Porto River Aparthotel
The historic Ribeira Cais district of downtown Porto is one of the most popular locations in the city, with its concentration of family-run restaurants and café bars. The iconic Ponta Luis II bridge gives the district a dramatic backdrop as it spans the Douro, with the dazzle of Gaia da Nova’s Porthouses lighting the south bank in the evenings.
The Porto River Aparthotel once fulfilled a similar role – the stout, stone buildings which line both banks of the river owe their existence to the Port Wine trade: lifeblood of the city for over two hundred and fifty years. The rough origins of this working building haven’t been lost – its sympathetic renovations celebrate the roughly-hewn sandstone, exposed oak beams and polished cedar floors.
Upstairs, the guest rooms are comfortable and light, and the older architecture helps break the more uniform lines of the new. As you’d expect, no two ensuite rooms are exactly alike, but they’re defined as: studios, one-bedroom apartments, two-bedroom apartments and suites. Some rooms have river views, some don’t – some have balconies, some don’t – but all of the rooms have A/C, Wi-Fi and a well-equipped kitchenette. Breakfast is served in the ground floor Ribeira 50 restaurant, which is often an excellent option for dinner in the evenings, and as a base for exploring Porto – the Clerigos Tower, the Lello Bookshop, the Se Cathedral and the famous azulejos murials of Sao Bento Train Station are all a short walk away.
