Tag: #portugal

Dinner at Grande Hotel do Porto restaurant in Porto, Portugal

Leave a comment

A few weeks ago, I was with my husband in Porto, Portugal. During our stay we visited lots of different bars and restaurants and today I would like to tell you about our dinner at the Grande Hotel’s D. Pedro II Restaurant.

Location:

Grande Hotel do Porto is located on a famous shopping street- Rua de Santa Catarina. The restaurant is located at the quiet area of the hotel-away from all the hustle and bustle of the main street.

Atmosphere:

The D. Pedro II Restaurant offers its dinner a space where guests cross daily with local clients and passing tourists that when strolling by Santa Catarina Street can’t resist the temptation to come inside

The hotel has an exclusive décor and some beautiful pieces of art are visible throughout the communal areas. Many famous guests have stayed in this property. The restaurant is named after D. Pedro II – the former emperor of Brazil, who found refuge here during the fall of the Monarchy in that country. At the time, the royal entourage took up the entire first floor of the Hotel and stayed here for a while.

The menu:

Antonio-our waiter brought us our menus in no time and that’s when we discovered that the restaurant offers a great selection of dishes. Both myself and my husband are a massive foodies so we were looking forward to our meal.

To start with, we received a complimentary amouse brioche – a glass with some smoked haddock.

IMG_7239

I then ordered a stuffed Portobello mushroom with truffle and vegetables cream and quail egg. It was really tasty.

IMG_7201

My husband ordered some smoked ham cantelloni with arugula in pesto sauce, gratinated brie croutons with honey. He enjoyed it and finished it in no time.

IMG_7200

For our mains we both decided to have a fish. I ordered some bream fillet with olive cream and roasted peppers composition. It was mouth watering!

My husband had some braised salmon with bread crust and chard sautéed in garlic sauce. Not only his main was presented nicely, it tasted even better.

IMG_7204

Dessert is always my favorite part of any meal and I had some beautiful creamy coconut cake and fruit composition. It was delicious!

IMG_7209

My husband ordered a cheese board with a nice selection of cheeses and finish his meal with a glass of traditional port.

IMG_7206

Overall experience:

We both had a nice time at the D. Pedro II Restaurant. The restaurant serves tasty food and offers a great, friendly service. It is also very conveniently located so I would definitely visit it again

Website:

For more information and to book visit:

http://www.grandehotelporto.com/en/restaurant-bar/d-pedro-ii-restaurant/

Address:

Rua de Santa Catarina 197,

4000-450 Porto, Portugal

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

X

Pauline

 

The House Ribeira Hotel in Porto, Portugal

Leave a comment

Last week, I was with my husband in Portugal for 4 days. This time we visited a picturesque city of Porto and stayed at the trendy House Ribeira Hotel which was transformed into a modern hotel from an abandoned ballet school and theatre.

Atmosphere:

As soon as we entered this trendy, boutique hotel we felt welcomed and the front desk staff were extremely accommodating. As we had a very early morning flight and arrived at the hotel at 10a.m., we dropped our bags and took some advice from the receptionist who recommended for us to take one of the bus tours. When we came back to hotel, around 5p.m. on that day we were welcomed with a glass of Port wine whilst filling in the paperwork-a really nice touch that made us feel appreciated and welcomed.

TheHouseRibeira 3

The hotel is addressed to a modern, urban audience that seeks not only a great place to stay during their travels but also the authenticity of this marvellous city.

Location:

The House Ribeira Hotel is superbly situated in the centre of Porto’s downtown area. The river is only a minute away by foot and there are lots of restaurants and cafes nearby. The nearest station (Sao Bento) is only 700m away. The main square is only around 15 minutes walk from the hotel and the shopping district and the famous Rue Santa Caterina street is around 10 min walk from the hotel.  Most other key attractions (i.e. Alfandega do Porto, Luis I Bridge, Port Wine Cellars, Palacio da Bosa) are within walking distance making it a perfect place to stay whilst in Porto.

The Francisco Sa Carneiro Airport airport is around 20-30 min from the hotel and the taxi costs around 30-40 Euros.

Facilities:

The House Ribeira Hotel has only 56 rooms spread over 6 floors. The hotel’s design is meant to make you ‘feel like home’.

