Porto & Douro Best Views by PCH

The location was excellent. It was quiet. The apartment was just the right size.

N/a Nothing.

We liked the View from the apartment and the location. Location is in the center of the city, so every Museum/Gallery/Attraction is easily reachable and in the walking distance. Mind that it could be difficult for you to climb the stairs to reach the apartment from the river, if you are not fit.

Apartment seemed clean as we entered it, but the problems emerged very soon. The main problem with the apartment is the water damage and the rot/mold caused by it. The shower is not properly sealed and the water gets in the wall and under the floor. The laminate floor is raised from the water damage. Even if there is no water on the floor after showering, the water gets under the laminate floor and raises above and becomes visible. You can also feel it when you step on the flooring. Also, after every shower, there are bugs exiting the wall and running around the apartment. They are also especially active at night. Most common one is the house centipede. I know this bug is not dangerous, but it is not a nice feeling when you find it on the bed in the middle of the night. The second biggest problem is the moss and mold in the wall, behind objects and on the windows. We are not allergic to mold and moss, but some guests might be and might get severe allergic reaction to it. Apartments with this kind of mold and moss are usually not considered habitable until the problem is resolved. The third problem is the ant infestation. There are ants everywhere and they constantly travel from one corner of the room to another, across the whole room. I saw some ant traps in the staircase, but there are much more ants in the room. You can forget leaving bread or any kind food on the counter. It gets swarmed by ants and is not edible anymore. The fourth problem was the unclean dishes and the fridge. Upon arrival, we had to clean the fridge from the mold and we also had to wash thew dishes, since it was not washed prior to our arrival. There was lipstick on the wine glasses and the cutlery was not clean. The apartment in this state is not worth its current price. We paid ca. €1300 for 11 nights. If I knew what we were coming in to, I would never rent it in the first place. It is just not worth it.

Central position, very helpful staff, cleanliness

1) There was nothing in the write up about the number of steep stairs to climb. We are seniors and carrying large, heavy bags. We struggled. 2) Big concern-no fire plan in place should there be a fire! We were on the top floor.(the red building in my photo! 3) No aircon

The location was absolutely amazing. We walked most of the time we used a driver only a few times. The bed was big also comfy, the view was amazing any time of day. It was quiet and comfortable. We asked for a steam iron before getting there and the staff was very prompt in leaving us one at the door. They answered all our messages very fast.

The mirrors in the bathroom were tiny and we didn't have any other mirrors in the appartment. It was hard for 2 women to get ready in the same time because of that. The supplies you get aren't enough we purchased shampoo and soap plus coffee capsules. They gave us a tiny soap and we used it for our hands and the shampoo was tiny bags we just got our own so we don't need to stress abt using less. We only got 3 capsules of coffee for 4 nights for 2 ppl. Also the fridge didn't have a freezer 😕 we got ice cream and than saw there is no freezer 🙃. Considering all this negatives I still think it's worth it to stay there for all the other good parts and I would stil make due with the minuses for the good parts for me location, comfortability and the view is more important than the rest. But that's up to you and what you value more from accommodation

Location and view is amazing. It was a very comfortable stay, highly recommend!

proximity to sites and train. cleanliness,

Be aware if you have any emergencies at the apt after 6pm no one will respond to you as their office is closed after 6pm. Use of space in the apartment. Didn’t need 2 stools, the dresser and smaller table (I’m assuming for suitcases) should be switched around for more clearance at the bottom of the steps. or maybe just a foldable suitcase stand instead of that large suitcase table. Also the apartment is in a good place but the directions on how to get to it were terrible. It took 3 taxis to find it. Pictures or videos would have been great to direct the guests. My tip, have the taxi drop you off at Estatua Vímara Perez, then walk towards the overlook, past the cathedral and museum and down the hill. It was quite noisy at night, ear plugs would be a nice touch since tourists are right outside the window. An eye mask would also be nice because the cathedral is lit outside of the window very brightly (lights don’t go off until midnight) and in the summer closing the window when it’s still warm in the evening is not feasible, regardless of the fan they provide. Lastly I accidentally said I was checking out at 9am. Someone came knocking at my door at 9:03am to clean. I found this interesting seeing at though normal check out isn’t until 11a and check-in is at 4p. Yet when I arrived at around 1p, I still wasn’t able to check in until 4 so I had to walk around town until then. An earlier check in would have been nice, it doesn’t take all day to clean something, esp. with how prompt I saw their cleaning lady was on the day I had to check out.

Location is great, just behind the Cathedral. View from the room is amazing!!

Stairs of 5 steep flights a challenge. Would not recommend it if you have trouble with steep stairs.