing sufficient for us on the Menu (Being vegetarian) and where moved to the bar area, Room service for breakfast did not provide a coffee with soy/oat milk despite requesting and having available. Where unable to use the pool without a swimming cap, and the outdoor pool was not in use as needed to be cleaned. Worst part was the noise, loud music, disturbance and intrusion from the terrace/restaurant below, loud music played until late at night, other guests singing, shouting and disturbing us and the hotel management did not care, saying they where “enjoying” themselves but no consideration for us. I would not recommend staying here if you want to have a relaxing and respectful trip or break, I have started to wonder if the hotel are homophobic as we travelled as a couple and received far less warm welcome than others."