Holiday Inn Express Porto City Centre — Hotel in Porto

So pleased we booked this Holiday Inn Express. We stayed 4 days before our Drouo River cruise. The location is fabulous. Stroll out the front entrance to the quiet end of St. Catarina. As IHG platinum members, we were upgraded to a wonderful room on the 6th floor with a large balcony. The room was large by European standards, nice walk-in shower, wall-mounted toiletries, no fridge or safe but a kettle and an iron. The included breakfast was more than adequate. Fresh buns and pastries, cold cuts and cheese, hard-boiled and scrambled eggs plus either cocktail wieners or bacon. There is a bar on-site staffed by the reception. |As mentioned the location couldn't be better. Santa Catarina is a busy street but the IHE is at the quiet end| Across from the hotel is a small convenience store good for snacks and beverages. As you continue down Catarina, on the right-hand side you'll see Bulha. Great restaurant for drinks and or a meal. If you continue along Catarina, you'll see the much-photographed blue tiled Capela das Almas. At this church, turn right on Fernandas Tomas to a metro station. On Tomas is another little restaurant we recommend, Cult Of Pita. Continue down Tomas to the incredible Mercado do Bolhao - everything a market should be. Have your taste buds and camera ready. If you cross through to the opposite entrance of the market and look right you see a sign for CONTINENTE. That is the name of the supermarket in the basement. |Enjoy the IHE for the hotel itself and especially for...

While the Holiday Inn Express Porto boasts an excellent location, friendly staff and good value, my recent stay was marred by several room-related issues that significantly impacted our experience.

Upon checking in, we were greeted warmly by the staff, and the hotel's prime location was immediately apparent. However, upon entering our room, we were met with a strong, unpleasant smell reminiscent of fresh paint. Although the odor dissipated after airing out the room for a few hours, it was a discomforting start to our stay.

Furthermore, we encountered recurring issues with the shower pipes over night. The sudden and unsettling noises resembling choking sounds disrupted our sleep on multiple occasions, particularly during our last night. Despite attempts to solve the problem after mid-night, it persisted and greatly hindered our ability to rest comfortably. We could barely get to sleep at the end.

While the hotel's staff and location were commendable, the issues with the room significantly detracted from our overall experience. I hope that these issues are addressed promptly to ensure a more enjoyable stay for future guests.

Breakfast was above average to other Holiday Inn Express. However, although the famous Pastel de nata were offered, it was very limited. We only managed to grab one for each of us for the first day. None were found for the second/third day.

The hotel is locked down after mid-night. It would be great if the reception could let us know when...

My husband & I stayed at this Holiday Inn Express at Porto with a travel group. We were travelling to Portugal & Spain and spent $11,500 just to stay in a room in a basement. The receptionist told us the hotel is fully booked so they assigned our room in one of the 3 rooms in a basement. We knew they gave away our room as we saw the room number was erased & changed it to the room in the basement. The room was cramped & the worse part it has no access to elevator so we have to use the stairs. One of the employees has to carry our luggages to our room as we refused to carry them. We booked this trip months in advance so this is not the last minute booking. During check out my husband mentioned to receptionist that placing us in a room in the basement was not acceptable as we paid $ 11,500 for the trip. The female receptionist was very rude & did not even apologize to us. She told us “Oh well you guys are in a group so it is the same room like everyone else” We both replied to receptionist and said “No it was not the same as we stayed in a room in the basement.” So please beware of this Holiday Inn at Porto Portugal as the employees are rude & not considerate. We were excited and looking forward for this trip & very disappointed to stay in a basement. If we can only give zero stars for the attitude for sure we will. They need to be trained how to deal with people. Absolutely poor customer...