Grande Hotel de Paris — Hotel in Porto

The hotel service is not what is advertised. For instance, on their website, they state check in starts at 2:00 p.m. It does not, it starts at 4:00 p.m., is very slow, and took about 50 minutes. There were many that were irate and waiting way longer than us. The hotel staff offered no explanation and were abrupt when a customer tried to ask them to explain the reason for such delays. The lobby was full of people waiting to check-in. ||I chose this hotel for two reasons, in-room safe which is very important to me, and laundry service. We booked a superior room which stated it included a safe. When we got there, there was no in room safe and if we wanted one, we had to go to the lobby and they would give us one. No way am I putting my valuables in a safe not bolted down to anything. So, I had to carry a larger bag everywhere I went as I wasn't leaving my valuables unsecured.||The second reason I chose this hotel was because they advertised laundry which I have used many times when traveling. I choose to do carry on and my plan was to send out laundry upon arrival to the hotel, we were spending four nights there. When I inquired, I was told that it would take 3-4 days for pick up of my laundry and 3-4 days to return it. So, an 8 day turnaround which how many travelers spend 8 days in one place? The reception then directed me to find a laundry up the hill as that is where they direct guests. I had no interest in wasting my vacation doing laundry and luckily I could manage the rest of my vacation by getting creative and handwashing items. Not the same quality clean. False advertising! ||The hotel sent me a survey, I stated both and received no response. Also, Porto is a party city, something I didn't know. We paid extra for a city view.. forget it, the hotel is four stories high and all you see is another building, no view above. People party until dawn, scream and chant in the streets. We didn't want to move once settled, but first two nights sleep was at a minimum as college kids were celebrating returning to school. There were megaphones and chanting and screaming for two nights. Last two nights we were only awoken occasionally. Ask not to have a street view and maybe there are other rooms that are quiet. We wish we knew about Guaia which is just across the bridge and much quieter. The hotel was worn out, lobby carpet dirty. The room itself was clean, shower had no water pressure, and the bed was a three inch mattress on a platform that slid off the base. ||If you are looking to party non stop then this location is for you. But watch out for what the hotel advertises isn't what they actually offer. Never saw a bartender at...

This is a nice centrally located, seemingly recently refurbished - to its original (?) art nouveau style - boutique hotel. Reading the old comments on Google one might think better stay elsewhere but I gave a chance and even though this is my first day (didn’t sleep in yet), my first impressions are good. It comes through that they are putting efforts to improve the scores and reading old critiques I can see they improved the look and the facilities of the rooms. There is AC in the double room, it’s clean and good sized and bright, bathroom has been refurbished to a great level. I notice they are paying attention to small details - not overwhelmingly as it is expected from a hotel of this size but noticeably such as the thick fresh and printed towels and locally sourced (?) toiletries which I always appreciate (there is no abundance though and perhaps I would replace the plastic cups with glasses in the bathroom but I am happy enough). My Tv is working, there are English speaking channels. I messaged the hotel early on that I am a very light sleeper and asked for an upper floor room away from noise sources, they accommodated my request and put me on the top floor (floor 4) overlooking the garden. I enjoy the breeze coming through the balcony door. I will review again after my first night - Bear in mind though that the hotel lives in this old building apparently since 1907 so with wood structure, but what a nice charming decor! It also has a little garden to sit in for a nice Duoro or a coffee, the bar is open 24/7. The staff is very nice so far, thy are from all age group and everybody has a smile. I...

I see many negative reviews discussing room size. We booked a junior suite to remedy this, and it was well worth it. The suite comes with a sitting room/spare bedroom in a hammer-head style layout with the entry and bathroom between them. We used the second room to lay out our bags and had no issues at all.

You could see the iconic church belltower from our window. The windows are thick and block out any noise from outside very effectively (and it's normally quiet enough you can have the window open) We found the hotel very restful.

The staff was very nice. Particularly the night doorman, as he always had a smile and was very pleasant.

The location is excellent, everything is within walking distance. We didn't have a car, not sure how the parking situation is, but for pedestrians it was great. So many restaurants, cafes, parks, and attractions within a 15 minute walk. We never used a hired car or public transport for the 4 days we were here.

The only complaint I would make is the breakfast. We got it included with a deal on their website booking directly, but it's not worth 15 Euro if you don't. The eggs are pretty obviously the liquid pre-scrambled eggs, which is a disappointment given the quality of the service and the rest of the offerings. If there's AC in the breakfast area, it's not turned up very high. Luckily sitting outside was an option and was much more pleasant.

All in all, I thought it was well worth the cost and would stay there again...