Intercontinental Hotel Porto

If you want luxury and the best location in Porto, there is no need to look any further than the Intercontinental Hotel Porto Portugal.

If you are visiting Porto this is the ideal location to base yourself.  Within walking distance of the Intercontinental Hotel Porto is the Sao Bento Railway Station famous for its tiled interior, Clerigos Tower, the Ribeira district and Lello Bookshop made famous by J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series. There is so much to do and see in Porto.

When one mentions the 2 words ‘Intercontinental Hotel’ one conjures up images of luxury and elegance.  The Intercontinental Hotel Porto is this and more.

Map of Porto Portugal

Map showing the location of the Intercontinental Hotel in Porto

Where is the Intercontinental Hotel Porto located

The Intercontinental Hotel Porto overlooks the famous Praca da Liberdade or Freedom Square the heart of Porto and its 10m high bronze equestrian statue of King Peter IV.

There are bus and tram stops located near the Intercontinental Hotel Porto.

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The Intercontinental Hotels Group

The Intercontinental Porto is one of 188 hotels in the Intercontinental Hotels Group, the world’s first luxury hotel group.  There are 11 other brands that are represented under the IHG brand with a current total of 5,221 hotels and 777,675 rooms:

• Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants
• Hotel Indigo
• Even Hotels
• Hualuxe Hotels and Resorts
• Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts
• Holiday Inn
• Holiday Inn Express
• Holiday Inn Club Vacations
• Holiday Inn Resorts
• Staybridge Suites
• Candlewood Suites

The Intercontinental Hotel Porto is the first luxury hotel located in the historical center of Porto.  The Intercontinental Porto is set in the Palacio das Cardosas -an 18th century renovated palace.

Concierge Desk and Entrance

From the minute we entered the historic palace we knew we were going to enjoy our one night stay.  Over the years we have stayed at many Intercontinental Hotels, here are some of our favorites:

• Intercontinental Hotel Chicago
• Intercontinental Hotel Sydney
• Intercontinental Hotel Bangkok
• Intercontinental Hotel Adelaide
• Intercontinental Hotel Melbourne

History of the Intercontinental Hotel Porto

The building was originally a monastery early in the 15th century until 1834 when all monasteries were closed down in Portugal and clergymen expelled.  The building was then sold to the wealthy family of Manuel Cardoso dos Santos.  When Manuel passed away the building was handed down to his two daughters and was known as the House of the Cardosos Sisters or Cardosos Palace.

In 1996 UNESCO declared it as a World Heritage Site.

In 2011 it became the luxurious Intercontinental Hotel Porto.

Check In

Check in time for the Intercontinental Porto is 15.00.  We arrived an hour early and our room was still being prepared so we headed for the Cardosas Bar on the recommendation of our very welcoming Reception Staff to enjoy a coffee.  The staff kept us well informed of the progress of our room as we relaxed in the elegant furnishings.

Our Room

Lounge area

We were highly excited to be upgraded to a Junior Suite.  Our room was larger than most between 30 – 40m, elegant with contemporary furnishings and views over Praca de Liberdade. The Junior Suite comes with a lounge area where we could relax and catch up on the latest news.  We enjoyed the complimentary fruit basket, champagne and 3 bottles of water.

As we carry a lot of technology with us well-placed power charging points are important to us, there were plenty available in the room in convenient locations.  Also handy for quick notes was a supply of note paper, a pencil and pen.  There was a safe located in the wardrobe.

A well stocked mini bar is available for guests and a Delonghi Coffee Machine was welcomed.

Our very comfortable bed

Our comfortable bed came with white crisp linen sheets and plenty of pillows, welcoming after a day of traveling.

Spacious marble bathroom

The marble bathroom was spacious and bright.  A range of exquisite Anne Semonin toiletries was provided.

We enjoyed the fluffy white toweling robes.

Fine Dining at the Astoria Restaurant Hotel Intercontinental Porto

Astoria Restaurant

Time did not permit us to enjoy a fine dining experience at the Astoria Restaurant.  The Astoria Restaurant is located on the corner of the Hotel overlooking Praca de Liberdade.  The menu is based on traditional Mediterranean and Portuguese cuisine taking the diner on a journey of aromas and flavors.

Lunch is from 12.30 to 15.00 with an executive menu focusing on fast and fresh cuisine from the region.

Dinner is from 19.30 to 22.30 offering an ‘a la carte’ menu and several types of tasting menus.

Diners have written glowing reviews which can be read on Tripadvisor.

Cardosas Bar

Cardosas Bar

Located to the right of the Reception area with views over Praca de Liberdade, Cardosas Bar is the place for a cocktail or two before or after dinner.

The British Tradition of Afternoon Tea is served daily between 17.00 and 19.00 hours where you can enjoy a selection of scones, pastries, tea and coffee.

For four hours on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights between 19.30 and 23.30 head to Cardosas Bar and enjoy a drink or two whilst enjoying live musical performances.

Conference Facilities

The Square Room at the Hotel Intercontinental is available for all types of meetings and events with a maximum capacity of 300 people.

Wellness Centre

The Gym

The Gym is open 24 hours a day and has several fitness and cardio machines available for guests.

Breakfast

There was so much choice from the breakfast buffet it was hard to make a decision.  The Breakfast Room was busy that morning but the easy layout of food meant that there were hardly any queues.  A good selection of hot breakfast items, cereals, yogurts, fruit, meat and cheeses, bread, pastries, juice and even sparkling wine were on offer.  Refills of coffee were plentiful.

Contact Information

Telephone: +351 22 00 35 600

IHG Reward Program

Have you joined the IHG Reward Program – if not you can find out more here.

Our Thanks

Our thanks to Management for our complimentary one night stay at the Intercontinental Hotel Porto.  We also thank all the staff from Reception, Cardosas Bar, House Cleaning, the Doormen and the Breakfast staff for looking after us so well.

Our Verdict

It was comforting to know that after a day on the road that we could enjoy a bit of pampering and luxury before we hit the road again. The Intercontinental Hotel Porto is more than we could wish for in a luxury hotel in the heart of Porto.  We will definitely return and stay longer to enjoy all the facilities that are on offer.

Click here to see the local prices.

You may like to read our blog posts on Porto:

Taste Porto Food Tours

Yellow Bus Tours Porto

Porto Walking Tour

What to do and eat in Porto

Disclosure

We enjoyed our stay as guests of the Intercontinental Hotel Porto but received no further remuneration to write this post.  We were not expected to write a positive review – all views are our own and we retain full editorial control.

Disclosure: Certain links in this post are affiliate links. This means that should you make a purchase via our link, we will receive a commission which will not affect the price you pay.

Our favorite Porto Guides:

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