Pousada in Porto
Pousada in Porto – Palacio do Freixo
Designed by the well known Italian architect Nasoni and built in the mid 19th century, the emblematic Freixo Palace is one of the most remarkable examples of Portuguese civil architecture from the Baroque period.
The palace was built on the orders of the Dean of Oporto Cathedral, D. Jeronimo de Tavora e Noronha – a wealthy nobleman, who was responsible for bringing the famous Italian architect to the city of Oporto.
Accommodation at Pousada do Freixo consists of 30 rooms with palace or garden view, 47 superior rooms with river view, 9 suites with river view and 1 special suite with river view.
Bedooms are equipped with air conditioning, cable television, mini bar, hairdryer, safe, internet access cable, telephone and hi-fi system with alarm and MP3 connection in the suites.
Hotel facilities include health club, palace experience, spa (sauna, turkish bath, massage rooms), indoor and outdoor swimming pools.
The charming setting, the cuisine and the considerable on-site capacity make the Pousada Palacio do Freixo an ideal choice for leisure and also as a venue for major events, encounters and meetings.
we enjoyed 5 nights at the Hotel Palacio do Freixo, Pousada in Porto from 12 November to 16 November 2011, and thoroughly enjoyed the stay. The reception was very good, particularly after a long drive and a bit of frustration in finding the Pousada. The reception immediately relaxed us and we knew we were going to enjoy the stay if the service was like that. And it was, the bar service, the evening meal were always good service and the evening meal was of good variety and quality, wines were good. Breakfast was a great range of quality food. We had upgraded to a river side room and enjoyed the view of the Douro. The room size and facilities were good. Staff at all levels were highly professional and always of assistance, of great importance for us traveling in a foreign country with no local language. We possibly stayed a little too long for the region, our intention was to base there and see the surrounding sights. But the extra stay in the Hotel Palacio do Freixo enabled us to relax and enjoy their facilities. Top marks and highly recommended.
We loved it and regretted not having booked a longer stay here. Not a single complaint. We hope to visit it again.
Mi calificación para la Pousada es SUPER, Sobresaliente para el PERSONAL de Recepción, Servicio de Habitaciones, Camarero/as
La HABITACION extraconfortable, con unas magníficas vistas sobre el Duero
(firmado por un nativo de Zamora)
DESAYUNO igualmente muy bueno y variado.
RESTAURANTE (lamento calificarlo con un suspenso) No está a la altura del Hotel.
En cualquier caso espero volver pronto.
My girlfriend spent two weeks traveling throughout Spain and Portugal and stay at 6 different hotels along the way…. the Pousada do Porto was the runaway favorite for all us. The views of the river and the city from the balcony off the bar, from the outside pool and the outdoor sitting areas were breathtaking, reception and the front desk were extremely nice and accommodating… going so far as to let stay in our room well after check out time since we had a late flight that night…. we had dinner in the restaurant and while yes the service was slow, the food was excellent….the breakfast buffet was quite complete… the hotel is about 2 miles from the city center but there is a beautiful traffic free recreational path from the hotel all the way there. It is perfect for jogging and biking…. the indoor and outdoor pools were so nice… we would definitely come back. I recommend to all. Just 1 word of advice make sure you get a discount rate otherwise it is on the expensive side. I
My wife and I and another couple stayed at the Pousada for weekend in May, taking advantage of the Golden Age promotion. There is, however, a 60 Euro per night per room supplement since it was a weekend. It is a beautiful place. Our reception was very professional and friendly. Our rooms were quite nice, quiet, and had a view of the Douro River. Although we had a rental car, we took a taxi each day into Porto. We asked for the taxi at the front desk and it came very quickly. It is only a 5 to 10 minute ride. One night we went into Porto for dinner and the other night we ate at the dining room in the Pousada. Each night we had a drink on the patio outside of the bar that was very pleasant. Breakfast each day was quite nice and sumptuous. Our dinner was disappointing. They were having a Jaguar business meeting and dinner at another area in the Pousada. Apparently, the kitchen was overwhelmed. Besides that that dinner took a long time in coming, three of the meals were so badly prepared that we had to send them back. One person’s steak was very undercooked and another’s was very overcooked. The duck my wife ordered was terrible. Our waitress was excellent and very understanding. The replacements were very good. It was just that we spent a long time at dinner. We did get to enjoy the firework show that Jaguar had over the Douro River as our dinner was ending.
We stayed our last night in Portugal after having travelled through Portugal and Spain. The pousada was outstanding. We decided never to leave because it was so comfortable. We had lunch by the pool and went swimming. Later on I had a massage at the spa ,and we had a wonderful dinner at the restaurant. The room was very large and comfortable and beautifully decorated.
It was a perfect way to rest from a busy vacation. I would definetely stay there again.
Absolutely excellent. Palacio de Freixo was everything & more than we had hoped. Great to spend 6 nights there. Brilliant staff, housekeeping, food, location view from enormous room over Douro, very clean, interesting & a Jazz evening & a heat wave in April. Recommend this palace highly. Great to explore Porto on public transport especially the old trams – all wonderful.
