Pestana Palacio Do Freixo

Our experience at Pestana Palacio de Frexio was great for the most part, but there were some frustrations. The palace is beautiful! Love that the old time beauty has been maintained. The property overlooking the river is magnificent. Although old, our room and bathroom were spotless! We loved the complimentary water, teas, coffee, slippers and turn down service. Please let housekeeping know they do a wonderful job. The bedding is luxurious and mattress so comfortable. The breakfast buffet was over the top. So much to choose from and all delicious. Presentation was beautiful and dining room set up lovely and peaceful. The hostess was delightful and wanted to make sure we enjoyed our food. We struggled with the room temperature. It would not cool down and was hot and stuffy. The bath tub was really high and difficult to step in to shower. The complimentary ride to town was not available since the car was being fixed. No apologies made. The front desk staff was not very friendly and felt like we were bothering them if we asked questions. They told us to ask the concierge, but we could never find the concierge. They were at lunch, not on until 10 or assisting other guests somewhere else on the property. It seemed in some areas the hotel was over staffed and the dining area was understaffed. Possibly poor organization?

recently stayed at Pestana Palácio do Freixo in Porto, and it was amazing. The hotel is in a beautiful old palace right by the Douro River, and the mix of historic charm and modern comfort was perfect. Duty Manager Nuno was fantastic—so helpful and friendly, making sure everything went smoothly during my stay. The outdoor pool and spa were great for relaxing, and the whole experience felt really special. Highly recommend it for a memorable visit to Porto!

Amazing stay! The rooms are a great size compared to many hotels in Europe, the beds were very comfortable and had nice amenities. The service from check in through check out was top notch. All food was delicious and the bar service made our vacation a real treat.

Just spent 4 great nights at this hotel. An eighteen century refurbished palace with fantastic mattresses and unique architecture just a quick 10 minutes outside the hustle and bustle of the city. Food in the dining room and at the bar were superb. Area around the outside pool overlooking the Duoro river was calm and restful. Special shout out to Fabio at reception who went above and beyond. One caveat, the tub in the modern bathroom was not senior friendly.

We have just returned from a 4-night break at the Pestana Palácio do Freixo to celebrate my wife’s birthday. Bad timing because of the weather, but impossible to fault this Pestana hotel. From the moment we checked in to leaving we were very impressed with everything, the room, the food, the overall ambience, but more specially the staff. Soon after checking in we were asked to complete a survey on the arrival/checking-in process. I couldn’t fault it, but made one comment about it would have been nicer to have an iron and ironing board in the room – not expecting anyone to respond or even read it. Within no time at all we had an iron and ironing board delivered to our room, a true sign of a hotel that cared about their guests. The accommodation isn’t in the actual palace, but next door in a renovated building (I think an old warehouse). The room was large, plenty of room to relax with plenty of seating, a very comfortable bed and for us, a side view of the river. The breakfast each morning was really superb, many different choices, each day we had something different and loved each one. On two occasions we used the free hotel shuttle to take us into Porto and drop us off at the Cathedral, return taxis cost around 8 Euros. Even though we couldn’t fully enjoy the grounds (due to the weather), we did get a bit of sub so I rushed out to take a few photos (if only to prove that the sun does shine in Porto). Overall, we had a fantastic stay, the location was far enough out of the main city to be peaceful, but close enough to travel into with ease. As with all hotels, it is the staff that either make or break it; with the Palácio do Freixo the staff were all friendly, professional and made us feel very welcome; they are true assets to the Pestana Group.