Lodging in Porto

AirB&B.
That was our method.

We are staying at https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1306890 in October.
They own the entire building https://www.mouzinho134.com

The location is great.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mouzinho+134+-+Short+Term+Rental+Apartments/@41.1429515,-8.6159068,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0xd2464e1993b2f83:0x2444ddddba00f360!8m2!3d41.1429515!4d-8.6137181

Hi davebarnes, thank you for this information. I think what I would really enjoy is staying in a small hotel which is quiet when the people leave the bars, somewhere in the city center, which serves a breakfast and is helpful with reservations, tours, points of interest etc. We hope to be leaving from Porto when we return home and it is always nice for me to have someone to kind of point me in the right direction to the airport.
Thank you again for responding and I am keeping your information.
FirIslander

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g189180-Porto_Porto_District_Northern_Portugal-Hotels.html#MAPVIEW

Hi Davebarnes, I am just now going through Trip Advisors list. Thank you for sending it to me. I am presently looking at Eurostars Das Artes Hotel to see if it suits my needs.
Thanks again.
-FirIslander

Firls,

I stayed at Hotel da Bolsa when I was in Porto last September and would absolutely recommend it. It's a very comfortable hotel in a great location. The rooms are very modern (with A/C) and they serve a nice breakfast. It's easy walking distance to the river and many of the sights. There's also a laundromat close by.

Hi Ken, thanks for weighing in on where to stay in Porto. I think Hotel da Bolsa would be great, but they have a bad cancellation policy, even though they say on their sight that there is free cancellation, when you go to the payment page you find out that it will cost $60 to cancel. If it wasn't for that I would definitely think about staying there.
Do you have any other suggestions for Porto?
Thanks again.
FirIslander

Oops! I miss read the fine print about the Hotel de Bolsa's cancellation policy. It is a "Flexible Cancellation Policy" not a Free one. Flexible costs you $60.
FirIslander.

We stayed in Porto at The House Ribiera Porto Hotel. A 3 minute walk to the riverside where we enjoyed meals and beverages at the various restaurant and bars located there. The rooms (although ours was small, late booking) were new and immaculate with comfortable beds, modern well equipped bathrooms and the most helpful staff that we've ever encountered in Europe. The not included breakfast was very good with hot and cold options. If we return to Porto we will again stay there due to it's great location and comfort.

Well, it just gets better. When I contacted Hotel da Bolsa directly (I tried to reserve on their website but as I found happens often, the site was unable to process my request) via email they got right back to me. They quoted a lower price and said there was no cancellation fee up to 24 hours before our reservation. I have a question for them and am waiting a return email.
Thanks again, Ken.
FirIslander

Sherry, the The House Ribiera Porto Hotel looks wonderful. Who could ask for more. What a great choice.

Firls,

I vaguely recall that the hotel had different types of bookings. The cheapest room rate was non-refundable but a flex rate was also provided at slightly higher cost (can't remember the details). I'm sure the hotel will provide all the information you'll need. I'm never too concerned about cancellations, as there's never been an occasion when I've had to do that.

I wouldn't hesitate to stay at Hotel da Bolsa again.

Hi Ken, thanks again for the suggestion of the Hotel da Bolsa. I'd looked at it earlier and then forgotten about it. We now have reservations there.
FirIslander

That's wonderful to hear! I think you'll enjoy staying there. The hotel has a nice little bar just opposite the front desk (open in the evenings) that's ideal to relax after a hot day of touring. The Stock Exchange Palace (well worth a visit) is just a short walk down the street.

Yes, I am really thrilled to be staying here, in this part of town. How did you move about the City, metro, bus, tram, foot? Did you come into the city from the airport? I'm curious how that goes. Also, did you do any day trips out of the city?
Thanks again for the hotel suggestion.
FirIslander

To answer your recent questions.....

• I walked about most of the time, downhill to the river and uphill to Praça da Liberdade and that area, which is where some of the restaurants are. I used the HO/HO Bus tours for trips across the river. I also took one of the boat tours on the river, which as I recall took about two hours.
• I came into the city from one of the train stations (I'd have to check my notes for the name of the station). I was coming from Lisbon. I used a Taxi from the station to the hotel.
• I thought about doing some of the day trips listed in the guidebook, but ran out of time. I guess that means a return visit.

One point on the HO/HO bus tour travels close to the waterfront and goes through a narrow street that has a lot of food stalls cooking fresh seafood. I don't eat much seafood but the cooking odours just about prompted me to get off the bus and sample some of the menus.

One other point that I just remembered. There's a tourism office right across the street from the hotel. If you want to take any of the Bus tours, boat tours or whatever, they will be able to provide all the information as well as tickets. The starting point for the HO/HO Bus tours is right in front of the McDonald's in Praça da Liberdade. It's an easy walk from the hotel (albeit slightly "uphill").

I didn't do any of the tours of the Port cellars across the river, as I'm not a big fan of Port.

Porto is a fantastic destination to visit this year - https://www.europeanbestdestinations.com/best-of-europe/european-best-destinations-2017/ . You're going at a perfect time!

There's lots to see there!

Thanks again for this, Ken. I am really looking forward to this trip. Did you do any side trips from Porto, like to Guimaraes or Braga?
FirIslander

Side trips
http://www.barnesfamily.com/Portugal/Douro%20River%20Train%20Trip.pdf

https://juliedawnfox.com/douro-valley-budget/

No, I didn't do any side trips. There was enough to see in the city and I only had three days / four nights for that part of my visit.

Guimares was the first capital of Portugal so is filled with history. We spent several days there prior to arriving in Porto. Highly rexommended.

Thank you for this, Suki. I'm glad you said this about Guimares because I know it is a place I would like to see for a host of reasons. Your mentioning it is encouraging me to make sure we get there. Thanks again.
FirIslander

Thank you for this, Suki. I'm glad you said this about Guimares because I know it is a place I would like to see for a host of reasons. Your mentioning it is encouraging me to make sure we get there. Thanks again.
FirIslander