We were there on Valentine’s day and had a wonderful romantic stay. Our reception on arrival was friendly and helpful. The bedroom was comfortable and the bathroom was really unusual in having a window (with blinds) to the bedroom. The view from our river view room was terrific and worth the extra cost. The public rooms were of course spectacular and we took many photos of the interior and exterior. The restaurant was quite good (though expensive for the quality) and the breakfast buffet had great variety and quantity. Very little noise but the location of the hotel was a bit far from town, especially since it rained while we there. We only had time (two days) to take a taxi to a restaurant in town and wished we had stayed longer. Closeness to train station was an advantage.
We are now back home in Jersey having enjoyed a wonderful holiday in the
pousadas of Portugal. Thank you so much for your help in making this
possible. We will have no hesitation in recommending pousadas. In
particular the Conde de Ourem and the Palacio de Freixo were exceptional.
Magnificent! We will definitely be back here. The palace is gorgeous and nicely restored. Our room was huge, very comfortable with a double aspect across the Douro and city. Lovely big towels in the bathroom. First class restaurant, like everything else about the pousada. Ours was too short a stay to make use of the pools, which looked very inviting. Convenient position. easy to find. Could not fault it.
The accommodations are luxurious, comfortable, and well-appointed. It was especially fun to be in a “palace” for it took us to another time and place—we got to play royalty, while being treated royally. We were treated with respect and received every possible service with grace and professionalism. We enjoyed the restaurant, the service and the innovative menu–complements to the chef for some interesting choices and well-prepared meals. Our stay in Freixo was delightful….now that we’ve discovered the Pousadas, we may never go any where else!!
Our stay at this Pousadas was perfect. It is not far from the city. The people are nice and professinnal. It is really comfortable, beautiful.
We like it!
The hotel was superb. The large room and the view were a special treat. The staff was always helpful. The distance from town is a slight negative although taxis are reasonable.
We went to the restaurant up the hill (a 10 minute walk) one night and loved it. Non-pretentious, great food and non touristy. Another night the staff recommended another place or a similar name (a top a 14 story building). We left: Pretentious, not at all charming, up tight staff and generally unpleasant.
But the hotel was all a hotel could be.
Our stay at the Pousada de Freixo was wonderful. The location was beautiful and very restful. The people at the desk were very helpful. Our dinner was excellent and our location was in the small room looking out the window at the night lights. Our room was a corner one and very comfortable. We wish we could have stayed several more nights and just relaxed around the pool.
We stayed at P.de Frexio in October 2010. We were a gorup of 10 friends. Our reception was pleasant, helpful and freindly and all our bedrooms were fantastic. We appreciate not everyone can have a view and we were not there to sit in our rooms so our view out of the bakc of teh hotel did not worry us. The public rooms were great and the restaurant was really nice. They sectioned off an area and set up a special tabe for us with lilies on the table . We felt very spoilt aand special. Although it is a few kilometers out of town we appreciated the quiet. We are all keen walkers so every day we walked into town & most days coaught a taxi home. I loved the location.
Staff at the pool bar need to be abel to serve people more promptly. Arrived home hot & thirsty one day & it took 40 minutes to get a fresh orange juice.
I would highly recommend this hotel. This Pousadda is way ahead of our Parador expereince in Spain!
lors de notre sejour nous avons ete gates car nous avions une chambre extraordinaire ainsi que des petites gateries.la pousada est magnifique,les plats sont bons mais il y a place a l’amelioration.cet hotel meriterais une cuisine de plus haute gamme
The best stay by far on our trip to Portugal. Pousada do Freixo was everything and “more” than we ever expected. Wonderful and helpful staff, fantastic location and great accommodation. We’re presently in Morocco and will be back in Portugal where we will stay in Que Luz for our final stay. Hope it will be just as grand!!!!
A wonderful wonderful experience!!! The pousada was beautifully located (right on the Douro River) and was an easy walk from Porto’s main city center (about 40 mins). The staff were very friendly and hospitable! Thank you so much.
Great place! Reception was friendly and helpful. So was the lovely bartender. The place definitely appealed to me and I didn’t hesitate to recommend to many of my business partners who were heading to Porto to stay at this destination.
The location was spectacular, the room very comfortable. We had
a very good dinner on our first night – food and service excellent. The
second night (on Saturday 18^th ) we arranged an early dinner with a
table overlooking the Douro river. At first all was well. However
service proved very slow in respect of all courses. In addition the
whole meal was ruined by the fact that staff were involved moving tables
to accommodate a large party. The noise and distraction persisted for a
good half hour and meant that staff that should have been serving were
not available. The restaurant management wandered in and out in a self
important manner but took no account of the impact of this activity. All
in all it spoilt what was otherwise an enjoyable stay. I did not
complain upon our departure as there were many guest leaving the
following morning and no management available.
We stayed a week and found the Pousada do Freixo most pleasureful. We had a great, spacey, clean room, which only lacked a terrace/balcony for being perfect. Everything was nice and quiet. TV screens were small, but well why should one watch TV when in Porto anyway. I’net was quick and fast.
