Eurostars Porto Centro

We stayed at Eurostars Porto Centro from February 14–19, booking two rooms for my mother (69), my aunt (79), my sister, and myself. Unfortunately, our experience was extremely disappointing for a 4-star hotel. When we arrived, neither room had hot water. We called the front desk and were told to let the water run, but even after 20 minutes it was still completely cold. Staff later told us the hotel was having issues with their boilers. By Sunday morning we still had no hot water. When we asked for help, we were told no manager was available and staff had no authorization to do anything. We asked to be moved to another hotel in their group or receive a refund so we could relocate, but both requests were denied. As a result, we had to shower with cold water for two days in the middle of winter, while traveling with two elderly guests who suffer from arthritis. Hot water is a basic necessity, especially for a hotel advertising a 4-star standard. We booked through Capital One Travel, and even they were surprised when they contacted the hotel and received the same response. The problem was finally fixed Monday afternoon. On Tuesday, the hotel offered to move us to a 5-star hotel “as a goodwill gesture.” By that point, however, the hot water issue had already been resolved. Moving hotels mid-stay would have meant packing everything, relocating, and losing even more vacation time dealing with a situation that should have been handled from the start. At that point, the offer felt less like a real solution for us and more like a way for the hotel to resolve the situation on their end. It would have been a perfect solution on Sunday morning, when the problem was still ongoing. The manager later confirmed by email that we would receive a partial refund, but we never received details. At checkout we were charged the full stay and even an extra day of breakfast, and after following up we were told the refund was not approved. There were also other issues during our stay, including a sewage smell coming from the bathtub plumbing and beds that were not comfortable for a 4-star property. A hotel that cannot provide hot water for days, cannot reach a manager during a service failure, and does not honor the refund they promised should not be advertising itself as a 4-star hotel. Travelers deserve better. ⭐

Location is good and rooms are spacious. However, I'm not sure what kink the room design is trying to please, but it's not mine. There is zero privacy as the bathroom is simultaneously also the rest of the room - there is no real door that would separate the two. If you are really into it, you can watch your partner or family take a doo doo. There was also a bit of mold in the bathroom, but I think this is standard by now in most hotels. Every few hours there was some unpleasent sewage kind of smell in the room. I was also a bit surprised about the lack of professionalism of the reception and staff in general. I understand that there is a need for apprenticeships, but having most staff being only apprentices with clear lack of guidance and experience can be upsetting at times. During check-in, the receptionist was too shy to do the onboarding. Another time they didn't understand our basic request for different pillows. At one point our keycard stopped working; not sure why the receptionist was so pissed and rude. I dont think the price for the breakfast is warranted. Most products available felt pretty low quality. Eggs and bacon were supposed to be heated, but were mostly cold. Morning staff that was supposed to refill trays was visibly unmotivated to do their work. We ordered a cheeseplate to the room which was supposed to have two things: cheese and jam. Only got cheese, no jam. The wine glasses at the bar were dirty two out of three times. Also, every day there was that weird dude in front of the hotel shouting something every 30 seconds, over multiple days - which was really annoying. Something you would think they would try to address.

The location is great and the facilities are clean, but the breakfast was a bit disappointing. However, it was quiet for the location, so I wouldn't visit again.