Vera Cruz Porto Downtown Hotel

Conveniently situated, comfortable rooms and great reception staff. I was impressed with this hotel and chose to return for a final night at the end of my itinerary. My second stay was in an upgrade to the first. Both rooms had great bathrooms and comfortable beds. The towels were not enormous and not the most luxurious but perfectly adequate. The upgraded room had a kettle which was a massive bonus. The carpets in both bedrooms had seen better days and really need replacing. There is a big jump in quality between the bathroom and the bedroom which was somewhat unusual. The position of the hotel is very good. Walking distance to the metro and to Sao Bento station. There is a great deal of construction of a new metro line going on at the moment which slightly hampers progress but obviously this will end at some point and you will be able to appreciate the architecture and upmarket shops on the Avenida. I found the hotel to be quiet although of course events in the main square can be lively. I was there for the Queima das Fitas which was great fun and finished at a reasonable time a d the whole square and Avenida were cleaned and back to normal very quickly. The really strong point of this hotel is the Reception staff who are multilingual and well travelled. Incredibly helpful, friendly and professional they make this hotel a top choice.

The longer I stayed, the more my opinion of the hotel changed! My first impressions were that this was an average, budget hotel: a small room with a small double bed, old fashioned furniture, tiny shower cubicle, no fridge, kettle or bottled water and a waste bin that still had someone’s trash in it. BUT… the room was otherwise clean and functional and the ladies on reception were amazing and the friendliest people ever. They spoke fantastic English and greeted me by name every time I left or came back (you have to leave your room key with them). They provided a map and advice on where to go and offered to arrange a taxi when I left etc. You are asked what time you want breakfast when you check in which is a bit odd, but the breakfast room on the 9th floor is small so breakfast times have to be staggered. There is a rope cordon across the entrance to stop people going in (not very welcoming). Breakfast was simple but adequate. The hotel is less than 5 minutes’ walk from Trindade station (if you’re coming from the airport) and in a side street opposite the city hall and the Porto sign. It’s 10-15 minutes to walk downhill to most of the sights and down to the river. The main road is noisy with cars and buses rumbling all night so you might have difficulty sleeping with the window open if you have a front facing balcony room. The walls are thin, so you can hear people talking in the next rooms. However, I really enjoyed my stay as a solo traveller and for 90 Euros a night (including breakfast), this was good value for Porto.

Booked this because of the great price and reviews. We stayed 5 nights and it worked out at £58 per night with breakfast. You can't argue with that. Hotel is right in the heart of the city and is central to everything. Ten minute walk from Trinade station. (central hub). Easy to reach on the metro from the airport via Trinade station. Ten minutes to Livrraia Lello. Also great places to eat within 5 mins walk. Breakfast cost us two euros each per night with the rate we got and it far exceeded expectations. Staff are lovely, especially the reception staff. Room was cleaned daily and was done to a high standard. Room was big, bed, comfortable. Bathroom huge and shower hot with good pressure. Hotel had a few tired spots , worn carpet in well used areas and room had a couple of fittings loose. But for the price it was an exceptional stay. We stayed in room 802. Great views and a balcony. Some noise from breakfast room above us, but we were up early anyway, so not an issue. Higher floor meant less street noise so we gained from this I think. Slept well every night.

The reception are amazing people