Review: Sé Catedral Hotel Porto, Portugal

Sé Catedral Hotel Porto – Introduction and Booking

We hopped on a high-speed train from Lisbon to reach our next destination in Portugal – the charming city of Porto! When I was doing my search on where to stay, I discovered that Hilton has the largest presence among the major hotel brands here. With a total of seven properties, I had a lot of options to choose from!

Ultimately, I decided on Sé Catedral Hotel Porto, part of Hilton’s Tapestry Collection. This modern boutique hotel opened its doors in 2022. Besides being relatively new, it’s in an unbeatable location within Porto’s UNESCO World Heritage area. The hotel’s central location makes it a perfect base for exploring many of Porto’s key attractions. It’s within walking distance of several historic sites, including:

• The 12^th century Gothic cathedral, Sé do Porto
• Palácio da Bolsa, the former stock exchange palace
• Clérigos Tower with panoramic views of the city

Additionally, the hotel is conveniently close to the metro and just minutes away from the elegant São Bento train station. It’s also surrounded by numerous restaurants, cafes and shops.

I booked a King guest room for a three-night stay, with a nightly rate averaging 224 €. This came at a total cost of 672 € for the stay. Points-wise, Hilton Honors has dynamic pricing, which means rates vary. However, you can expect a redemption of 40,000 points per night if you can find availability at this standard rate.

Other reviews from this trip:

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Sé Catedral Hotel Porto – Arrival and Check-in

We arrived late in the evening and almost missed the hotel. It’s tucked away in a historic building amidst other shops and businesses. Entering the hotel, we noticed the restaurant and bar immediately to the left, while a cozy seating area was to the right. Just beyond the seating area was the front desk where we went for check-in.

The reception area had a welcoming ambience, featuring bright and colourful neon signs hanging from the ceiling. The front desk associate promptly processed our check-in. With my Gold status, I knew the probability of an upgrade at a boutique hotel was slim.

Sé Catedral Porto – Front Entrance

Sé Catedral Porto -Entrance

Reception

Sé Catedral Porto – Reception view

I decided to try my luck anyway and inquired about the possibility of a larger room. Initially, she mentioned that they were fully booked and no upgrades were available. However, after checking again, she informed us that a larger room was available, but it had two twin beds and was available only for the first two nights of our stay.

I accepted the upgrade, and we were assigned room 211. The elevators were right by the front desk, though a small flight of stairs led to them.  Surprisingly, there was no ramp, which was a bit inconvenient since we had quite a bit of luggage.

Despite the hotel being a 4-star boutique, there were no porters to assist with our luggage. However, the front desk associate proactively jumped in and assisted us, even though she didn’t have to.

Sé Catedral Hotel Porto – Twin Superior City View Room

Entering the room, we were greeted by a musty odor. It felt like the room hadn’t been aired out in a while. The room was also quite dark, with minimal lighting, making me second-guess my decision to request an upgrade.

Despite these initial impressions, the room was equipped with all the essentials, including a coffee maker, fridge, safe and a steamer instead of the usual iron. There was an open closet, that came with two drawers for storing personal belongings.

The two twin beds shared a single headboard with a peculiar design that I found rather distasteful. Even the wall art by the accent table was odd – a depiction of the Mona Lisa with most of her face covered. Near the coffee table was a neon sign that read, “Let’s stay in bed,” adding to the quirky decor.

I found the hotel was trying a bit too hard to be quirky and fun. My understanding of the Tapestry Collection by Hilton is it’s supposed to showcase each property’s unique character, incorporating local culture into its design. While I’m not sure how this design reflects Porto, it definitely stood out as unique.

On the positive side, our room was well-equipped with electrical outlets, including USB ports. We also had a beautiful view of the city, with our room overlooking historic buildings and monuments. The room was clean and housekeeping was prompt throughout our stay.

Sé Catedral Porto – Assigned Room

Superior Twin Room

Sé Catedral Porto – Bedroom

Room with a view

City View

As for the bathroom, it was simple and basic. It featured a vanity with an above sink and a rain shower that had decent water pressure. However, the towels were a bit worn, despite the hotel only being two years old.

All the bath products were in large bottles, with playful yet somewhat cheesy labels, such as “soap your troubles away” for the body wash, “hair like a movie star” for the conditioner and “your body is your wonderland” for the body lotion.

A minor annoyance was that the hotel did not provide disposable water bottles. Instead, they left us two large glass bottles. While this is more environmentally friendly, the bottles didn’t look particularly clean and I wondered if they ever cleaned them. It also wasn’t practical for grab and go. We ended up buying water bottles from a small convenience store near the hotel.

Sé Catedral Porto -Bathroom

Vanity sink

Sé Catedral Porto – Shower

Bath Products

Sé Catedral Hotel Porto – Breakfast

On the first night of our stay, we stopped by the hotel’s in-house restaurant for some light bites. We ordered a couple of apps including guacamole with nachos and a cheese board that featured pecans, prunes and pumpkin jam. We enjoyed the snacks and found their menu prices to be quite reasonable.

For breakfast, the restaurant serves a large spread, primarily featuring continental items, with a few hot options, such as scrambled eggs. There was no à la carte menu and even the beverages were self-serve. If you’re in need of a caffeine fix, there’s a coffee machine with various options, including American coffee, espresso and cappuccino.

The only item I really enjoyed from the buffet was the pumpkin jam, which I learned was homemade. I didn’t take many pictures of the food, as it was fairly unremarkable. If breakfast isn’t included in your room rate or you don’t have Hilton Honors Gold elite status or higher, I’d recommend skipping the hotel breakfast and exploring other options in the old town.

Sé Catedral Porto – Restaurant

Restaurant

Breakfast

Restaurant Bar

Jams, cereals

Assortment of bread

Juices

Hot food

Scrambled Eggs

Appetizers

Takeaway

The staff at Sé Catedral Hotel Porto are friendly and welcoming. If you’re just looking for a clean room in a central location, then this boutique hotel is a solid choice. However, if you’re seeking a more upscale experience or amenities like a fitness centre or spa, you might want to consider other options.

I found Porto to be a compact city, with many attractions located close together. Unlike Lisbon, which is more spread out, Porto’s old town allows you to easily explore many sites on foot. Because of this, I believe there are better options in the old town than Sé Catedral Hotel Porto.