Ibis Porto Gaia

“An Enjoyable Stay”

I stayed here with friends and we had an enjoyable time. I'd never stayed in an Ibis before and was a bit doubtful about it, but this one was very lovely. The lady behind the desk wasn't that informative, but that may have been her English. My room was very tiny but comfortable. There wasn't much i… more

I stayed here with friends and we had an enjoyable time. I'd never stayed in an Ibis before and was a bit doubtful about it, but this one was very lovely. The lady behind the desk wasn't that informative, but that may have been her English. My room was very tiny but comfortable. There wasn't much in the way of storage but if you're only staying for one or two nights that's probably okay. The decor is all dark and modern. I got a good night's sleep and didn't hear any noise from outside my room. The bathroom was also tiny, but clean and the shower was good. The only downside is the location which is far from everywhere you want to see. We walked down to the harbour for our evening meal and the walk up the hill afterwards was a bit of a trek. We had to taxi into Porto and then when we got back to the Vila Nova de Gaia side of the river we had to taxi back to the hotel again. It all adds to the cost.

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“Need a Car”

Superficially clean rooms, upon spilling some water on the floor, wiped it up with the bath floor mat only to find the mat extremely dirty, not sure when the floor was mopped last, a bit off putting since no telling what folks pick up on their walk through Porto. English speaking and helpful front… more

Superficially clean rooms, upon spilling some water on the floor, wiped it up with the bath floor mat only to find the mat extremely dirty, not sure when the floor was mopped last, a bit off putting since no telling what folks pick up on their walk through Porto. English speaking and helpful front desk staff. Rooms are nicer than the Budget Ibis. Room does not have a refrigerator, nor safe but apparently the front desk has a safe (please use it). Elevator to upper floors is available. If unfortunate to have a room facing the rear parking lot no problem waking up since sunrise shines directly into the room. Not quite sure whether the A/C worked (may just be my unfamiliarity with the controls), attempted to get the room temp. down to 69-70 F without success, finally opened the window a bit but road noise all night was terrible. Good breakfast selection of breads, jams, cheese, cold cuts, juice, fresh fruit, but..... the scrambled eggs taste and smelled fishy, not exactly the first thing I want to smell in the morning (could be wrong but apparently chickens are fed fish meal ?). Easy enough to get to the hotel from the Gaia train station via the Bus 903 Arcos stop and getting off at Chas but the location of the hotel is terrible without having a car. Unless one is in extremely good health and willing to walk an hour to downtown Porto, taking the bus or a taxis is the only option. 903 continues on to the Musica round about. Unfortunately, if paying by cash, you'll need to pay each time you take a different bus which can quickly add up at 2.50 Euro pp. There is a mall with a food court very close to the hotel, getting there by foot is doable but not easy. The walking route that Google maps gives you is wrong in that it requires you to walk on the highway. One has to cross the bridge in front of the hotel and pass through several neighborhoods to get to the mall. Unless one wants to partake of the many wineries which would take some time, Porto has sufficient sights to see for a day tour, probably 2 days max. The Santa Clara church is impressive (4 Euro pp entry). Lots of restaurants and pastellerias around town.

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