Pestana Palácio do Freixo

An indescribable experience — one we’ll gladly repeat again and again. Staying here truly felt like a journey through time, where the elegance of the 18th century beautifully meets the present day. From the very first moment, everything was wonderful. We were warmly welcomed by Inês at reception, whose smile, friendliness, and charisma immediately made us feel at home. Fábio kindly introduced us to the hotel layout and accompanied us to our room, a very thoughtful touch. Another highlight was the fascinating guided visit led by Inês, full of history and art, ending with a lovely Port wine, cheese, and treats tasting. That’s where we met Mariana, whose professionalism, kindness, and fantastic cocktails truly stood out — she also took great care of us later at lunch, with stunning views over the Douro River. Thank you as well for the lovely birthday surprise, which made our stay even more special. The only aspect that fell slightly short for us was the food. Perhaps we were unlucky with our choices, but the Parmesan cheeseburgers arrived cold and, although perfectly edible, the flavour — as well as the desserts — didn’t quite impress us. We felt the price–quality balance could be better aligned, though we sincerely hope for a different culinary experience on a future visit. Overall, this is far more than just a hotel — it’s truly a journey through time, a place where you feel at home, and undoubtedly the right choice for a special occasion. We’re already looking forward to returning.

This is an extraordinary hotel, the building is magnificent. We stayed for 3 nights in early November and we vey much enjoyed the hotel. The room was very well appointed with a comfortable large bed and kept very clean. Our room was quiet. The dining room is stunning. Breakfast was delicious with a wide range of high quality food and great service. We had a car and found parking very easy in front of the hotel and convenient access to the major motorways. The only negatives were the very small gym with very limited equipment. We had dinner in the dining room the first night and were disappointed. The service was very slow we waited more than one hour just to get the appetizers. The food was not very good that evening. We didn't eat there again at night. They advertise shuttle service into Porto but it didn't work out for us as the shuttle was always full and nobody told us that we have to reserve it in advance. It was not a problem for us because we had a car and found easy parking in Porto in public garages.|We would go back to Palacio do Freixo if in Porto and we would recommend this hotel without hesitation.

Beautiful hotel with history. Rooms are standard but comfortable with all you need in a room. We were on the ground floor. I would recommend staying either on the 1st or 2nd floor for the view. Negative: there was a stain on the rug in the room and at 10am someone entered into our room without knocking. However these are minor when you experience the beautiful old palace. Eating dinner and breakfast in the palace was definitely the highlight for me. I would definitely recommend this place for the experience.

I truly recommend this hotel.. it’s one of the most delightful places I’ve ever stayed 🌿🫶🏼🫶🏼 From the very first moment, I was welcomed with warmth, professionalism, and genuine care. The staff goes above and beyond to make you feel comfortable and valued. The rooms are spotless, beautifully designed, and carry that subtle touch of luxury that instantly makes you feel at ease. Breakfast was absolutely wonderful: fresh, generous, and prepared with great attention to detail. The location is perfect, everything is easily accessible, yet inside the hotel you feel calm, relaxed, and tucked away from the noise of the city. But the biggest highlight is the atmosphere. You don’t feel like a guest here... you feel like a truly welcomed visitor. I will definitely return and highly recommend this place to anyone looking for quality, beauty, and exceptional hospitality🤍✨

We stayed here in December. My wife and I. The palace stands by the river. Solid. Quiet. Old in the right way. It carries its history without showing off. The room was good. Comfortable. Clean. Everything you needed and nothing extra. At night there was silence, the kind that lets you sleep well. The staff were steady and kind. The bell boys handled the luggage with ease and respect. The driver was punctual, calm, and professional. No unnecessary words. Just good service done properly. Breakfast was taken slowly. Fresh bread. Strong coffee. Soft winter light coming through tall windows. December suited the place. Fewer people. Cooler air. A sense of calm that felt honest. For what it offers — history, location, service, and atmosphere — it is very good value for money. You are not paying for noise or fashion, but for substance. For a place that has lasted and knows who it is. We left satisfied. We would go back.

