This hotel is a gem in the heart of the merchant area of Porto. From the initial welcome to the friendly check out & depart, everything was exceptional. The staff are so friendly and super helpful. The rooms are luxurious: we had a view over the city to the river front. Our family friend had. Superior room with a terrace. Not sure about the rooms at the rear of the hotel as they seem to have an enclosed view/ terrace backed onto the cliff face. However if you bear that in mind when booking I would recommend a city view room. Either way the room facilities were excellent. Breakfast was equally magnificent with a wide choice of items and the kitchen Wouk cook up any egg based breakfast item you wanted: I chose the omelettes on several occasions and they were perfect. There is a lovely roof top terrace where, after a days exploring, you can relax with a tipple of your choice in the sunshine admiring the views across to the Douro. All in all, fabulous experience.

Nothing really. It was all excellent.

Our suite on the first floor was spacious and very clean. Checkin was seamless and they offered a welcome beverage. In addition to the breakfast buffet that had many choices, they offered hot items from the kitchen. The staff is very accommodating. Very beautiful hotel.

Not sure this would be a negative for most, but the bed was a little too firm for me and if you are renting a car, there is no parking onsite. Other than that no negative.

The property was absolutely beautiful. Very unique and a lot of thought was put into every detail. They successfully kept the old world charm while adding all the modern amenities.Breakfast was incredible and the highlight of our day. So many options on the buffet as well as fresh made choices from the kitchen. The location was away from the city center which is nice for a more peaceful setting but the walk into town was uphill and about 10 minutes away. I also want to mention the staff. Everyone was extremely kind, helpful and professional.

The only negative is the size of the shower. We are not large people or shower snobs but the size of this shower is almost impractical. Trying to wash your hair or shave your legs was difficult. I feel they missed the mark on this.

We loved the our stay with just a few (but major for us) complaints. The bedding, bed and pillows were not good. The breakfast while abundant was the same every day. When checking in customers should be told that the restaurant is by reservation only for everything but breakfast. We saw guests get quit mad they couldn’t be seated because they didn’t reserve in advance while looking at mostly empty tables. The staff were nice but maybe a bit too nice. They maybe tried to hard.

As other reviewers have said, this is a lovely hotel, full of history and character with delightful staff. For 500 years the home of an aristocrat. then a canning factory and, more recently, a gym. It then fell into disrepair. Virtudes opened two years ago, and the renovations have retained its distinctiveness. We enjoyed an excellent meal in the restaurant, Traves, as well as drinks and snacks on the rooftop which has views over the river. It is a short walk into the centre of the town and the river. Beware though, the hotel is down an exceptionally old and narrow road (how on earth did they manage all the renovations with such difficult access?) and our taxi from the station couldn’t find it! Not an easy road to trundle suitcases along. Our room was comfortable and clean and had an excellent shower. A very welcoming hotel.

Our only negative was the room (on the 2nd floor). It was rather small and dark as it looked out directly onto a wall at the back of the hotel. In the end, this didn’t matter too much to us as we spent our four days walking around Porto and Vila Novo da Gaia and exploring the Douro Valley.

The staff were 95% outstanding and attentive. Nothing was too much trouble - dealing with queries before and during the stay. The breakfast selection was 5* + with any request catered for. Our whole family thoroughly enjoyed the food - so much so they got up every morning - never missing an opportunity to indulge (which has never been heard of). The rooms were clean and comfortable with excellent air conditioning. The hotel had been beautifully restored The roof top bar was a delightful relief after a long day.

The roof top bar service was very poor compared to the rest of the hotel and the drinks prices expensive. Breakfast was superb but perhaps allowing self service on cold drinks may speed up the process and a pot of coffee on the table if appropriate. The location would be challenging if you were with young children or a pram or carrying an injury as all the surrounding areas were steep roads or steps. The rooms - although beautiful- did not have a lot of storage space. The hairdryer was also far too strong - needs a lower setting.

The location was great in the historic area. it was fairly quiet but only a short walk from the centre of things. The Staff are amazing and can't do enough for you. we booked trips through them which were excellent. The property has been restored beautifully and the roof terrace is great for the sunset. We booked a double room with terrace, the room was large and we had 2 terraces which was nice to sit out on. definately we'll visit again and fully recommend thus Hotel. Thankyou

nothing really

Comfortable beds, spacious rooms and nice furnishings throughout the hotel. Staff was very friendly. Breakfast was fantastic. Also had dinner one night at the restaurant and it was superb.

Location was at the edge of the center of old town which was a plus because it was quiet. The downside was there was not much in terms of cafes or restaurants in the immediate area. Best coffee was a 10 minute hike uphill. The other issue was intermittent WiFi service. I had issues throughout my stay. Despite talking to front desk and they providing me an alternative network to use, service would get disconnected every 8-10 minutes and it would take another 1-2 minutes to reconnect. Updating their WiFi connection is something I highly recommend.

The character of the hotel was very unique and quite colonial. Very elegant and stylish. Additionally, the location is great as everything in the old town is at a walking distance. Lastly, the breakfast was quiet good and the ingredients fresh.

The hotel , though 5 star was losing points on the details. There is very bad wifi across the entire hotel, no mobile phone signal at all and the TV has no Netflix or even the channels it has , they don't work properly. Additionally, the reception experience was not the same across the board. It was very much dependent on who was at the reception and whether they were inclined to help or not. Finally, the room service is unacceptably expensive. They charge 10 euros to bring the order to the room.

From the moment we arrived Teresa the hotel receptionist gave us the warmest welcome and was beyond helpful and kind to us throughout our visit. She was not alone the warmth extended from all members of staff was fantastic. The location is great and the city centre is a 10 minute walk. The food in the restaurant is exceptional and wonderful fine dining experience is on offer. roof top bar on a sunny evening for some sundowners it doesnt get much better - I LOVED this Hotel.