Nations Porto - Studios & Suites — Hotel in Porto

i'm not sure how to say this efficiently and elegantly, as i am usually not one for writing reviews about hotels. in fact, i don't think i ever have written one in my life. that being said, i felt absolutely compelled and almost overwhelmed to write about this hotel and the amazing service i have been provided. this hotel is absolutely amazing.

the receptionist, i think, really helped provide a once in a life time experience for me. even if the hotel room had been dingy (which it is most definitely not)-- even if the hotel in of itself had been poor or boring or bland--(which, again, it is definitely not,) i would have given this hotel a more than complimentary heft of stars simply because of the animosity and the impeccable service that is the reception.

i had previously read about the reception in other reviews about this hotel in passing in preparation for my trip to Porto, but i had genuinely not expected-- nor had i remembered-- just what the other reviews had implied and specified of what to expect from my hotel stay. to say that i am overjoyed is almost an understatement. as i've stated before, i do not have the elegance to explain to you just how much i found the reception well.

i think it would do them justice to tell you just how much i enjoyed their service, regardless of my inexpertise. the receptionist was extremely friendly, going as far as to help us with our bags up the stairs when we had found the unfortunate task of climbing up said stairs daunting. she was considerate, and kind, answering each and every question we had we with the animosity of someone who was speaking to a friend. the unfortunate lack of elevators was more than fixed by the fact that she had offered to bring up our bags for us all by herself-- which, of course, we didn't let her do because that would've been way too heavy for her, but bless her soul nonetheless.

upon entering the suite, we were given a lovely small tour of our room which consisted of two floors-- with one bed that i, as an american, can only deduce that is the size of a full/queen on each of the floors. the stairs to get up to the second half of the hotel room are small, and if you are taller than five feet it would be advisable to keep your head down low to not hit the ceiling as you go down, but the second floor is amazing. there, a second full/queen bed is at your disposal. the kitchenette is stocked full of breakfast items such as yogurt and milk and orange juice, and each day there is a basket of breakfast items personally delivered to the front of your door for you to eat breakfast with.

i will absolutely be using this hotel again. i don't think i'll ever find this type of service anywhere else!

tl;dr:...

The location is great. It's 5 mins walk from Sao Bento station (albeit walking up a slope to get there) hence within walking distance to most tourist spots in Porto. The slope from Sao Bento to the property was steep but because of the close proximity, it's manageable to get there even with heavy suitcases (just have to be able to push your suitcases up the slope. check Google Street View if in doubt). There is a church opposite the property which gives out food at night, so you will see a long queue of (mainly) men queuing for food outside. I (solo male traveller) walked around the area day / night and did not experience any issue. My room has two single bed, an open plan kitchen and a bathroom, a small table with two chairs. The room itself is spacious and clean, the kitchen has a fridge with all the appliances one would need (e.g. induction hob, coffee machine, hobs and pans, etc.). The only issue is it's small bathroom. It is so small so it was difficult to close the door once you are inside. The flush didn't seem to work well, I often had to flush twice. Reasonably strong shower with plenty of hot water. The other issue was the high humidity (which was not an issue with the property itself, but more to Porto). My towels don't dry out and would needed to be replaced every other day. There is a house keeping service you could request. Luckily I was travelling solo for four nights and there were already two towels in the property which was helpful. Having an air con would have been a great add-on (there wasn't one in my room, but there was a portable fan). It was around 15-17 degree C at night during my stay with high humidity, which I found challenging. I had a room facing the other side (i.e. not facing the church) meaning I was able to open the window to get some fresh air, but there was only one window, so I still needed to turn on the portable fan at night to cool myself down / get some air circulation in the room. I managed to have decent sleeps but would really struggle if the temperature were higher. The night was quiet. There...

The good. |The location of the apartment is close to center city and fun Porto activities. The room and building was clean. The kitchen was set up for good use although we only used the fridge and coffee maker. The owner and cleaning lady were friendly and responsive. ||Things that could change. |Add air con. Add a better mattress. We only needed a place to sleep at night that was walkable around Porto, but it was hard to sleep because 1) the futon bed was so hard, 2) the street noise was constant, and smokers on the street filled our room with bad smells. There was a fan but in the summer the fan was not enough and we had to keep our windows open. Air con could help with keeping windows closed and reducing the street noise and smoke entry (at least three hours every night there were people standing outside our window talking and smoking while waiting in line for a food kitchen). The bed was so hard I felt bruised when I woke up. ||Things I would have liked to know in advance. |The check in process was completely self serve. I expected a reception desk at the minimum. I was hoping to chat about the city with a local and get recommendations do I was surprised by the self check in. I also would have liked to know about the food kitchen line outside my window. I had messaged the owner/manager about air con in advance and he did confirm there was none. However, he never disclosed the food kitchen right outside my window. I wish I had read about this issue before |paying in advance and making my reservation. ||City Tax|Not a problem to pay it but it was the last minute notification I did not like. ||Overall I gave the apartment a three out of five which is probably a bit generous, but the people here are so friendly and kind I added that factor...