We spent 4 nights at this charming property early December 2025.||We had a very nice Grand View Room with a wonderful view over the Palácio and the Douro river!||The hotel develops in the two buildings: the baroque Palácio which hosts the common areas plus the restaurant, and the milling factory of the 19th century, which hosts the rooms and suites and the spa.||Definitely go for a Grand View room, which are corner rooms, for a spacious, bright and well appointed space and wonderful views! Unfortunately bathrooms are on the small side and are a bit old-fashioned in style and fixtures, probably given the years passed since the conversion of the building. ||||Breakfast is served in the richly decorated baroque rooms of the Palácio and offers an extensive buffet of quality products plus a small a la carte menu. ||We particularly appreciated the local delicacies on offer, which are a great touch!||Staff are all welcoming and professional, but the breakfast staff really stand out for their warmth and politeness!!||||Some areas for improvement we feel could be addressed: ||- room amenities could be improved this being a 5* property, eg. dental kits, mouthwash. ||- Something more personalised could be offered as a turndown gift, such as a local treat: biscuits, chocolates, etc.||- A more organised welcome at check-in: we were only offered our welcome drink once we were already on our way to our room. It would be nice to welcome guests in the wonderful lounge and have the check-in in procedure there while enjoying the welcome drink. ||- The spa could really do with an upgrade: the indoor pool was rather cold as well as the sauna and the steam room, which were not at the appropriate temperature. No proper changing rooms and locker are available. ||||All rather easy improvements which could make a very good stay a memorable one!||We anyway really enjoyed Palácio do Freixo and would definitely recommend it for a stay in wonderful and romantic Porto!

Honestly amazing place, a must-go if you are anywhere near OPorto! The setting is far enough from the chaotic city to enjoy a peaceful vacation, but still within walking length from the city centre. From the enchanting rooms to the breakfast, everything in this hotel screams ‘five stars’. Highly suggest that you don’t miss out on the spa!

We opted to stay outside of Porto because we had a car and didn't want to drive in the city. This hotel is easily accessible from the A20 with convenient parking and was just a short & inexpensive Uber ride into town.||The Palacio is a beautiful building that houses the bar, restaurant, breakfast rooms and the sumptuous lobby/lounge area. Hotel rooms are more modern, in the adjoining building along with the inside pool and fitness/spa areas. Gardens and outside pool and bar area would be nice in warmer weather.||Our room was spacious, clean and comfortable with a river view. Bed was large and comfortable. In November it was too cool to use the outdoor pool, but I used the indoor pool one day and it was a nice way to unwind after a day of sightseeing. No problems with internet, with easy access throughout.||The public spaces are elegantly appointed and very nice to linger in. Breakfasts were excellent with many food options, all of high quality , served in most pleasant surroundings. Service was attentive & welcoming and staff could not have been better. We had similar experiences at the bar and restaurant and were glad to have the option to relax and dine in such a fine and convenient establishment.||All staff were most helpful and this only added to our most pleasant stay .||We would heartily recommend this to anyone that doesn't mind staying outside of the city center and have already mentioned it to friends who are traveling to Porto in 2026.

My brother had his wedding reception here. The place was very beautiful. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. They even allowed me to make my own Spritz. The food was good. I had the veal tenderloin. Very tender. The fish, on the other hand, needed more seasoning. Other than that, we had such a grand time at this place. If you need to do a destination function, go check them out!

I love this hotel so much! This is a refurbished palace and it felt like a dream staying here. When we arrived, we were invited to a decadent breakfast filled with meats and cheeses. There is also an indoor pool, suana and steam room that made the perfect day in for a rainy day in Porto. In the music room, they also had someone play the guitar and sing which made it feel so magical! They also have an expansive garden which makes staying in the hotel even more pleasent The staff was so kind, they gave us some port wine and dessert within our room. I have nothing but good things to say and would recommend to everyone traveling to Porto.

Our Tour Group stayed here 2 nights. I like this place. The lobby where we met up our group, is a mini-version of the Versailles. Fresh Anthurium flowers on dining tables, and lobby. I took a shower, in the tub so deep, but there are no handrails and can slip & slide when wet! When turning off the faucet, if not careful, the shower gets your hair wet! I was still feeling sick, from raw roasted chestnut bought from a street vendor, so I didn't enjoy much of the meals served at the hotel. I did enjoyed the tomato-orange soup and bruschetta. It is part of the Paradore Group, so it's on a palace, and I was feeling very rich! Beautiful view of the river, bridge, and the full moon over that smoke stack, just divine! Very romantic!

