My husband and I have been to Portugal several times. We decided to come to Porto this time to celebrate our 21 year anniversary. Forte de Gaia exceeded our expected expectations. The hotel and rooms are amazing and very comfortable, well located, and staff is amazing. Everyone goes above and beyond. We had the river view room and the view is to die for.

I mentioned that it was our anniversary but upon arrival there was nothing in the room as mentioned. I have to say they came later and brought some wine, fruits, and a chocolate but it would have been nice upon arrival.

Breakfast was beyond expectations. Food was amazing-assortment and quality. Only bad thing was coffee wasn’t always hot, about one-third to half the time it was room temperature or warm.

We had a problem with the light switches in our room. Could not get the bedside lights off. Weird problem. Night manager or whoever he was couldn’t fix it. He eventually took the bulbs out and it was fixed the next day. Made me wonder how safe the electrical wiring is.

I could not fault The Lodge. The staff were incredible and the facilities were great. The pool is beautiful, a perfect escape from the busy city. During my stay there was a noise outside my room on the night that kept me awake (no fault of the property) I mentioned it in the morning, and I got a call an hour later saying they would be moving me rooms to ensure that didn't happen again. Special shout out to the housekeeping staff who work so hard keeping the place spotless. They pop into the room at least twice a day, it was always so clean.

The only thing I could say is the food on the menu at the pool is very expensive for the portions you get.

It was outstanding hotel with very kind services and good quality facilities. The location is also very close to all the winery tour places and if the walk to the metro was not that bad than expected so it was also easy to go back and forth to the town and the hotel. The restaurant was also very cozy and had nice foods/wine. We really enjoyed it. The only downside was that it was the first meal we had in Portugal so it became kind of baseline after the whole trip and it wasn't easy to find a better/similar one.

Outdoor area around the pool was a bit slippery when it was wet. And the wifi was broken for a day or something. It would be nice if we could borrow a pocket wi-fi machine or sth from the hotel but it wasn't that inconvenient after all.

I cannot say enough about the friendliness and professionalism the staff displayed our entire visit. We stayed for 3 nights and upon arrival until departing they knew our names, room number and went out of their way to find us amazing dinner reservations last minute at places we would have never found on our own. The breakfast that is served at the hotel is exceptional and has wonderful views and outdoor terrace. I heard dinner is great there too, but we wanted to explore options outside of the hotel. Location was great for activities along the river and easy access to the bridge to cross into Porto town, where there were a ton of other restaurants and activities too. In addition, the property is close to many wine tasting venues. My 9 year old daughter was with us and she loved the pool area, where they also serve snacks and wonderful drinks. They went out of their way to make her a very comfortable bed in our room. The room and bathroom were extremely spacious with great closet space, large walk in shower and so much room for the 3 of us. Everything about this property is high quality and I would gladly recommend to anyone visiting Porto.

NA

Lovely friendly staff, beautiful rooms with a panoramic view of Porto. Loved the Art work around the Hotel and the Hotel has a a very soothing atmosphere in which to relax , including reception. Outstanding place to visit.

Breakfast buffet, both days, empty containers of bacon and scrambled eggs, long waits for food to arrive , toast machine very slow. Other guests taking large volumes of food such as bacon so as soon as food was brought out it went. Order of Poached eggs were raw in the middle. More staff needed at breakfast time in busy periods when families are in the hotel. No member of staff monitoring the dishes. Helpful if member of staff served some items. Honey was delicious.

The breakfast buffet offered many options. The rooms were clean and the beds/linens were comfortable.

We didn't like that the bathroom sink area was not behind a door. There was not a separate area where one could change, if you were traveling with another person, not a partner. It also meant that anyone washing their hands, brushing their teeth would be making noise that could be heard throughout the room. However, having a separate room for the toilet was handy.

The hotel has everything you can possibly need. Close to all main port wine houses and with very easy access to the main centre of Porto. Very confortable room and L'Occitane toiletries. Also, having an outdoor swimming pool (heated) is amazing, perfect to relax between morning and evening turistic activities. The restaurant and bar are fantastic, I loved the port wine cocktails. I strongly recommend this hotel. The hotel was very accommodating for our 2 year old daughter, they provided cot and a very cute kids toiletries bag. There is parking at the hotel and its activeted with "via verde" which makes everything super easy.

Only positives.

The Lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia absolutely exceeded our expectations, even before we arrived. Hélder assisted us with the upmost professionalism and warmth regarding our reservation, and continued to offer great suggestions regarding the Porto area. Stellar service at the restaurant, especially during breakfast. Top notch staff who anticipate your needs before you. What a lovely experience:)

No milk in the room for coffee. The restaurant was always happy to make a coffee to go, but it would have been nice to be able to stay in the room if possible.

We had a wonderful stay at the Lodge Hotel, the staff were exceptionally friendly and went out of their way to make our stay pleasant and effortless. We had an upgraded room, with a river view and it was lovely to be able to look out onto the river and Porto. The bed was very comfortable, shower great, and we enjoyed the breakfast options. We found the location perfect for visiting the port houses. With the parking garage connected (they will park your car inside so you can come/go as you please) it was really effortless to drive in. Our only regret was not staying longer!