Oporto Garden Villa — Hotel in Porto

Do not stay here — cancel if you can. When we arrived, the apartment was a health hazard. In fact, we initially noticed something was wrong because of the overwhelming smell in the apartment. The wall behind the TV was then revealed to be covered in a thick layer of black mold — bubbling out of the wall and running along the entire length of the lower walls. They even tried to cover it up with a plant, but there was so much mold we noticed it right away. I wish I had taken a video, but Alex, the check-in guy, came straight in to clean it before I had the chance, making it impossible to document just how bad it really was.

When we first met Alex at check-in, he seemed visibly nervous/ anxious — and once we discovered the mold, we immediately understood why. When he came back, he was even more anxious and embarrassed. He admitted he already knew about the issue, said it had been there for over a month, and even agreed it was not safe to stay. He clearly felt uncomfortable trying to “clean” the mold, because it was that bad — and he knew that just being that close to it himself was unsafe for him. And yet, unbelievably, they still expected us to live in it for an entire week.

Riccardo, the owner, on the other hand, has done absolutely nothing to apologize or take responsibility. Instead, he tried to blame his cleaning crew and repeatedly insisted the apartment was “safe” — even though the place reeked of mold. He even had the audacity to send me a message saying “it is not a valid justification for canceling your stay” (see screenshot). Absolutely outrageous.

The apartments next door seem to be under construction, which makes it clear this is not an isolated issue — they are clearly trying to cover up bigger problems. They knew about the mold for over a month and did not cancel our stay, instead tried to hide it and forced us into this position.

We wasted our entire first day in Porto standing in the street with our luggage, waiting for them to come up with a solution that never came. The best they offered was a refund, which of course we should get for not staying in their uninhabitable apartment (we are yet to receive the refund). They flat-out refused to help us find another place or cover the additional cost of new accommodations — as the only available options were much more expensive, since everything was obviously already booked.

This was not just negligence — it was reckless, dishonest and deceitful. Avoid this place at all costs, cancel your booking immediately, and give your money to other hosts who operate ethically. Do not risk...

Terrible experience. Walked into a strong, unpleasant smell, we soon discovered a large patch of black mold and fungus hidden near the TV. Clearly unsafe and uninhabitable. We had to leave immediately, losing an entire day in Porto and paying much more for last-minute accommodation. The host took zero responsibility and we still haven’t been refunded. Avoid...

Espaço charmoso e aconchegante. Um ambiente agradável...