Pestana Palacio do Freixo

"Pestana Palácio do Freixo is a really unique property. The building itself is beautiful and full of history, and staying there felt a little like staying in an old castle. The front desk staff and the butler who greets guests were exceptionally friendly, and everyone we encountered was pleasant and welcoming. I have a particularly sensitive sense of smell, and when I first walked into the hotel I noticed a slight odor of moisture. However, I quickly became accustomed to it and it didn’t bother me during the rest of our stay. The gym is small and has mostly light weights, but it was clean and well maintained. The biggest issue for us was the restaurant service. There were plenty of excellent self-service options at breakfast, but the table service was extremely slow. On one morning, the hostess noticed that it was my birthday, congratulated me, and made an effort to find us a nice table. She also gave me a menu, which I didn’t realize was available because it hadn’t been presented to me on our first morning. She and several other servers came through the room multiple times, but no one asked what we wanted to order. After waiting for some time, I finally waved the hostess over and ordered two omelets and a cappuccino for my wife. The cappuccino never arrived. Our dinner experience was even more disappointing. Three nights earlier, we had gone to the restaurant specifically to make a reservation. The person at the hostess desk took our information. When we arrived for dinner on the night of the reservation, however, we were told they didn’t have our reservation and weren’t sure they had a table available. Fortunately, they ultimately accommodated us. Once seated, things started reasonably well. We were given menus, our drink order was taken fairly quickly, and our wine arrived promptly. We were also asked whether we wanted bread. However, we had to remind two different servers because we received one of our appetizers before the bread ever arrived. When the bread finally came—about an hour into the meal—we were offered gluten-free bread, which I requested, but it never arrived. The amuse-bouche took approximately 40 minutes to arrive. It was also oddly presented: everyone else seemed to receive theirs on a tall white plate, while ours was served in a simple black bowl. I ordered a beet salad, octopus, risotto, and soup for the two of us. The server initially told us that it was too much food. We explained that we wanted the beet salad and octopus as appetizers and still wanted all of the dishes. He reiterated that the beet salad and octopus would be brought together. When the beet salad arrived, the server told us the octopus would be coming soon. After another 20 minutes, I asked about it and was told that it was ready and waiting. At that point, I couldn’t help but wonder how long the dish had been sitting before it was brought to our table. Once we finally received the first part of the meal, the entrees didn’t take particularly long. The problem was the amount of time and repeated follow-up required just to get the meal moving. For a hotel of this caliber, associated with a Michelin-level experience, the restaurant service was a significant disappointment. We had several excellent Michelin-rated dining experiences during our time in Porto, as well as a wonderful meal at a quaint mountainside restaurant when we visited the national park. None of those other restaurants had service problems remotely comparable to what we experienced here. Overall, I really enjoyed the property itself. The historic building, atmosphere, and friendly staff make Pestana Palácio do Freixo a memorable place to stay. Unfortunately, the restaurant service did not match the quality and character of the hotel, and that was the biggest disappointment of our stay."

"An absolutely delightful oasis and almost a museum in itself, away from the chaotic tourist center. The hotel excels at the rare combination of combining grandeur and elegance with warmth and hospitality. My only regret is not staying longer to both better enjoy the property, the amenities, and relax. Sometimes we just felt like reading the coffee table books in the stunning parlor lounge or swim in the infinity pool overlooking the Douro rather than sightsee! Breakfast was divine and the pool had excellent food and service. We appreciated our interactions with all hotel staff and sad to leave. They were great with kids. Big thanks to GM Diego and team for a truly memorable stay!!"

"We checked in on Thursday morning and had a beautiful side sea view from our room. in the annexe part of the building, the rooms here were old and slightly musty but it was a good size with a large sofa. Unfortunately, there was confusion over breakfast. We had booked through Expedia believing breakfast was included, but on arrival we were told it wasn't. I called Expedia from the hotel and spoke to a manager, who insisted it was because of the room type we had selected. I asked the hotel manager to speak to Expedia, and the Manager confirmed that guests simply book with or without breakfast and that there is no rule that breakfast depends on the room type. Expedia offered £75 compensation but continued to insist that we hadn't booked breakfast. Even though I had taken a screenshot of the page where it said breakfast was included. that was particularly concerning was that, while I was discussing this at reception, two other guests walked past and said exactly the same thing had happened to them. They had also booked through Expedia believing breakfast was included, only to be told by the hotel that it wasn't. If booking through Expedia, I would strongly recommend double-checking exactly what is included in your booking. On Friday morning, we asked reception on our way out for clean towels and fresh water. When we returned in the early evening, nothing had arrived. I called reception again and still nothing happened. On the third call, I spoke to a male receptionist and a maid arrived promptly with the towels and water. She said she would return with ice but forgot, so I had to call again. The breakfast itself was fantastic. (see photos) The quality was excellent and there was a great selection. It would be even better if the hotel offered iced matcha, as we don't drink tea or coffee. The hotel grounds and buildings are beautiful, and the pool is particularly lovely, with wonderful views overlooking the river/sea. The gym was unfortunately very disappointing for such a large hotel (see photos). It is about the size of a small lounge and has only one treadmill, one bike, one cross-trainer, one seated bike, one bench and a cable machine with a loose wire (see photo) on one side. The weights only go up to 10kg and there are no proper leg or upper-body resistance machines. The two mats provided are cheap, slippery plastic and are also ripped (see photo). There were six people in the gym this morning, meaning my daughter and I couldn't comfortably do our ab workout inside. For a hotel of this size, the gym really needs significant improvement. Last night, at around 9:45pm, a waiter knocked on our door with room service that we hadn't ordered. Mistakes happen, but I would suggest checking the room number carefully before knocking on guests' doors so late in the evening. We were asleep. One of the biggest positives, however, was the help we received from the manager. My daughter accidentally left my Lululemon jumper in the bathroom, and she also couldn't find a T-shirt and shorts. The manager went out of his way to locate all of the items and arrange for them to be returned to us. His service was excellent and very much appreciated. David who worked in the lobby/concierge was very kind and genuinely pleasant and keen to help. Overall, there were some lovely aspects to our stay, particularly the excellent breakfast, beautiful views, grounds and pool, and the manager's outstanding help with our belongings. However, the confusion over the Expedia booking, the delays with our housekeeping requests, the late-night room-service mistake and the very inadequate gym were disappointing and could certainly be improved."