Hotel Pestana Palacio do Freixo, Porto

The staff were well trained and the hotel was spotless. Particular mention must be applauded to Francisco in the bar. His attention to detail and personability was superb.

Nothing

Everything in general was great!! Staff were great and so was breakfast!

A bit far from city center.

Everything!

Not applicable

The hotel is beautiful and the views were amazing! The bed was huge which is always a bonus. Our room was made up every day. The staff were lovely, pool was clean and quiet and food was decent. We even got a little welcome gift (small bottle of red wine and some sweet treats) upon arrival which was waiting for us in the room. The hotel is about a 45 min walk along the river from the centre, but it's such a lovely walk. I would recommend doing it at least once! Most of days we took Ubers which were very accessible and SO CHEAP! We would definitely come back here.

We booked the Grand View room with extra bed, however be aware that on the pictures on booking.com it shows that the room has balcony, but our room did not have one. It also didn't have an extra bed, even though we booked extra bed, but they immediately put it in after we pointed it out. They even offered to move us to a room with balcony half way through our stay but we were not bothered moving all of our stuff just for a couple of days. Sometimes you had to queue to get into breakfast, so it's better to go there before 10AM if you want to avoid waiting. Except for that we couldn't complain.

Simply divine

Style

Staying at Pestana Palácio do Freixo was nothing short of magical. The elegance of this historic palace, combined with modern comfort and truly attentive service, made the experience unforgettable. The view over the Douro River is absolutely breathtaking, especially at sunrise. Every detail felt thoughtful, from the delicious breakfast to the peaceful riverside pool. A true haven of serenity and charm in the heart of Porto. I’ll definitely be coming back!

Scenic riverfront location. Beautiful buildings, spa services, gorgeous infinity pool, incredible architecture and historic rooms, excellent breakfast.

Carpets were old and worn. Shower hot water was inconsistent and was not there at all one morning. Arrived just after a small group (6). Waited a while for group and their excessive luggage to clear out of the entrance so I could get through to see if there was anyone who could tell me where to park or help unload my bags. But there was no valet or doorman or available staff around. I finally parked the car on my own and hauled my bags across into the lobby. When I arrived at the desk there was no indicator of helpfulness, and the greeting was not welcoming. (As far as I could tell there was no valet or doorman helping the group either). This was all a very poor first impression A hotel of this caliber should have a doorman and/or valet available, and be better trained in professionalism greetings. To be fair, the rest of the staff (bars, restaurants, maid services) were polite, professional and friendly.

The main building (genuinely an old palace) and the location on the river about two miles from Porto centre were beautiful. The updated property and the combination of old and contemporary styles was very good - the dining rooms were great. Two good pools, small but perfectly good gym. Staff were fine: friendly and helpful.

Not much to criticise. Quite complex to find your way around at first, maybe worth giving arrivals a map showing where everything is.

Location and view

The style & ambience.

Nothing to dislike.

Beautiful property, good location

coffee needs to be improved

Very welcoming, made us feel special

Softer pillows that’s all

Lack of staff.

The breakfast is exquisite, the view it is very pleasant . The hotel is a piece of art itself with all the “frescos “. It Tells about history itself . Very gentle and efficient hostes .

Location

For a 5 star hotel, the breakfast was average, and the breakfast staff seemed a bit under trained.

The staff were amazing, and it was a pleasure to stay in this historic beautiful palace. However given the weather turning on us, we were especially looking forward to the spa facility, sadly the Hammam steam room was not functioning properly and each time we reported the issue we were told it was fixed… it was not:(

Love Everything about the stay

The room was clean and the staff was very helpful. Breakfast buffet was nice

Location was a bit far but all in uber distance so can’t complain much

Historical building, super romantic and super clean/quiet room with great view of the Douro river, countless historic paintings and sculptures, relaxing indoor pool with sauna, great breakfast with warm vegs, if you have no experiences of Pousada this is a nice first step

Away from city center, 15 minutes by taxi, but this is a necessary cost of historic buildings

What I like the most was having a hotel with SPA, and indoor swimming pool while in the center of a city.

Having to order coffee during the breakfast, because I would like to do my own mix, ratio of milk vs. coffee

Fantastic historical building in a great location. The food and service were both excellent.

It’s beautiful and we find the rooms restful and very well appointed. We had a stunning view on this stay! While you are a bit of a distance from the center it is quiet and the parking has been a real bonus for us. Ubers were cheap and readily available.

We liked everything, the room, the dinner the breakfast the staff and the price.

The location and especially the view are stunning! Beautiful sunsets and views over the Douro. The palace where the lobby, the restaurants and bars are is amazing, feels like a jump in time.

Rooms are not too big and there were some minor issues, however the management went far beyond expectations to cope with everything. Kudos to Pestana’s team. Need a Uber to get to the city centre, but the calm location offsets for this.

This hotel exceeded my expectations. The service was excellent, breakfast was amazing, gorgeous view and only a short distance into the centre.

was a dream

nothing to complain about

The hotel was beautiful and the rooms were comfortable. The breakfast was delicious. We also enjoyed the spa.

Some of the staff at breakfast were not so friendly.

Friendly staff and a great breakfast buffet each morning, open to 11am which I appreciated! Hotel shuttle into town was very convenient. Would be great if it was available for more than 2 journeys through the day. Spa was also great and the treatment was awesome too.

Short on available dinner bookings which was disappointing -

Clean and spacious

Dim lighting

Amazing atmosphere , easy to get to city . Personnel made many special arrangements.

A little hard mattress…but bed was huge

This is a stunning hotel, the interiors are just gorgeous and the facilities are excellent. Also a fabulous breakfast!

