Pestana Douro Riverside

Stayed for 4 nights on bed and breakfast, arrived early, and left our luggage in storage until later when our rooms were ready. They hotel is close to the marina, which has a reasonably priced bar where we had drinks and coffee. Uber costs from €4 to the city depending on where you are dropped or collected. There is a footpath by the river to the city, which is a few km away and manageable if you are moderately fit. The hotel is set over looking the river away from the hustle and bustle of the city with a good outdoor pool to relax at. There is plenty of outdoor seating to sit and enjoy your food and drinks or relax and soak up the views. We had a hiccup at check-in with one of our rooms and got upgraded to a junior suite for the inconvenience, which was nice. Staff were apologetic for the error. Rooms are comfortable, as is the whole hotel. Good selection of food for breakfast and dinner. Staff in the dining room are helpful and professional. Would recommend this hotel and would stay again if in porto.

I had a fantastic customer service experience. The staff were all friendly, helpful and professional - from the front desk staff, to the dining & bar staff, to the housekeeping staff and the spa staff, everyone was great! I also loved the fact that it felt a safe and secure environment which is very important. Great amenities and comfortable room.

I honestly cannot think of what I didn’t like other than the location not being near to any metro (which I also liked) however, Ubers were affordable enough and came pretty quickly. Also, would have been great for some sort of acknowledgment of guest birthdays or special occasions to make their stay feel extra special.

I loved the breakfast - not just the food, but the room itself. The ambience was so beautiful. The food was amazing. Our room was beautiful, with a beautiful view of the river. The bed was very comfortable! We had dinner at the buffet two of the three nights of our stay. The food was delicious, fresh and abundant. Aside from the beautiful room and wonderful food, the staff was exceptional. I felt as if they were there to make sure we enjoyed our stay. Pedro was very patient with my husband and me in teaching us some Portuguese. We also had another server for breakfast who was so very nice. Unfortunately, I don't have his name. I would definitely stay at the Pestano again.

This is nothing the hotel can change, but the distance from the hotel to the main street was about a 45 minute walk. It was fine for my husband and me, because we wanted to get some exercise, but people reviewing the hotel should know that it's about a 45 minute walk, or a 6 minute taxi ride (6 euro for us). This would not deter me at all from staying there again.

The breakfast / dinner was amazing Location was amazing Room was amazing -- i was in 805 which overlooked all of the water and you could see down to the pool and the bar The Pool is so nice, so cool to be in an infinity pool by the water!!! Staff are awesome so friendly and spoke great English which was a huge plus! The hotel itself is so nice, the design is brilliant and though the location is a little away from the City but thats honestly a good thing you want to be away from all the tourists, if you are considering something a little more away from the city and want to have a cool pool, beautiful views, near the marina and a fun DJ on the weekends (at least when i was there, i would go!) i will definitely stay here again the next time im in Porto!

the AC wouldnt stay at 18*c and kept resetting when i would go in and out of the room which was kind of annoying especially when it was hot in the evening.. something the management needs to look at, i was in room 805 and it just didnt seem to be blowing very much air with the balcony doors shut and closed

Really nice hotel with a rich history that they stage in the hotel. the pool is very nice with lots of lounge chairs available. breakfast buffet was exceptional with a friendly staff and lots of very good options. the location is not in the center of Porto however with a bolt or an Uber it is really convenient and cheap to reach the city center. so it worked for us.

my only comment would be that we booked a room for 3 adults and they added a small spare bed which was not a standard bed and not as comfy. I wish it was at least stated when we booked so you know ahead of time and are not surprised or disappointed

Food was delicious with many choices to choose from. The hotel was clean and beautiful.

The 2 female employees that worked the front desk were rude and obnoxious and I stood in front of the counter and waited to be check in. Both of them didn't even looked up to assist me. There was no one there and both ladies were not assisting anyone at the time. I stood there for a few minutes without anyone acknowledged my presence. However, a man walked up after me and they both helped him with his check in. I went back to the front desk the day after and both female employees ignored me and treated me with their cold shoulder. It was a very unpleasant experience.

One of the most enjoyable places we've ever stayed.   The room had everything we needed and the bed was very comfortable.   Our upper floor balcony was a sunny, comfortable spot to sit and enjoy the  spectacular views of the pool, river and parts of the city.   All facilities were modern, well maintained and spotlessly clean.   The staff were helpful, polite and we had no problems communicating in english. We enjoyed all the meals and drinks we had at the property and felt they were reasonably priced.   Its a short distance from the centre of the city but as a result its quiet and relaxing. Uber taxis are only minutes away and very cheap. . 

Our absolute favorite hotel of the many we have stayed in on this trip. Clean, comfortable and wonderful amenities, plus the touches remaining from the building's former life as a perfume factory gave it so much character. The huge smokestack in the middle of the lobby and chandalier made from perfume bottles, just to name two. We had a great meal in the restaurant and the staff were all friendly and helpful. Our room was spacious, the bed perfect and then you stepped out on the balcony to an incredible view of the Duoro River. We extended our stay by a day. We didn't want to leave.

This is the most insignificant of problems I hate to even mention it, but when we asked for recomendations for restaurants, the two we were given were over-priced tourist traps. Again, not a big deal at all.

This is a beautiful hotel. Very new and clean with lovely features inside Fantastic views over the river Douro we had a superior room which was on the 6th floor so the balcony had uninterrupted views of the river The staff are outstanding 😊 Whilst it is quite a walk to reach the main riverside areas it’s only a €5 Bolt ride so very easy to access

It’s a shame the hotel doesn’t have direct access to the river path Its only a short walk to join the path but maybe a card key access system could be installed to allow guests to use the gates onto the path

The whole facility is gorgeous and the staff were beyond reproach. Especially the porters there. Above and beyond! It's also converted from an old soap/fragrance factory and the whole hotel is themed around flowers used. The whole place is stunning. It's seriously THE best hotel I've ever stayed. Pestana hotels are a chain and given this 1st experience, I'll seek out Pestana hotels around the world from now on.

It's a little out of the way from the fun bits of Porto, but hot tip: Uber in Porto is SO CHEAP. A ride from the hotel to downtown Porto was maybe $5, whereas anywhere else the same distance would cost $20+. So it's not too big of a deal. There's just not much immediately right by the hotel.