Castelo Santa Catarina  

The Hotel is a nineteenth century folly and the current decor maintains original grandeur with superb chandeliers and carved wood panelling in the sitting and dining rooms. The bedrooms are furnished with genuine antiques in matching sets and the whole ambience of the place delightfully combines the idea of an old mock castle and modern comfort. The grounds are equally pleasant with a matching chapel and a terace with traditional stonework balustrades. It is very pleasant to sit there in the evenings. The staff were exceptionally helpful and pleasant, but that seems to be quite normal in Northern Portugal. Breakfast was as good as it gets in Portugal, with a nice range of cakes. For a stay in a quirky old place which is well-maintained this place would be hard to beat. I loved it! I do not think it would appeal to those who like smart modern hotels. For me it was perfect, but I think when it comes to recommending to others, I would have to say that it is to some extent a specialist place. I should point out that I stayed in the castle building, and most rooms are ranged round the exterior wall in the grounds. I do not know if a stay in one of those would give the same atmosphere, but doubt it, so it is important when booking to specify a room in the castle.

I have 2 very small points which I hope would not put off anyone who would like the idea of the place. The hotel is on one of the most important streets in the City; it is only a 15 minute walk to the main tourist centre and less than 5 minutes walk to the nearest metro stop. From this point of view the location is excellent. However, once outside the beautiful grounds of the hotel, the immediate area is rather run down, and late at night on the walk back from the metro, one sees a few prostitutes in the street and a group of young men in the garden where the metro stop comes up. People of a nervous disposition, or a lone female might feel a bit nervous. During daylight hours there is no problem at all. As there is no restaurant in the hotel, or in the immediate vicinity, it is necessary to go into the City to eat in the evening, so people worried about the above problem might need to take a taxi, but this is not expensive in Porto.As a very picky point there is a very narrow staircase to the first floor of the castle, so it is a bit of a struggle with cases, but staff will always help, so it is not really a problem. I think it would be a problem for the extremely obese!

The building is fantastic with it's antique furniture and fittings, and the grounds are well kept and tranquil.

Unfortunately Castelo Santa Catalina is not in a very smart part of Porto, but easy to get from to the town centre by Metro.

Wonderful fairy inside, good breakfast

No lift, needs some restoration

The castelo exceeded our expectations. Situated in a busy street it is a pleasant surprise - well cared for and in good condition. During our stay staff were continually working on the maintenance of the grounds and buildings. The gardens and rooms are interesting and unique. Staff were pleasant and helpful. I would definitely stay here again. We had a lovely room in the castelo but the garden rooms seemed equally as good.

Lack of lift.

The Royal Suite is just great. The room rate of the suite is much lower than other hotels with same standard. Everywhere in this castelo is full of atmosphere of the home of a noble. Breakfast is very good indeed.

This is a jewel of a hotel. The staff are very pleasant and the eccentric decor is wonderful-stunning gardens which would be a God send in the hot city summer

A wonderful experience in a romantic setting redolent of a bygone age of quirky elegance; superbly located with excellent views and run by an extremely helpful staff. Please don't change anything!

Excellent reception staff with good advice about Porto. The hotel was unique and unusuall. Perfect for people who want something more than modern plastic furnishings

One of the rare cases where the hotel looks better than what the pictures show. Very well kept, with a superbly kind and english fluent staff. Fully equipped rooms and you can really enjoy some rest as it is a calm and silent place, even if it's located near the city center. Metro, buses and taxis near the hotel and walkable distance to some of the city's main points of interest. 5*

we just loved the castelo.Very different from modern hotels. Full of charm and character and the staff were excellent......so were the breakfasts, especially the cakes!!

I stayed in the tower with a superb view of the old city of Porto. Wonderful buffet breakfast and easy parking.

The suite is fantastic!! Soo beatiful and clean!!!!!!

The antiques, although the amount of them was a bit overpowering.

Our bathroom smelled of sewage so we had to kep door closed at all times.