Hotel Borsalino

The worst part was the noise at night. There was loud music one night, and plenty of loud talking and doors slamming, including once at 0300. Outside, Porto drivers beep their horns and drive like crazies, too. The hotel is good value and well located if you don't mind walking a bit to the main town. Taxis aren't expensive, so maybe it is the best value hotel in Porto, as long as you accept what it is. We were welcomed by Nick and a smiling lady. Nick said he'd upgraded us, explained the door entry and that breakfast was included from 0800 to 1000, then showed us to our basement room. It looked fine at first, though very basic, and made us wonder what we'd been upgraded from. There was a comfortable bed, a couple of stools and a large bathroom, all of which had seen better days. The basic breakfast had cheese, cold meats, cereal, toast and coffee, as much as you wanted. I knew what to expect at one of the least expensive hotels I've stayed in, and accepted the basics.

I had my doubts about the cleanliness, but it was clean, and the staff were extremely polite and helpful. The place has a weird vibe. It feels a bit like visiting relatives in the countryside.

The design is beautiful and the staff are very friendly and polite, but the bathroom could be cleaner. One towel was stained, and there seemed to be some mold around the faucet. The shower left the whole floor wet, and the hot water ran out after about 10 minutes. I also didn't enjoy the breakfast much. I was only there one night, so I could manage, but I wouldn't want to stay longer under those conditions. Hotel Borsalino is charming, though.

The hosts were kind, and the hotel had the basics with quick access to the city. It was adequately clean, though there was some hair in the bathroom and stains on the sheets. The walls are extremely thin, so I didn't sleep all night. You just have to hope the other guests are considerate. I'd suggest asking anyone checking in after 10 pm to call or message instead of ringing the hotel's doorbell and waking everyone.