As Portugal’s luxury tourism landscape continues to expand, so does the number of five-star hotels opening all over the country. In Porto, it used to be that if you were looking for a ritzy place to rest your head, your options were limited; in the heart of the city, you had Infante Sagres, which originally opened in 1951, and The Yeatman added even more star power when it debuted in 2010 across the Douro River in Vila Nova de Gaia. But the last handful of years have been a boom for luxury hospitality in Portugal’s second city. So many new hotels have landed in Porto as intrepid travellers look to explore Portugal beyond cosmopolitan Lisbon and the sunny beaches of the Algarve. By Chadner Navarro
And the best of these newcomers might just be Casa da Companhia, a discreet 40-room bolthole located on Rua das Flores, a trendy, pedestrian-only street in the city centre.
Here’s a look inside the trendy new hotel in Porto, Portugal
What’s especially alluring about this hotel is that from the outside, you wouldn’t know about the type of considered, curated stay that awaits inside. The architecture is so non-descript that if it weren’t for its street-corner restaurant patio, you might not realise there’s even anything of note in the building. But the structure itself is historic. It was originally built in the 16th century, and at one point it became the local headquarters for Real Companhia Velha, one of Portugal’s oldest port houses.
It was a point of distribution for their wine, and some sources also say that it might have been in this very house that the official D.O.C. (which stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, or Denomination of Controlled Origin) for port wine was established in 1756.
The legacy of this building has a very if-you-know-you-know vibe about it, and that same sort of quiet quality characterises the hotel that now inhabits it. Casa da Companhia isn’t showy for the sake of being showy. In fact, when you walk in the door, you’re greeted not by a grand lobby or a busy assembly of check-in desks. You’re instead stepping into a charming interior courtyard, in the middle of which is a tree surrounded by various love seats, couches, and coffee tables. It’s a sense of arrival that inspires tranquillity and ease. Early guests have already compared this courtyard to a Moroccan riad.
Stone staircases snake up to the second floor to reception, where check-in desks stand in front of chocolate-wood bookcases stuffed with books from Diário da Republica. (That’s Portugal’s official gazette from 1869 and 1976, but its printing days date back to 1715.) There is a lot of history scattered throughout the property, but the overall aesthetic has been modernised by local interior architect Paulo Lobo, whose work spans a vineyard in Minho province’s Vinho Verde region to Portuguese fashion designer Miguel Vieira’s Lisbon boutique to countless other hotels and restaurants.
For Casa da Companhia, the goal was to subtly layer glistening design flourishes onto the property’s historic bones. You may be walking through a lot of heavy stone doorways that date back centuries, but decorative details speak to an entirely more contemporary vision. Elegant sconces, metallic-trimmed wall-to-wall mirrors, and gilded fixtures add some pizzazz to the otherwise minimal backdrop of hardwood floors, marble surfaces, and pale billowy curtains. Lighting is carefully established to not only brighten rooms but also to direct eyes onto features both old and new.
This might include lining the bookcases where the Diário da Republica books are stored or placing guest room standalone bathtubs against small stone windows that look out to the Porto skyline. Some of the best rooms come with light-bathed interior gardens made lush with citrus trees.
If the guestrooms feel like chic, modern residences, the rest of the hotel, spread across two now-connected buildings, has been outfitted with amenities to evoke the ease of an urban escape. For instance, Casa da Companhia has two pools — in a city where most hotels barely have one. Choosing the smaller rooftop plunge pool gifts you incredible views of downtown Porto.
But the larger interior pool area, wrapped entirely with warm wood, is the sexy, low-lit watering hole of your dreams — truly, an ideal retreat when sightseeing excursions may have worn you out. It’s quiet, intimate, and there may not be a better looking pool area in the entire city. To complement the space, there’s a small sauna, gym, and spa. To celebrate its opening, Casa da Companhia has been offering complimentary 15-minute massages to every guest. It’s a fantastic perk, and considering starting rates for the hotel are still below EUR 200 (INR 16,400) a night, it’s an exceptional value add-on.
The only thing missing was a full-on dining venue — the street-level bar serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and cocktails — but fortunately, chef Duarte Batista’s on-site restaurant officially opened this summer. The Portuguese-with-a-twist menu should delight both those staying at Casa da Companhia and visitors to Porto — though hotel guests should also try grabbing a table across the street at Cantina 32. It’s one of Porto’s must-try restaurants; one that firmly established Rua das Flores’ as one of the city’s trendiest streets when it opened in 2014.
This story first appeared on www.travelandleisure.com
Main and Feature Image Credit: Antonio Chaves/Courtesy of Casa da Companhia
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