The service at Casa do Conto has been four long years in the making- literally! I had a reservation with the small group in summer of 2020 when I was still living in the US. I’d booked it on the back end of a convention in the city as I read it was one of the best-priced boutique hotels in Europe. Naturally, the trip was cancelled thanks to Covid, but the hotel promised to hold my deposit for a future visit. After receiving a wedding invitation for just north of Porto, I tested this promise and was pleased (and surprised) that the credit would be honored four years later! Things were off to a good start.

When we arrived at the hotel insanely early, like 8:30AM early, our room was of course not ready. The hotel invited us to join them for breakfast, that wasn’t technically included with our first day. This small gesture made a big impact on a starving travel morning. The quirky dining room was a mix of vintage furnishings and linen tableware.

The buffet, while modest, was incredibly fresh and it was clear that love had gone in preparing just enough. Waste be not. Eggs were offered to order on subsequent mornings which was also a nice touch.

Fresh juice, strong coffee, and a bit of charcuterie to feed our 3AM wake-up call did just the trick.

We spent the morning working from the hotel’s small living room, conveniently outfitted with a Nespresso maker to keep us going.

Everything about the property was a quirky mix of modern and vintage, including these design-y stairs outfitted with leather straps.

A narrow profile in a residential quarter, provided a small garden to soak up the sun on a plot of green in the city.

Our room was ready around 13:00 which gave us a productive morning we didn’t know we needed and an upgraded room with king bed and Portugese ceiling messages.

Off of the bedroom was a sunroom with lounge chair and kitchenette- We had never seen a hotel room quite like this.

Vintage furniture theme continued into the rooms with an interesting mash of pieces spread amongst the brutal concrete design of modernity.

The closet was large (and offered free ironing service!) and while a safe was delivered to the room, it was not bolted down in any way. This was rather unfortunate as typically I like to use a hotel safe.

The bathroom, unfortunately, was the true Achilles heel of the property. While it was a concrete box behind the bed, it was the worst layout ever seen in a hotel. Despite it’s thick cement walls, there was no privacy with every noise being heard in the bedroom. Romantic it was not. To boot, the shower and the toilet leaked all over the floor so we constantly were using tons of towels to remedy the situation. We were told maintenance would investigate, but we don’t’ think they ever did. The hotel reminds you to be environmentally friendly, but between the literal hole in the shower door, water heated by solar panels, leaking toilet, and abundance of towel laundry, this design was an absolute disaster.

The hotel was a charming boutique among a rather quiet residential area of the city and the staff could not have been any kinder or more helpful. However, it is the unfortunate design of the room’s bath that would exclude it in future Porto plans. Practicality has to win while travelling.