Octant Douro

“4.5 stars rounded up to 5”

We usually stay farther down the river in Regua at the senses... but that is becoming too expensive and its harder to get to. We chose octant to try something different, closer to porto, at a better price. We're glad we did. This hotel is absolutely stunning. Not for people with poor mobility thoug… more

We usually stay farther down the river in Regua at the senses... but that is becoming too expensive and its harder to get to. We chose octant to try something different, closer to porto, at a better price. We're glad we did. This hotel is absolutely stunning. Not for people with poor mobility though. Elevators are generally slow, esp funicular. Many stairs outside to lead to the rooftop pool/lounge/restaurant area. The restaurant is the low light, table service is poor at A terra. Food is overpriced. My portuguese family was surprised they are charging 20euros for conservas. These are 1 euro cans, and are served just as an opened tin with some crackers. Food is average. The fine dining restaurant is also average and pricey. Other than the food, the rooms are spectacular, the facilities are fantastic too. Breakfast buffet is excellent, but its somewhat awkward with mix of buffet, a la carte, and paid menu items. I would definitely return. We stayed in a large 2 bedroom villa with an amazing yard with a view. We saw wildfires and wild horses from our bedrooms. The rooms are so new and beautiful. No washer dryer in room which is ok, but the room is luxurious Car service here from the hotel is very pricey too All staff are attentive and kind. Being right on the river is amazing, and its great to hop on a kayak, or do a river tour.

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“Special Place”

This is truly a special place. Breakfast was delicious and we enjoyed eating at A Terra and Raiva as well. Service is personalized and dedicated. We really enjoyed the spa, which is open 24 hours and has a heated pool, sauna, and steam room - we could relax there all day. A boat ride is on our lis… more

This is truly a special place. Breakfast was delicious and we enjoyed eating at A Terra and Raiva as well. Service is personalized and dedicated. We really enjoyed the spa, which is open 24 hours and has a heated pool, sauna, and steam room - we could relax there all day. A boat ride is on our list for next time!

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“Great resort, great views, nice staff, odd room decor, and some food issues”

Very wonderful stay. Disappointed in the food though. GOOD We had the fullview room, and it was wonderful. Views were incredible. Having the terrace and a balcony was very cool. The resort itself was fantastic. They recently retrofited a pool to be heated which was great, but the adults only poo… more

Very wonderful stay. Disappointed in the food though. GOOD We had the fullview room, and it was wonderful. Views were incredible. Having the terrace and a balcony was very cool. The resort itself was fantastic. They recently retrofited a pool to be heated which was great, but the adults only pool was just about the same temperature but not heated. We did the Octant I boat trip at sunset and that was just incredible. The family that hosted us were great, and the boat itself was very comfortable. BAD Honestly, nothing, other than a few food issues. 1. Room service just wasn't very good. The pizza was soggy and slightly uncooked. The rest of the food was frankly kind of gross. 2. We ate at the "fancy" restaurant one night, called Raiva. Nice setting. However, when I checked in, they asked if I had allergies. I told them I had a nut and seed allergy. When I ordered bread, one of the two types of bread that came out had seeds. So no biggy, I didn't eat it and ate the other kind. When I ordered my main, i reminded them of my allergies. Then when my pork loin came out, it was full of seeds in the sauce. At that point, I told them "sorry but this has seeds all in the sauce. Moreover, the bread had seeds as well" They brought me my food back out which took about 7 minutes, meanwhile my wife's food was either going to get cold, or would be eating without me. A restaurant of that quality and in the michelin guide, they really should have refired both. Anyways, then, after our mains, they brought out some pastries. All of the pastries they provided had seeds or nuts in them. I told the waiter, and he said "oh it's ok, it just optional pastries. You don't need to eat them", i replied "well, i'd like to. But as I've now mentioned a few times, no seeds or nuts for me please. They brought me something else instead after I insisted. I was shocked that they didn't take anything off of the bill. A total of 5 items had seeds, and I had told them a total of 4 times. I would have expected them to at least take the bread off since I was only able to eat half of it. 3. the decor of the rooms is a little weird, and could probably need some renovation. It was very sterile looking and a bit dated despite having an "Avant garde" look. It didn't really match the vibe of the hotel all that well.

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“Mixed feelings”

Mixed feelings about this hotel: Good: fabulous setting, architecture is incredible and all rooms all specified to the highest standards. The new “houses” have top end equipment. Better than many 5-star hotels. Service is good in that the people are nice and want you to be happy. The pool on the … more

Mixed feelings about this hotel: Good: fabulous setting, architecture is incredible and all rooms all specified to the highest standards. The new “houses” have top end equipment. Better than many 5-star hotels. Service is good in that the people are nice and want you to be happy. The pool on the roof is lovely (except smoke see below) Not so good: service (although people are lovely) is incredibly slow in some cases. Three examples from within 24 hours of arriving: 1) turn down service was supposed to be at 7 pm but arrived at 930 pm when children in bed, 2) pancakes took >30 mins to arrive at breakfast, 3) room service which they schedule with you and we asked for 11 am arrived at 1:45 pm. (They sent apology fruit and cake to our room after breakfast delay) Quality of food in a terre restaurant was also only ok. Expect more from a 5-star hotel at this price. Breakfast exceptional. But dinner options are less impressive and somewhat limited. (Did not try the Michelin restaurant) Although everything is nicely finished there are teething problems in the newer “houses” - door handle fell off bathroom door. Toilet did not stop flushing. Steamer (provided in place of iron) did not work. We were literally first people staying so maybe they are fixed. They grill food by the outdoor pool but that means smoke billows over pool. They built 25 new “houses” which don’t have such good view of river. I am concerned more rooms means pools will get busy. All in all looks like 5 star hotel but not five star experience Finally - little to do in immediate vicinity of hotel in terms of hikes etc. the boat price seems prohibitively expensive.

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