Babel Guesthouse, Porto

The location was perfect and is a big plus. We booked the room because of its spacious layout and the appealing design shown in the photos. We stayed in Suite No. 2 on the first floor. The place has potential…

…but unfortunately, there were quite a few things that were not right. The room description stated that it had a double bed, but in reality it was two single beds we then had to push together. Had we known this, we would not have booked the room. The room is also not soundproof, and conversations from neighboring rooms are clearly audible. Another downside is the condition of the room: it needs repainting and a significant bathroom upgrade. The bathroom had very poor lighting and overall it looked worn and inconsistent with the rest of the space. Additionally, the shower only provides enough hot water for one person to take a quick shower, which was very inconvenient.

The automated entry system was very temperamental, making it difficult to enter the building. Once inside, access required squeezing past guests who were sitting in front of the door dining in the restaurant.

We were issued with a code whilst in the air on our way there

The beds/bedrooms in the 2 bed apartment, I should have read pages of reviews. It has see through walls which are plastic so no privacy at all. Thank goodness it was just the 2 of us. Then the beds are in a wooden surround the only way to get in is over the end of the bed. So with a leg that isn't great I ended up on the settee for 4 nights! We were looking at moving, and if there hadn't have been the settee we would have had to! Plus the bathroom is painted black very dark and not pleasant

Location, comfortable beds, great water pressure

No washer/dryer, can hear everything in the rooms because the place echoes.

I'd stayed here a couple of times before, when it was known as Miss Opo. A lot of what I liked about Miss Opo remains, obviously it hasn't moved and the location is great. It's super clean and self-check-in is very easy, as is all communication, via WhatsApp. The rooms offer a great size, more like a studio apartment than a hotel room. The food in the restaurant downstairs was great.

When it was Miss Opo you got a breakfast basket, which, although I knew it wouldn't be there when booking, was missed. Some butter and/or milk in the fridge wouldn't go a miss.

The location was fine. That’s about all we liked.

The apartment was difficult to find because it is on a very steep street that doesn’t allow cars.. it was up 2 very long flights of stairs on the 2nd floor and no elevator. So it was difficult to carry our bags up. The bathroom for starters is painted black and with very dim lighting. The beds are wall to wall so you have to crawl into bed from the foot of the bed. And don’t put anything on the wooden platform around the bed because if you knock anything off it will fall into the tiny space between the weirdly transparent walls and will not be retrievable. Which happened to an earring of mine. The air conditioning unit is in the front room and doesn’t reach the bedrooms. Which get hot if you close the doors. And when we went to check out, we called the number they left to say call anytime for assistance so we could get help carrying our bags down the long flights of stairs and we got the response that no one is available until 12:30, and checkout was by 11! So much for their sign saying to call for help! There should be big warnings about this place. Carry only a backpack if you want to stay there.

Once we FINALLY got information from the host after REPEATED requests for information, things went well, but the utter lack of communication nearly derailed our arrival, our stay, our trip, so I can't totally be objective about the facilities. The room was great, the location was great, but there was a lingering feeling that if we needed anything, we wouldn't be able to reach anyone. It's hard to be enthusiastic with this level of anxiety.

Leading up to our stay, we continued to get threatening messages (i.e. in ALL CAPS) that if we didn't complete info on their app, we wouldn't get our entry codes. I did complete it, but continued to get that message. I tried responding to them numerous times, including through Booking.com. When we got to Porto we sent a message through WhatsApp, which they never responded to. Out of the blue, they finally sent an entry code about mid-day when we nearly booked a different place. They sent it to my daughter's email ONLY, even though I had been the only communicator up to that point. It was just happenstance that she checked her email. They never sent the entry codes to me. Of the 4 days of our stay, that ruined our first half day. I've never had an experience like that through Booking or any other way. We loved the room, but I would be hesitant to ever stay again or recommend it. Sad.

the location is great, in the center, close to the metro, bus and the train station, in a secondary street without traffic and silent at night, good king beds and nice design. The stuff was so kind and respond quickly

nothing

It was lovely, clean, central. It was a good value for what we got.

We had no towels in our room, and since there is no front staff on site, you message through this app and wait. They were not able to resolve the towels problem before we had to leave, and we ended up borrowing a towel from friends who were also staying in the same hotel.
They responded very promptly to my problem, I should clarify, they just weren’t able to resolve my problem very quickly.

Ideal location and very roomy.

The beds as we are in our 60/70’s - beds really comfortable but difficult to access. The corrugated plastic walls - no privacy from adjoining family room.

Better location almost impossible, close to main attractions, means of transportation and many great restaurants and bars

Depending on the type of the trip you might find the apartment a bit noisy due to the street below. Also in the suite there are transparent walls, we were ok with it but shyer people might not love it.

The decoration is beautiful. The bed is big and very comfortable. The view from the small balcony is nice, and the wooden doors help keep the sun (and outside noises) out while sleeping. It is a small street between bigger ones that have more foot traffic, so it is mostly quiet.

There were hangers in the room, but no drawers or storage space. No iron. The bathroom is beautiful, but very, very dark, and it is hard to look at oneself in the mirror while getting ready.

Very clean and comfortable bed!

I didn’t like that it didn’t have a kitchen sink or microwave which is not ideal for longer stays.

Location was excellent-walking distance to river and plenty of restaurants and shops. Size was perfect for two people. Apartment was very clean, nice furniture, not cluttered.

N/a

Location and facilities were excellent

Bed and pillows were uncomfortable

The shower was excellent

The bedroom walls are see through acrylic sheets! Zero privacy. The beds are comfortable but very difficult to get into. There are no electric outlets near the beds, either. The bathroom is very dark. Needs way more lighting.

Central location, lots of space for family

Not a lot of places to sit. Maybe another chair in lounge

Great location and lovely and clean. Lots of space for luggage and the rooms were big

We had someone who was a little older with us who struggled to get in and out of the bed as all the sides reached the walls - no major issue but just a call out.

It was right in the middle of the old town close to restaurants, bars, supermarket and all things touristy..

Nothing

Great location!

We hoped the restaurant would have been open, but other than that, it was great and the location is amazing

Better ventilation in the bathroom, no milk for the coffee

Location. Spacious. Balcony overlooking street. Great shower.

Bed simulated queen size but the two mattresses pulled apart. No elevator. Bathroom other than shower was poorly designed.

Very unusual place, feels like you are sleeping in a shipping container or a converted warehouse office! Super quirky but unfortunately not practical.

The location of this place is fantastic. Right in the centre close to everything. Perfect. Obviously you pay the price for this and it is super noisy at night so don’t forget the ear plugs!
The shower is incredible! Powerful and hot!

Zero privacy as you can see in the picture, you cannot even shut the bedroom ‘doors’ which are about 1 metre apart and separated with rather pointless plastic see through walls…

Kitchen is a tiny fridge and microwave so no cooking.
The beds are probably the worst part of the stay because they are impossible to clamber in and out of without hurting yourself on the hard wooden surrounding it is boxed in by (see picture). I had to put my older parents in another hotel after 1 night because they really struggled with this.
Would possibly suit students or stag/hen but would not recommend to families or older crowds or anyone who values a good night sleep!

Cleanliness, location, style

Key to enter was a little problematic. Otherwise, nothing.

The location was good, and the hotel has a chic modern design.

The room was not clean enough, and the reception was always unmanned.
Additionally, we were two people in the room and the hot water ran out quickly when the two of us showered one after the other.

The location was excellent and the room was very clean and staff responsive.

I did not like we had to set our suitcases on the floor. Would be nice if a luggage was available. There was also no place to put your toiletries which was also inconvenient.