This theme is visible everywhere, starting from the reception, moving to the bar and breakfast area and ending in the rooms. If you like a modern, funky look then you will love the sitting in one of the multifunctional areas located at the opposite sides of the reception.

TheHouseRibeira 4 Bar

They are furnished with a mix of bench seating, with some interesting cushions and colourful stools, which create a modern, vibrant and colourful look.

Next to reception, there is an open refrigerator stocking a selection of 24/7 ‘grab and go’ packaged sandwiches, snacks and fruit juices. Nice when you just need to get a quick snack on the go.

TheHouseRibeira 5 grabgo

Daily breakfast service is available from 7:30a.m.-11a.m. and the cafeteria is open from 1p.m. -11p.m.

Room:

We stayed in a premium room located on the forth floor . Our room was equipped with a private bathroom, interactive TV,  mini bar with a selection of soft drinks and wine, safe, air conditioning. There was a free Wi-Fi available throughout the property. Our bed was comfortable and the room had a simple, modern design. There was a walk in wardrobe as well as study desk with 2 chairs.

Our bathroom had a contemporary, open-plan design with glass-panelled toilet and shower cubicles. Some basic toiletries were provided.

Overall experience:

Although, we were in Porto for only 3 nights, we had a great stay at the House Ribeira Hotel. The hotel has a perfect location, staff was extremely friendly and our room was comfortable and  modern. I would definitely recommend it to any travellers who enjoy chic looking surroundings and like to feel like home whilst away.

If you consider visiting Porto then you can book your stay at The House Ribeira hotel through Booking.com. In addition, if you book your accommodation via this referral link, you’ll get £20 in cash.

Address:

Rua do Infante D. Henrique 26,

4050-492 Porto,

Portugal

Website:

http://www.shotels.pt/thehouse/home

I hope you enjoyed reading this review!

X

Pauline

Holiday destinations: Lisbon, Portugal

1 Comment

I’ve recently visited Lisbon-the capital and the largest city of Portugal for a short 3-days break with my husband. Lonely Planet’s features which boast Portugal in both its top 10 Cities and Regions to visit in 2017 lists prove that Portugal is not a place to be missed. You should experience it before it becomes a tourist hub so if you are currently planning your travel adventures for 2017 then put Portugal on your ‘to-go’ list.

323073_10200091165232641_990207819_o-1

Lisbon has a population of around 2.7 million people, being the 11th-most populous urban area in the European Union. It is one of the oldest cities in the world, and the oldest in Western Europe, predating other modern European capitals such as London, Paris and Rome by centuries.

Lisbon enjoys a Mediterranean climate. We were there during December and it was quite warm. The city has the warmest winters of any metropolis in Europe, with average temperatures 15 °C during the day and 8 °C at night from December to February.

325990_10200091208233716_1798854958_o

There’s lots to see in this city and here is a short list of my suggestions:

  1. Lisbon Oceanarium
  2. Jeronimos Monastery
  3. Belem Tower
  4. St George’s Castle
  5. Parque Des Nacoes
  6. Design and Fashion Museum

403603_10200091207153689_1745712755_n705689_10200091183633101_423688581_o321747_10200091181393045_893131654_o411648_10200091176872932_1327452302_o

As I was there for only 3 days my mini-break, it felt quite rushed and I would love to go there again for a few days more. I am sure that I could have benefited from taking the slower route and really immersing myself in many beautiful surroundings that Portugal has to offer. On my return from Portugal I have discovered the ‘Slow holidays’ company Inntravel that is specialising in organising walking holidays. They have recenly added a new La Palma Volcanic Trail walking holiday. Everyone needs some time to think and if you enjoy discovering new places, eating delicious food and walking then that would be the perfect break for you. I would love to go on this 7 days walking holidays that consist of:

  • self-guided hotel-to-hotel walking;
  • walking through beautiful, unspoiled scenery from coast to coast;
  • staying at the unique blend of traditional and modern accommodation (one guesthouse, one 3-star hotel, one village cottage; one rural hotel).

You can read more about this walking holiday on Inntravel website:

https://www.inntravel.co.uk/holidays/walking-holidays/Portugal/Algarve-coast-to-coast?pg=sk

I hope you enjoyed reading this review. It was written in collaboration with Inntravel.

X

Pauline