Awww Pestana Palacio! I wanted to love you, I wanted to adore you but really things fell a bit short of 5 STARS if I'm being completely honest. The grounds are beautiful the palace is lovely, yes but my gosh my room just felt pretty bare bones and the electrical outlets were pretty random too. I was trying to find somewhere to plug my flat iron into and it was a whole thing, then once I maneuvered up a solution it was an entire situation even with my adapter (but no wattage converter) their outlet blew out my flat iron - honestly, the cost of my flat iron was probably the cost of my evening stay here. So.. I was bummed by that, anyone that knows how much hair I have and how curly it is combined with the rainy weather day 1 on my visit will understand a girl just wanted to touch her hair up a bit not damn near start a fire and burn down the place. Luckily once the smoke started I unplugged and no fire alarms went off but god forbid I'd been a fool enough to attempt to use that flat iron on my hair my hair would have burned right off. Later a friend Googled this incident for me and told me it was more than likely a wattage issue, regardless that didn't save my flat iron.. Now, all hair issues aside here you aren't really staying in the palace per se, you are walking through and staying in a side building. The room was spacious but so dimly lit (and I love bright light) and didn't feel warm cozy or welcoming rather just dark and bare, along with being oddly situated in a rectangular shape that was not aesthetically pleasing. When I flew in and arrived at 10A my room was not ready for the day so I took their very handy shuttle (drops off at the Cathedral) into town and ended up spending my entire first day out of the hotel until after dark. I had a dinner reservation but really just wanted to get back to the hotel to get cleaned up after a long wet rainy day of exploring so I decided I'd uber back when I realized you need to let them know you want a pick up, the shuttle does not automatically appear back at 4p and 6p so I ubered back and had dinner there. The restaurant was very quiet but my meal was to my liking. I started with a lovely red Portuguese wine - not a port, another item of Portugal I'm not the biggest fan of since I don't care for sweet wine. My soup was delish as was my fresh caught seabass with veggies. I was going to skip on dessert and after a few minutes decided I'd order the cheese plate which was also really good. To my surprise the next morning the breakfast was massive and I could have saved my cheese consumption for this very moment where there was so many different options, all included in my stay. I didn't want to over indulge first thing in the morning and lose my energy to explore since it was such a nice bright and sunny day but I did my fair share of feasting on all of the yummy options. Pastries, meats, cheeses, fruits, juices, coffee, yogurts, hot food (skipped all of this), jams, honeycomb, really you name it. The breakfast was probably one of the best parts of my stay. The staff are all very nice and very helpful as well. While I enjoyed my stay I'm not certain I'd select this Pestana option in the future as I spotted another in town. The shuttling in and out of the main areas, combined with the room would cause me to reconsider. All in all, besides the wattage issue and cost of a new flat iron now my stay was nice.

This place is filled with incompetence, our bathroom was flooded so they made us use a bathroom next door for that morning. Told us they would have a room ready by 3pm but after I packed up everything was told they still do not have a room available. Completely ridiculous, ruined our stay in Porto. No where near 5 star, at least not in the US.

A luxurious night worth the money with a lot of charm and romance. Rooms are a bit small but the overall layout and ambience was quite charming. A nice honeymoon spot.

We stayed at the Pousada de Porto, Palacio de Freixo for 2 nights and dined in the restaurant, Palatium, once. Both the hotel and restaurant were excellent. The main building which houses the reception area, restaurant and several decorated rooms, is a former palace and now a historic site. The hotel is in an adjacent, and now attached, former flour factory. The room was large and comfortable. The grounds featuring a garden, indoor/outdoor pools are beautiful. The staff are helpful and speak English very well. Breakfast buffet was quite good with many healthy (and unhealthy but delicious) items available. The food in the restaurant was outstanding with the octopus and other seafood items standing out. The Pousada is a short distance from the historic section of Porto and their is a shuttle that runs a few times a day. We walked one day along the Douro river into the city in about 35 minutes and it is picturesque. Taxi will be under 10 euros. Coming from NYC, I appreciated the serenity of the Pousada compared to inner Porto (which is a great city). Staying in a Pousada is a one of a kind experience that should not be missed!