The Pestana Porto - my pick of Porto

Advantages: friendly efficient staff, good location
Disadvantages: poorly promoted restaurant

...In September we had a great holiday in North Portugal and I wanted to tell you about my favourite hotel. We booked into the Pestana Porto for 4 nights and it was a very enjoyable stay. My Aunt had recommended Oporto so after a search on Tripadvisor for hotels there, we booked a room with a river view. Location The Pestana Porto is ideally situated for tourists. It looks out onto the river Douro and the riverside cafes. Nearby are old, narrow quaint streets with bars and restaurants. River cruises regularly set off from just below our bedroom window. A walk across the bridge to Vila Nova de Gaia takes you straight into the old part of the town and you can easily walk to many of the famous port houses. The fabulous Palacio da Bolsa is located a short walk away. We walked into town although this is not recommended for all. Parts...

kazbo 27.11.2006 · Read review
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Review of Pestana Porto Hotel, Porto

Grande Hotel Do Porto, good location.

Advantages: Those Public Rooms
Disadvantages: Standard Rooms small, but hay that was our choice and your all the same at breakfast

...We have just returned from a Week-end in Porto. We were looking for a Hotel that had good location and some olde world charm, so this one seemed to tick the boxes. We booked it thru Octopustravel.com for £165 that being for a Double Room with Buffet Breakfast for three nights (About £27 per person per night B&B). Getting to the Hotel from the Airport can not be easier. You get the Metro from the Airport, you can not get on the wrong one as that is the start of the line, no changes necessary just stay on unti the BOLHAO stop (approx 25 mins) cost 1 Euro 85 Cents (purchase ticket from Tourist Info Booth in arrival hall, or if braver from the Ticket Machines in the Metro (Do have an English Button) for instructions. At the Bolhao stop come up into the Street Opposite a large Church With Blue Tiles, turn corner about 90 yards...

poshtroika 03.03.2009 · Read review
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Review of Grande Hotel Do Porto, Porto

PORTO AIRPORT GOOD CITY TRANSFER

Advantages: Modern Airport friendly and close to city.
Disadvantages: None.

...We flew into Porto from Birmingham so it was just getting dusk as we were on our final approach, but even so we were treated to a lovely view of Porto, the river and bridges. My brother and sister in law flew in from Stansted so arrived in the early afternoon sun light and said it looked brilliant. The landing was smooth . taxied up to the terminal building, always a bonus rather than a bus transfer. First impressions are of a modern building, and this was to be confirmed in all aspects. First Passport control, plenty of booths manned so was quick and friendly, the friendly aspect to be repeated by all we met, Hotel Staff, Restaurants, shops etc etc. We had only hand luggage, so can not comment on speed of luggage arrival on carrousels. Thru to the main arrival hall, toilets to the right, used by my better half...

poshtroika 12.03.2009 · Read review
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Review of Porto Airport, Portugal

"Calem" Port the taste of Porto

Advantages: Port lovers paradise
Disadvantages: Too many to try for one visit.

...We spent a wonderful long weekend in Porto. One of our places to visit if we get round to it. Whilst we where there we visited the Port Wharfs, due to the name and my love of Port. We set off on the Sunday morning, and had a varied trip to get there by the tram, vehicular and the old trolley bus. We travelled over the bridge designed by Eifel who designed the Eifel Tower, in fact he designed two bridges that span the Rio Douro, both well worth walking over if you have a head for heaths go on the top level if not use the lower level, your choice. As you are on the higher level looking over the Douro River you have a vista of all of the Port houses, all the names that you have heard of at Christmas on the TV, and seen in the adverts in the papers and magazines. We opted for ?Calem? as it was open on the Sunday...

bostonianbeer 11.03.2009 · Read review
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Review of Calem Port Wharf, Porto, Portugal

PALMEIRA RESTAURANT PORTO Where Size matters

Advantages: Good service, Large Portions, and tables.
Disadvantages: Closed on Sundays.

...On our short stay to Porto we like to try local Restaurants rather than Hotel Restaurants, although the Grande Hotel Do Porto, Hotel's Menu looked very tempting. We had noticed a Restaurante sign in the little street that runs behind the Hotel, sorry I did not get the street's name, but if you find the Grande Hotel do Porto on Rua Santa Catarina, stand facing then look for alley to the right, goes down ,turn left about 40 yards the Resaurante Palmeira, dont be put off by the Snack Bar sign, enter by the door on the right down stairs then into the restaurant. We had called in about 17:00 and asked for a table for 4 at 20:00, no problem, they did not even take a name. This concerned us a bit, after all its Saturday are they that slack they just say turn up, did not seem a good sign. Need not have worried, when we entered our...

poshtroika 10.03.2009 · Read review
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Review of Restaurante Palmeira Porto, Portugal

THB Hotel Felip - Porto Cristo mallorca

Advantages: Service, cleanliness, ambience, views, value for money
Disadvantages: None but not suitable for young families or clubbers!

