Porto and Lisbon

The Fenix in Porto was really first class. We were on a high-up executive floor which had good views. The staff were very helpful. The room was excellent. Breakfast was included and also good. The only drawback was that it was a long walk to the downtown center. We did take a few taxis to get around easier. It is close to a shopping mall and food court market as well as three restaurants within a block walk. The Mundial hotel in Lisbon was not as high end, a little older with smaller rooms but still nice. If the Fenix was an 8.5, the Mundial would be an 8.0. Again the staff were very helpful. Rooms on the outside near street level were noisier than rooms on the inside. Also the air conditioners on the inside were much better than the ones on the outside rooms (window units). The Mundial was very centrally located and everything was within walking distance. A lot of tour groups (Globus, Road Scholar, two others) were staying there as well so must be a good deal for them. The bar on the rooftop with amazing views was one of the highlights. Good breakfast as well. Most breakfasts don’t start until 7am but you can get coffee and rolls in the bar. Tours – the tours in Porto region were very good. We had the same tour guide for the three days we were in Porto (Tiago). I would recommend him and the three tours – Porto, Minho (Braga, Guimares), Duoro (Amarante, Duoro Valley, Quinta visit). He pre-arranged some of the tours for us (i.e., bought entry tickets and reserved a time) and knew all the locals so had outstanding cooperation. We felt like “insiders” to some degree or VIPs…