Dukes Corner Guest House

Arriving into Porto by train we walked over to Dukes Corner Guesthouse from Porto Campanha Station with our packs on our back, just ten minutes away. The guesthouse was located in a leafy neighbourhood street, it is a beautiful building inside and out. Our room #3 was located on the first floor up the steep wooden staircase, we were fortunate to be appointed this room which comes with an inclosed balcony and the only room with access to the back garden. The room and bathroom were clean, neat and tidy, well lit with natural lighting, with pretty white linen curtains on the windows and shutters. The configuration of the room was unique with the inclusion of the ensuite (small shower), hanging space and air-conditioning unit. The bed and pillows were comfortable and the building and room was quiet overnight. We looked forward to our breakfast each day in the dining room and being looked after by the friendly, happy, Fatima. The buffet was rich in pastries, bread, cold cuts, cheese, cereal, eggs, fruit salad, freshly sqeezed orange juice and more, plenty to set us up for a day of sightseeing. Each day at breakfast we were given a code for the front door, a changing code. At breakfast we enjoyed the conversations with other guests and hearing some of their stories of Porto and beyond. We had come to Porto to begin our first Camino which was a ten minute walk down to the river to pick up the path to Matosinhos. Dukes Corner Guesthouse was well positioned for our three night stay, while located out of the city centre we still enjoyed our daily walks in, over the bridge to Gaia and around the peaceful neighbourhood with sufficient bars, cafes and restaurants to choose from.

I would stay here again. The level of service was through the roof. Super helpful staff, really friendly, used to tourists :) The room was enough, nothing luxury but perfectly ok for the price. The area not central, of course, but plenty of restaurants and bars, shops and markets. Close to the Campanhã train station, walkable. The walk to city centre was nice, mostly flat. Lots to see. The area around the hotel is lush with lots of trees along the streets. Really nice during hot days. It is NOT a hotel for people with reduced mobility.

Duke’s Corner Guesthouse was a great choice for us. It’s just outside the historic center and an excellent value for your money. The staff was helpful with tips and answering our questions. It is an older historic house, which means a lot of lovely architectural features, not the most modern but very clean. Since it is a historic building, it does not have an elevator.

Firstly when we arrived (me and my son) we waited for 30 mins at reception while she was on the phone and then stapling things at the desk Then the card machine didn’t work when we went to pay for our tourist tax. We’d jus arrived and had no cash… The next morning at breakfast in front of all the other guests I was asked to pay for it like we’d avoided it. It’s wasnt all negative, our room was clean, no breakfast tea and no milk provided for brews…. But the location is fab. Some great bars and cafes nearby and 20 mins to the centre on Ribera. On the day we were leaving my son and j agreed with the property that we can come back at 5pm to collect our cases and get changed on our travel clothes and charge our phones etc. I wrote this in Portuguese and she read it and nodded and smiled. That’s an agreement where I’m from?? we arrived back at 5pm the lady was upset with us and said that they close at 4:30pmn and they’d been waiting for for us… Then they wheeled out case outside where we had to get changed in the street and pack the rest of our stuff.. lucky a cool little corner bar let us charge our phones & use their bathroom until our uber arrived at 5:30pm. Anyway there we have it. I’ve travelled all over the world and never experienced this level of rudeness… We’re all human right? And to throw us on the street with my 16year old without warning wasn’t what I’d do. So unfortunately this place will have a poor review. If she’d have told us this we would’ve took our cases out it in a cooks locker storage…

Dukes is a solid but basic choice. The rooms are clean and the bed is great, but the shower is tiny and the breakfast barely meets the minimum, featuring rolls, a few hard boiled eggs, and store-bought yogurt. And that’s all there is to the place — no bar or lounge, no other features at all. We didn’t regret staying there but likewise can’t understand how this modest place is rated as the top place to stay in all of Porto by TripAdvisor.

We stayed for 3 nights in this guest house. It is basic, clean with great staff and one of the few budget friendly places that offers breakfast also. The location is great; you can walk to almost all attractions (depending on how much you want to walk); and surrounded by coffee shops and restaurants. It is in a beautiful, old home and the details are great- if you are in that sort of thing. The good: - The staff is amazing. Every one we met was great and very helpful. The front desk person-Emerson: gave us great guidance on what to see, how to club things to get the most out of our day, where to find good restaurants, etc. - We got there sooner than our check in time, and they let us keep our luggage there, offered water etc. -Our room was ready when we got back and our luggage was put in the room - Breakfast was simple- coffee, boiled eggs, baked goods, toast, butter, jam, fruit and some meats. The breakfast was handled by the sweetest Iracema and she was amazing. They give freshly squeezed orange juice and it's amazing. We had read in reviews that there were options to given to other travelers for scrambled eggs but we did not get that option- but that's ok. We missed breakfast one day as we had to step out early but when we told Emerson he made sure the next day they let us have breakfast 15 mins before so we won't miss it. - The room was very clean. It was small- which is expected of European hotels, but was as advertised and had everything we needed. The covered balcony gave us the extra space and we enjoyed it. - They give you wine as a welcome drink- which is nice. They also offered beer and I am not sure it's a norm; maybe it was done as a special thin-due to the first 'not so good' point below. The not so good: -It was hot the 2 out of 3 nights we were there. When we went to our room after it was ready the room was stuffy and hot. There are no fans and the Air conditioning unit was throwing warm air. So we went and told the front desk associate who told us that the there was an issue with the Air conditioning unit in that room and their repair person was sick so he can not get anyone there till a day later and it will be fixed then (2 nights out of 3 nights of our stay). This annoyed us as this should have been something that should have been mentioned when we checked in. We asked can we move to another room and were told there were no other rooms empty. We asked for a fan and they gave us one. They also told us to open the windows as it cools down in the night and that should help- so we did as it very hard to sleep in the room without that. That led to another issue-mosquitoes. So we did not get a good night's sleep 1st night fighting hot stuffy room and/or mosquitoes . On day 2 ( Sunday) I requested again and told about the mosquito issue; I was told they are trying to get another repair man. In the evening when we got back and checked we were told that they got the new repair person and the air conditioner needs a part which th