We're planning on a one night stay in Porto, and have found several hotels that look like they would work for us. Porto will be in the middle of our trip, so we will be arriving in a rental car.

We want to stay at a hotel that has easy access, where we can park our car (avoiding the narrow streets of Porto) and then take the Metro to the Port Wine Caves and also do some sightseeing in Porto.

Which of these hotels has:
a) Easy Access for Driving
b) Short and Safe walk to the Metro
c) Sufficient parking at the hotel
d) Safe Deposit Box

The hotels that we are considering are:
AC Porto
HF Fenix Porto
Quality Inn Portus Cale

Thanks for your help.

I highly recommend Hotel da Bolsa. We stayed there in October and found it to be excellent. I believe it has all the ammenities you are seeking.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev..._Portugal.html

Thanks for the recommendation, but the Hotel da Bolsa is not one that we are considering, since it looks like it is in the midst of the narrow streets of old Porto.

I want to avoid driving to the center of Porto. We would prefer to stay further from the center, at one of the hotels that we're considering, as long as a Metro station is convenient to the hotel. That way, I won't have to maneuver a car through narrow streets.

We also had a car so we stayed in the Tivoli Hotel. This was a boutique hotel. We enjoyed our stay, it is located in a residential area within easy reach of the city. We took taxis in and out of the hotel.
We never had problems with taxis, except one day that a driver tried to put the tariff that was not the correct one.
We called his attention and his faced turned red and that was it.
We stayed during a week end and the rates were very convenient.I understand they offer good packages.
.They have lovely gardens and a pool.Service was excellent.

Hi, sandys,

I also hate driving through narrow streets, but I stayed at the Hotel da Bolsa and didn't have any problem at all getting there. There is a parking garage right next to the hotel and the central location is great. Especially if you are only going to be there one night, I think that a central location like this one would save you time in the long run. We found both the entrance and exit to be quite easy, no narrow streets at all, I promise. Laurie

Thanks for the clarification about the drive to the hotel Laurie. Now I'm leaning towards Hotel da Bolsa.

Hi, sandys,

I interpreted your post as meaning that you didn't want to drive through those narrow lanes your car can barely fit through that you find in lots of old European cities. You won't find any of those in Porto, at least none in the vicinity of the Bolsa Hotel.

When I drove to the Bolsa, we had printed out both the written instructions and the city map with the route marked on it from either viamichelin or mappy, I don't remember which. I was the driver, and my husband the navigator, and we found our way without incident. We couldn't have done it without those directions, though, so I hope you can find something similar if you decide on the Bolsa. (Or, if all else fails, one solution is to get yourself into the center of Porto, and then hire a cab to lead you to the hotel, that won't cost more than a few euros).

Laurie

Not long ago I stayed at this hotel in Porto for 3 nights. It is located next to a large modern hospital and university. The unique thing about it is that it is built within a very nice modern shopping mall with super market, restaurants etc. The metro station is right outside the door in front of the hotel. It is a very beautiful part of town. I will stay there again. Pretty hard to beat the price too.

Below is a link to the website. If the link does not work it is the Ibis Hotel Porto Sao Joao and is part of the Accor hotel chain.

http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-...ao/index.shtml

Hi Laurie. Thanks for your very helpful input.

We will definitely be driving with lots of maps and a GPS. I too will be the driver with my husband navigating, with help from the GPS.

The Bolsa looks nice, and the location can't be beat, especially since we will have only one day there.

My only concern at this point is that the rooms may be noisy, since it is so close to the activity of the Ribiera District.

We are older travelers, on either side of 70, so we don't plan to bar hop.

Are there some rooms in the Bolsa that may be quieter than others?

Hi, Sandy,
Actually, the hotel is not right down on the river, it's across from the stock market (which is Bolsa in Portuguese). I didn't notice any noise and we had an exterior window. But frequently when we stay in busy cities we do ask for an interior room, which means that you'll probably have a window looking out into an air shaft. Not very scenic, but quiet! I would ask them about that.

Good luck on your trip planning. Laurie

We just made a reservation at the Hotel da Bolsa - asking for a quiet room. Thanks for your help.