We booked a triple room for 3 adults and they just added a camp bed to a twin room, the camp bed was uncomfortable and too small for an adult, we did let reception know and they said they would look into but never did anything.

The staff was extremely helpful, friendly, and professional. We felt very comfortable during our stay.

The shower could be better. The water pressure was low, and the nozzle needs to be better.

Breakfast was amazing and the hotel is a short taxi or shuttle bus ride to the city centre. Staff were very helpful and friendly.

Thought the dinner menu was limited and expensive for what they were serving.

We liked the combination of historic palace with the rooms in the adjacent restored factory building, all very tasteful. The staff were very friendly and professional, the rooms were very spacious , the food was nice and the breakfast buffet was just excellent. The palace itself is just outstanding, given its age it looks very well maintained; as it was winter we could not use the outdoor area but the location with the park-like garden and the outdoor infinity edge pool right by the river is very special; if you want to go for a river walk you can access a walking trail right from the hotel.

The room was a bit gloomy due to the somewhat "discrete" lighting. As it was raining and windy it would be nice if the walkway from one building to the other could be also covered on the side.

Very nice high end hotel in the old palacio, incredible breakfast buffet

Hotel was a little away from the city center(30 minutes walk), thought it would be right in the city center

The historical building is what makes the property incredible. Our room was very good, beds incredible, and the river view was just gorgeous. Toilet large enough and comfortable for 2. Staff is super helpful and very nice, mostly at the restaurant and housekeeping. Free parking is also a great perk.

1) room service comes with an extra charge, every time you order something — to be honest this is not a 5 star service; and it’s not a 24 h service, so forget that early breakfast if you are flying early in the morning or that late dinner when you arrive after 11:00 pm (which was our case). 2) spa facilities are very small and claustrophobic — very small rooms and a super tiny reception; giving fancy names to massages does not justify the extremely expensive and overrated price (for what you get). 3) breakfast room is like an open floor plan communicating with the kitchen only separated by a thin wall, which makes the room super noisy, i.e. you can hear everything from the kitchen …..there are beautiful rooms on the ground level (away from the kitchen) that could be used for breakfast but these are closed. 4)restaurant is gorgeous; food is good but normal — does not justify the prices (i.e. overpriced)

Amazing property, that makes a magical family vacation. Great staff! Great location!

Electric car chargers could be faster and closer to the main parking.

Amazing location. Grounds nicely groomed. Staff are welcoming, friendly and accommodating. Great room(free upgrade) we were so busy and didn’t get a chance to enjoy the spa

Loved everything

The service and friendliness is spot on. Great selection at breakfast. Great outdoor swimming pool. Lovely decor and building. It was very relaxing!

Unfortunately the Sauna was not hot enough each time we used it.

A SPACIOUS ROOM WITH A FIRST RATE VISTA SITUATED ON THE TOP FLOOR OF ANNEX. THE BED WAS HUGE AND THE LINEN WAS TOP CLASS. THE BATHROOM WAS WELL EQUIPPED AND STOCKED WITH TOP QUALITY TOWELS. BUT A LITTLE DATED FOR A FIVE STAR. THE LIVINGROOM WAS WELL FURNISHED. BREAFAST AT THE HOTEL WAS PLENTIFUL AND GOOD. THE QUALITY OF THE FOOD SERVED DURING THE DAY WAS ALSO TOP RATE.

THE ROOM COLOUR SCHEME WAS VERY DOUR AND VERY LOW KEY. ROOM LIGHTING WAS NOT THE BEST. THIS ALSO GOES FOR THE AREAS OUTSIDE THE ROOM.

Location scenic and close to Porto Outdoor swimming os ace Indoor spa and swimming v good

Layout takes a bit of getting used to

Had an amazing holiday in Porto and at Pestana, really recommend!

Charming

Location. Isolated

staff were great and the room was very comfortable

shower was not adjustable and very weak, my partner wh is a size 12 fitted In the bath just, I did not room service made a few errors with our order

Location. Building, view, staff friendly

Dark rooms, lack of daily clean, dangeours bath tub no handles , very slow checkout

Good riverside location. Approximately 50 minute pleasant walk into city .Ample car parking. Magnificent old building. Good food, superb breakfast. Great waiting staff.

The bedroom, whilst spacious was very gloomy and badly lit. Bedside lamps whilst very stylish were style over substance! Candles may have provided better light! No make up light in bathroom. Basin pop up waste not working. Shower waste partially blocked preventing use of shower on full. Plastic Bath plug and chain were detached! Bar and dining room were overwhelmed with two coach loads of guests and both rooms were grossly under staffed…..Very noisy making it a very unpleasant atmosphere. Waiting Staff trying their very best to cope. Upon arrival It would have been helpful to have been told that the hotel provided a courtesy service until the city! We found this service by accident. Accessing your room from reception was tedious involving two lifts. Weeds growing on balcony…the glass of which needed cleaning .

Beautifully renovated castle commanding great views of the Douro River. Located a short taxi ride from the historic centre with the benefit of a wonderful pool to end the days sight seeing. Would recommend and would chose to stay there again.

Nothing. Some may find the style a bit shabby chic but we loved it and it fits with the Porto vibe.

Lovely view, beautiful hotel. Nice pool. Nice breakfast.

The rooms building is extremely dark, you have to consider people with bad eyesight...at least double the ultra dim light! The way both buildings are connected is a labyrinth.

The room was quite large and nicely decorated with a beautiful view of the River

Overhead lighting in room could be improved

Absolutely wonderful pool area, spacious and every bit as pretty as the photos.

At busy times, it does take some time to drive to the city centre.