The “Pestana” is located in the middle of Ribeira, at the central square that could be considered as the Mecca of Porto-tourism. This location is the big plus and also the big minus of the hotel. The hotel has  103 rooms, 51 thereof in the old part of the hotel and 52 in a new wing that what recently added. While many rooms have a river-view, some unfortunately have not. A room with the view towards the Douro is of course a marvelous place to sleep, and there is nothing cooler than waking up with a view towards the bridge D. Luis. Some people say that room 204 is the best room in the hotel… bridge view and a cute little balcony… however, in the past this very balcony was a few times used by burglars to get into the room… therefore never sleep with an open window. The hotel has 5 stars and is therefore not cheap. The service is good, the staff friendly. There is no real restaurant – only a room to take the breakfast. No facilities for lunch or dinner. But very close to the hotel you can find many restaurants. The central location makes it very easy for pedestrians to reach it… but not for cars. The “Pestana” is located in a pedestrian area and only taxis are allowed to drive to the hotel – private cars are only allowed for a short period in the morning and in the late afternoon. And this doesn’t make it easy to reach the hotel if you are coming in your own car. You will have to park quite a long stretch away and then you have to carry your suitcases down the hill… and when you leave the hotel, you have to carry them up the hill… not easy. But you get compensated by the great view – at least if you have booked a room on the riverside.  I would always chose a room with a view of the river – yes, they are more expensive but they also quieter. The rooms that are on the street side are facing the lively small roads where locals and tourists make quite some noise until the early morning hours… Don’t forget your ear-plugs… The hotel is very photogenic – the facade looks very nice and it is very iconic in the middle of Ribeira. The furniture and bathrooms however look a little bit worn and tired and could use some TLC.

As mentioned, the location is what makes this hotel so special – yes, to reach it by car is difficult – but on the other side you find within 100 meters everything that a tourist might desire.

 

To learn more about this hotel and to book it, please follow this link: PESTANA VINTAGE HOTEL