Even though our boys are getting older (and bigger!), we still prefer to stay in the same room while we travel so we have to look for hotels that have larger rooms or suites. The Family Room at the Hotel Catalonia Porto worked great for us.
This 86 room boutique hotel is located in an historic building just up the street from Batalha Square. While not close to the river, we liked the location. It was close to Rua de Santa Catarina, which was nice for dining and shopping (since I had no luggage!). We walked everywhere from the hotel – from Torre dos Clerigos to Se do Porto to Cais da Ribeira and back. I will say that it is steeply uphill from the river to the hotel so you might want to consider walking to your destinations and taking an uber back.
The lobby is modern, yet warm and inviting. The staff is friendly and helpful. And the included breakfast is phenomenal. They had a huge variety of fresh fruits and breads, as well as hot entrees like eggs and potatoes and a make-to-order pancake and omelette station. And the family favorite was the huge orange juicer that squeezed fresh juice from a bucket of oranges; it was as much fun to watch as it was delicious to drink.
The family room was a great setup for us. It was larger than their regular rooms and had a Murphy bunk bed that pulled down from the wall. The kids loved having their own beds and it was tucked to the side so as not to take up too much room or be in the way. The main bed was actually two beds pushed together and made up separately, which was a little odd but not a big deal. I loved the local touch of the decorative tiles over the bed.
The bathroom was very modern and clean. The shower was nice but there was no ledge so the water tended to leak out onto the floor.
The room also had a sitting area and a desk and bench. We had a small balcony that looked over the gardens and pool.
We really loved Hotel Catalonia Porto and highly recommend it. It is clean and modern and the family room was a great setup for us. As long as you don’t feel the need to stay in the action along the river, this hotel’s quieter location is a great alternative while still being convenient to Porto’s top attractions.
