Both pair a starred dinner with an indoor pool and spa: city or sea. The One Monumental Palace, on Avenida dos Aliados, suits a grand-hotel weekend on foot; Vila Foz Hotel & Spa, the cheaper, faces the Atlantic half an hour out by bus, for seafront walkers.
The grand oneThe grand hotel on Porto's main avenue, a 1923 landmark with a starred dining room and a proper spa, where the address does the work.
€€From about €285 a night
Choose The One Monumental Palace if
The catch
Superior and Deluxe rooms are 29 square metres, which feels tight at the rate.
The beach oneThe seafront palace that makes staying outside the centre a deliberate choice, with a starred kitchen and a real spa to back it up.
€€From about €205 a night
Choose Vila Foz Hotel & Spa if
The catch
Half an hour from the old town on the 500 bus, or a taxi ride, so every evening in Porto is a journey back.
| Best for | The One Monumental Palace | Vila Foz Hotel & Spa |
|---|---|---|
| Best design hotels in Porto | Not on the list | On the list |
| Best spa hotels in Porto | On the list | On the list |
| Best value hotels in Porto | On the list | On the list |
| Best central hotels in Porto | On the list | Not on the list |
| Best quiet hotels in Porto | Not on the list | On the list |
| Best hotels for food and drink in Porto | On the list | On the list |
The One Monumental PalaceVila Foz Hotel & Spa
The One Monumental Palace
Vila Foz Hotel & Spa
The verdict
Both pair a starred dinner with an indoor pool and spa: city or sea. The One Monumental Palace, on Avenida dos Aliados, suits a grand-hotel weekend on foot; Vila Foz Hotel & Spa, the cheaper, faces the Atlantic half an hour out by bus, for seafront walkers.
Questions people ask
Both pair a starred dinner with an indoor pool and spa: city or sea. The One Monumental Palace, on Avenida dos Aliados, suits a grand-hotel weekend on foot; Vila Foz Hotel & Spa, the cheaper, faces the Atlantic half an hour out by bus, for seafront walkers.
If you want to stay on Porto's main square in a building that has always been the grand one, this is the address. Pay for City Views, ask for the avenue side, and let the spa and Le Monument carry the evenings. The most central address in this edit and the most classically grand, a polished city hotel you leave every morning and return to for the spa and a starred dinner. Priced for the avenue and the building rather than for space in the rooms.
It has an indoor pool. There is no beach; the nearest is a drive away.
The seaside option in this edit, with a starred kitchen and a real spa to make the distance worth it. Choose Foz on purpose, not as a compromise on the centre. The one hotel in this edit that trades the old town for the sea, and backs the trade with a starred dining room and a proper spa. Quiet, grown-up and priced below the palaces in the centre.
It has an indoor pool. A public beach is within walking distance.