Cover Image: Sunset View from Executive Lounge
Porto, Portugal
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We had a very nice and relaxing time at the Porto Sheraton. Check-in was pleasant and we had both rooms upgraded multiple categories to an executive suite. The room was nice and spacious. I liked how they did the bathroom with separate toilet and shower spaces and automatic blinds.
The spa was a surprising highlight. It had a pool, hot tub with hydrotherapy jets, sauna, steam room, salt room, relaxation area, japanese style yoga room, relaxation area with waterfall, a nice gym, and a fully staffed locker room and little restaurant. Point being, the spa is much nicer and extensive than is clear from the website. The staff was friendly and I got a good massage there.
The club on the 12th floor was ok. It was a little small and got crowded quickly. Snacks were available from 6-8 but otherwise there wasn’t much there.
Unfortunately, one disappointing aspect was the food service. Breakfast felt understaffed and rushed. You had to wait in a long time to be seated. The food choices were okay, but more limited than I would have preferred. The dinner service was odd. The don’t serve dinner in the main restaurant. Instead they do a seated service at the piano bar. Despite being there on prime evening hours, we never saw an actual pianist at the piano bar which hurt the ambience. The food had to be carted from a kitchen that was far away and the quality suffered. The steak and burger was fine. The pasta dishes ended up like mush on a plate. It felt like there were some budget cuts. The coffee was also unusally terrible throughout the hotel. I’m not usually picky about coffee, but it was so tasteless we ended up using Nepresso pods and bring coffee from the room to dine elsewhere.
Another negative is that the hotel isn’t well located. It’s close to the highway, but not to anything interesting — especially the historical center of Porto. The view from the 12th floor would have been nice, except there wasn’t much to see. Plan on taking Ubers/Taxis most places.
If you plan on using the spa, I would definitely recommend booking a club level room. Spa & pool access is not included for most guests. The club level rooms come with free parking, free spa access, and lounge/club access on the 12th floor. This ended up being a better deal for us than paying individually and didn’t feel like we were being nickeled and dimed.
Overall this was a good stay and we were treated well. The hotel can’t change it’s location, but with some improvements in food & beverage it would be a 5/5 for me.