"We stayed at the hotel for three nights during a trip to Porto. There were some real positives. Our room was lovely — very spacious, spotlessly clean and with a huge balcony overlooking the hotel’s garden. We genuinely couldn’t fault the room itself. Breakfast was also very good, and as we had to leave very early for our flight home, the hotel kindly prepared a breakfast package for us to take with us. These were really thoughtful touches and much appreciated.
Unfortunately, the biggest issue with our stay was the noise from a rave/event taking place in the building next door to our room.
We arrived late on Friday evening due to a delayed flight and were absolutely exhausted. However, when we got to the hotel, the music from the event next door was extremely loud and could clearly be heard from inside our room. We were told that the event was taking place outside the hotel’s control and that the organisers had a licence, and that it would continue throughout Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
That meant that on the Friday night, instead of being able to get back to the hotel and go to sleep after a long and tiring journey, we ended up staying out until after 11pm because it was simply too noisy to relax in the room.
The following day, the music started at around 10am and continued until 11pm, and on Sunday it again ran from around 10am until 9pm. We have attached videos to demonstrate just how clearly and loudly the music could be heard from our room.
This had a significant impact on our stay. We couldn’t enjoy the beautiful balcony or the garden, and we couldn’t really come back to the hotel during the afternoons to relax because of the noise. This was particularly disappointing as the hotel is advertised as a “tranquil hidden gem” — unfortunately, our experience was anything but tranquil for much of our three-night stay.
We completely understand that the hotel may not have been able to stop an independently organised event taking place next door. However, we were very disappointed that, having explained how significantly the noise had affected our stay, the hotel was unwilling to offer any compensation or even a goodwill gesture.
It is a real shame because the hotel itself has a lot going for it. The room was beautiful, the staff provided some lovely touches and the breakfast was excellent. However, when you book a hotel expecting a peaceful place to stay and are unable to relax, sleep or enjoy the facilities for a significant proportion of your stay, it inevitably affects your overall experience.
We would therefore recommend that anyone considering staying here checks whether there are any events taking place in the neighbouring building during their visit. Had we known about this before booking, we would not have chosen this hotel."