However it was clear that certain things were new and the team was still trying to figure things out. The food was OK but would deserve improvement. The arroz de pato was bone-dry. Our Italian bar-tender made up for this with excellent service and good spirit. Management seems to have room for improvement and seems to lack certain experience for efficient running, but eveyrbody was trying hard.
Location is perfect and convenient with ample parking and easy to find (if you can oirent yourself).
It’s not a place for the “Mallorca” crowd but relaxingm quiet and inspiring. You’ll not be entertained but you feel like you’re staying with friends, sharing their life for a short period of time.
We enjoyed our stay immensely. The hotel is very interesting and unsual and it is near enough to the city so that we could walk along the Douro River to the city even in the heat of August. The decor successfully combines the old and the new.
We were more interested in Porto than swimming. However, coming back to Entre Rios after our Porto dinner even the taxi driver got lost. You need better street signs. We found it but we are particularly clever people, being journalists.
Our room looked out over the grain silo which maybe was not the top feature but at least it was unusual. The beds were confortable; the bath worked (after we called to get help with the drain), and the Internet was up and running.
It was a bit confusing with the lift to the passage to the attached room section but we were able to make it out. We did not dine in, maybe a good idea because we had some truly awful meals at other pousadas in your country later. I do not understand why inedible food is served in your euros 20 menus, which happened to us twice.
Breakfast at Freixo was excellent with good Anglo-Saxon food like bacon and eggs.
We did not use the infitiy pool but it looked like a great idea, and all in all I think it is a brilliant addition to the chain along with the one in Estoi Palace which we also visited. It is a less successful combination of old and new with a banal dining room and awful brown leather furniture. Freixo is much better.
Estuvimos solo una noche en esta Pousada pero la experiencia fue increíble, una vista espectacular del río Douro, muy buenas habitaciones en un edificio muy bien reciclado, desayuno ‘perfecto y una pileta con vistas magníficas. Realmente una experiencia inolvidable y a un excelente precio.
We’ve stayed in the Pousada mid July, for 4 nights.
They gave us a room with view to the old factory with noisy air conditioning from the Usine, view was really poor and room dark.
We requested to change the room, and the day after, had a splendid one with view to the river and the swimming pool.
Remember to ask for a river-view bedroom.
Also one negative point : the indoor swimming pool was frozen!
Beside that, people is charming and professional.
The Hotel is furnished with very modern furniture, contemporean style where we did expect to see more 17th century style.
The location is not ideal for visiting Porto, as isolated.
A wonderful experience!
Excelent service from the staff, perfect room overlooking the Dura.
An very nice meal in the evening.
All in all, a highly recommended place to stay.
We would return (and you cannot praise an establishment any higher than that!).
We spent two nights mid June at Poussada de Freixo and it was a great experience.
The hotel renovation is spectacular and the location is perfect, a bit out of the city without being an inconvenience; Easy accesses to the freeways and to the old city of Porto.
The rooms are on the Douro river with great views with all the modern comfort plus a wireless free internet connection, the only reservation is about the lack of storage space for personal effects.
Breakfasts are also a great experience for all the tastes.
We had once a lunch which was a bit formal and long since we were leaving just after for the Douro Valley.
We have already recommended your hotel to friends who returned also enchanted.
Finally, the hotel staff is always ready to help and very attentive, almost all of them English speaking. Rooms prices at that time were very competitive for this kind luxury.
I stayed for 5 nights in May 2010, and thoroughly enjoyed my visit. I stayed under the Golden Passport promotion, which provides guests with considerable savings.This Pousada is about 2 miles outside Porto, and is situated on the bank of the Douro. It is a wonderful location, with ample free parking. I found the bedrooms and public rooms to be of the same very good standard associated with other Pousadas I have visited. The staff were efficient, friendly, and very helpful in every way, particularly as I was stranded during the period that volcanic ash caused flight cancellations. I know that this hotel has only opened fairly recently, and there are bound to be teething problems. My impression is that there needs to be some more leadership in the general running of the hotel. Minor points, like slowness in producing food from the kitchen, one day draught beer in the main bar being unavailable all day, the only BBC channel being BBC HD Preview, and a lack of signage finding your way around – particularly from Reception to the outdoor Pool and Bar Area, can all be easily resolved. I would thoroughly recommend this Pousada, and I am sure everything will be running smoothly in no time at all.
We stayed in March in P. de Freixo The place was as good as one has come to expect from Pousadas in general. We had a wonderful room with a lovely view of the Douro , food in general was very good and the reception on arrival was adequate if not exceptional. it is an easy flat walk into Porto (about 30 Mins) all beside the river, which is also where most things take place including access to all the port houses and some very good restaurants. My only caveat is that the Pousada had been open about 3 months when we stayed there and it really needed to “bed in” as there were a number of trivial things which needed putting right, like the complete lack of signs in the hotel , it is big and easy to get lost in. But having stayed in Poussadas many times I know that this place will be up there with the best very soon.