The Vibe: Heritage effortlessly meets modern.

The Area: On pretty pedestrianised Flores Street, near the end at Largo São Domingos in the Porto city centre.

The DNA: Built from a 500-year-old small palace, PortoBay Flores‘ façade keeps the large wooden doors, the large windows surmounted by triangular pediments, wrought iron balconies and stonework emblazoned with a 16th-century coat of arms; Samuel Torres de Carvalho, the hotel’s architect, sought out to protect the origins of the building while also contemporising it. The old stables have been transformed into the hotel entrance. The floor and staircase have been revived and the original granite slabs remain. The hotel is adorned with other odes to the past including tiles, windows, original stone decorative motifs and an old kitchen oven that connects the mansion building to the hotel’s new wing. Located between the new wing and the small palace, the courtyard was designed by Italian artist Nicolau Nasoni, responsible for several Porto landmarks, including the Clérigos Tower and the Misericórdia Church, right next to the PortoBay Flores hotel.

Suite-Me-Up: Accommodations include 55 rooms in the new building and 11 in the old mansion. Seven room types are available for different experiences, offering beds (most over 1.80m wide), and all the PortoBay amenities. Large windows and balconies available on the upper floors offer views of restored houses, including Porto Cathedral, which extends down to the Douro River.

✅ free Wi-Fi • size matters: 76 rooms & suites (21-76m2) (226-818 sq ft) • hotel opened: 2019 • architecture & interior design: Samuel Torres de Carvalho ❌ no parking available • no pets allowed • 24-hour front desk • wheelchair accessible