...First of all, a word to the warning for anyone who enjoys the Magaluf/Palma Nova style holiday experience - the Hotel Felip and the resort of Porto Cristo are not for you! I say resort but in fact, Porto Cristo is a small coastal town built on the fishing industry and now boasts a very busy marina for private boat owners in addition to the still substantial fishing fleet. The town is on the east coast of Mallorca, about 62 kms (55 minutes) from Palma by car. Porto Cristo is probably most famous for the popular and stunning Caves of Drach which hosts day trip coach loads from all parts of the island, on a daily basis. The small town centre has a few tourist shops and cafe/restaurants together with local bars but no large clubs and you're very unlikely to spot a lager lout here! To be serious, the ambience of Porto Cristo is suitable...

daydster 22.10.2007 · Read review
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Review of THB Felip, Porto Cristo

Gaia - May the force be with you

Advantages: Interesting idea
Disadvantages: Unconvincing argument

...Gaia - A New Look at Life on Earth James Lovelock ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The Earth is not a disparate collection of oceans, land and air populated by simple and complex life forms. It is a single entity where everything within the planets biosphere colludes to form a cybernetic system which actively seeks to maintain an optimal physical and chemical environment suitable for sustaining life. This is the underlying theory of Gaia as first proposed by Professor James Lovelock in his book 'Gaia - A New Look at Life on Earth'. Published in 1979, Gaia is a refreshing and challenging proposition that seeks to redefine how we view the planet we live on. Since it was first published the Gaia theory has had a rocky time, variously attacked by the scientific community and championed by some of the more extreme...

brereton66 20.03.2007 · Read review
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Review of Gaia: a New Look at Life on Earth - J. E. Lovelock

  Vintage Character

Advantages: Full of interest, pleasantly unpretentious, reasonably priced
Disadvantages: Perhaps a little downbeat, even dour

...to Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto?s counterpart on the southern bank. Alongside this bank are still moored the traditional rabelo barges that used to bring grapes downriver, but now serve as decorative advertisements for the various brands. Porto?s main historic buildings are sprinkled around the centre rather than clustered in any one locality. This reflects the fact that they date from different periods and represent an eclectic mix of architectural styles. To use an analogy from its most famous product, it?s ?vintage character? ? a blend of good but not necessarily outstanding years ? rather than a single vintage of great distinction. ~ Churches. Portugal being a Catholic country, many of the most prominent edifices are churches. The Sé (cathedral) itself we found relatively unappealing, its narrow nave in grim granite...

torr 15.05.2009 (22.05.2009) · Read review
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Review of Porto (Portugal)

Hmm Pretty Girls

Advantages: A good looking club, in every respect.
Disadvantages: A little out of the way.

...The JaffaCake was a good club in an unusual location. The Jaffacake is now the Gaia and, trust me; it has a very different look and feel to it. Whereas the Jaffacake had a good (ish) reputation it did have a somewhat dingy feel to it, the Gaia is shiny new and bright... but is struggling to build up the same credentials. Why did I go to the Gaia? It was the end of an office leaving party and I was already nice and drunk. I have to say, though, I was surprised. I did like the club! It was free to get into - and this was a Friday night! Okay, this was a bit early on in the night. The cloakroom asked for a humble £1. The dancefloor upstairs was perhaps on the small side but it wasn’t too busy while I was there and so that was alright... in fact, the club has just the right number of people in it. The drinks are just about as...

Manx 19.11.2000 · Read review
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Review of Gaia

Thursday student night

Advantages: Cheap and cheerful.
Disadvantages: Queuing to get in later on.

...Gaia - formally known as the Jaffacake - is a popular club amongst students and has been absolutly packed out every time I've been. On two floors, the downstairs is mainly a dance floor playing cheesy type music and the upstairs has a more chilled out theme with low lighting and a lot more seating. Be warned, it takes ages to get served upstairs however downstairs is surprisingly quick considering the numbers of people they pack in there. I usually go to Gaia on a Thursday night and most people there on Thursdays are students. You pay £3 to get in and after that every drink is £1. Yes, even the alcopops. You won't get cheaper than that in Edinburgh! The choice becomes somewhat limited as the night goes on though, so don't be expecting Bacardi Breezers or Smirnoff Ice at 2am. The music is a blend of classic cheese and chart...

RuthHolohan 16.07.2001 · Read review
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Review of Gaia