Porto Grand Sasimi Hotel — Hotel in Porto

I believe the main reason why this place has such poor reviews is because there is a discrepancy between how it is advertised and what it actually IS. (I’ve given it 3 stars because it wasn’t as advertised; if I’d known what to expect I’d probably have awarded an extra star.) It’s important to have realistic expectations before booking, so I’m going to give a LOT of detail.

Firstly, it is important to know that this is NOT a hotel. It’s more of a guesthouse.

Each floor shares a kitchen, and there is also access to a garden. I didn’t use either, but I did take a quick look and they seemed to be well-equipped.

The rooms are all slightly different; the one I stayed in had a toilet and a separate shower.

There is no lift. It’s an old building, and in Europe, so hardly surprising; but I know for some it will come as a shock. However, it’s only 3 short flights of stairs maximum to get to your room, and staff are happy to help carry luggage if necessary. The extra calories burned on the stairs allow you to eat more Pasteles de Nata, so think of it as a positive! 😉

There are none of the little extra touches you would expect in a hotel, like complimentary water, a kettle, soap, etc. but you are provided with a set of clean towels, which if you’re only staying a few days or a week, should be enough in the summer. There was no daily cleaning or turnover service.

The family who run the establishment are newly arrived in Porto and I got the impression that they perhaps had not worked in hospitality before. The building was purchased “as is” and so they are trying to figure out how to run the business full-time whilst also trying to deal with the fact that there is a lot of work to be done within the building itself.

In my opinion they might have been better off waiting until after remodeling before opening; this would have avoided a lot of negative feedback from other guests; but it is what it is and they’re doing the best they can in what must be a difficult situation.

The service was generally good, though there was only someone available on Reception quite sporadically. There isn’t a permanent member of staff there to deal with guests; so on occasion it may be necessary to call them or go looking for them within the building.

The staff are polite, helpful and friendly. My favorite thing about the place was meeting them; they are a lovely family and really tried very hard to make sure that things ran as smoothly as possible.

With regards to the room, the bed was comfortable, and the room clean. On the downside, the floors were coming up, the wallpaper was ripped, the bathroom doors had been fitted incorrectly, the curtains didn’t fit the windows, the blinds didn’t work, and there were insufficient features such as power points, furniture, storage space etc. The water pressure in the shower was mostly good, but once stopped altogether when another guest was using the shower in their room at the same time.

As other people mentioned, it is VERY poorly insulated against sound. However, in general it is not a noisy place. After 11pm it was quiet, so sleeping wasn’t a problem.

The area where it is looks sketchy, but in fact was very safe and quiet, even late at night. It’s approximately 20 minutes’ walk from the town center and about 10 from a main metro station (Trindade) so traveling to and from the airport, and visiting all attractions, was easy.

All in all, I think this place is a good option if you’re a laid-back traveller who doesn’t mind if things aren’t luxurious as long as you have somewhere safe, clean and...

I had a wonderful stay here while visiting Porto. The building has a charming, historic feel, but the room was cozy and very comfortable. One of the best parts was the warm hospitality—the owner was incredibly friendly and welcoming. The location is also super convenient, just a short walk to the metro station, which made getting around easy. I’d highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a comfortable, unique, and well-located...

Reservamos una habitación para una noche de paso en Oporto, y menos mal que solo fue una. Llegamos al sitio sin saber qué era exactamente, porque es un edificio antiguo “convertido” en hotel, sin señalización alguna. En la recepción (el rellano del edificio) no había nadie. Llamamos por teléfono y apareció un chico que era bastante agradable. Nos dio la llave y subimos como pudimos a la habitación, ya que no hay ascensor y la puerta se abre solo la mitad. Realmente no está bien distribuido, ya que cada habitación era una habitación de un piso, por lo que los tabiques son muy finos. Es decir, escuchas absolutamente todo lo que pasa fuera. La habitación carece de limpieza (había pelos en la cama y en los cajones que nos atrevimos a abrir). Pese a tener una presentación general decente, las paredes tenían agujeros tapados con tablas y el baño estaba adherido a la habitación con una puerta corredera que no cerraba. La ducha medía un metro cuadrado como muchísimo y no daba para nada sensación de limpio. No somos personas quisquillosas y de hecho pensamos que el resto de comentarios eran una exageración, pero nos parece que le falta mucho acondicionamiento a las estancias. Sin duda, por el mismo precio puedes encontrar sitios...