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In 1951, Hospes Infante Sagres opened its swirling sage doors to become Porto’s first five-star hotel. It’s had a major facelift recently; all 85 rooms have been redecorated, drawing rooms and libraries reimagined, and the building’s iconic pale pink facade has had a good scrub. The result is a glorious masterclass in playful opulence. Decor is mismatched yet harmonic, a feast of styles, colours and textures that infuse the place with character, from the iconic stained glass staircase and floral-themed atrium to the retro wood-panelled lift with its crocodile-print seat.
The place has certainly been modernised, with new facilities including a rooftop plunge pool and sundeck, plus plenty of eclectic contemporary art alongside the smirking regal portraits of the hotel’s wealthy owners in the lobby. Service is unflinchingly gracious, with concierge staff full of thoughtful recommendations and (on a rainy day) umbrellas sprung open for you before you even reach the front door. In short: Infante Sagres continues to set the benchmark for luxury hospitality in Portugal’s second city – and right at the core of its coolest neighbourhood, at that.
What are the rooms like at Hospes Infante Sagres Porto?
Each room and suite is done up in its own way: some are bedecked in green and terracotta, with tapestries themed around Portugal’s Age of Discovery, others have maritime blue stripes or neutral tones. This faithfulness to a certain theme and colour palette creates a sleeping area that’s rightfully calmer than all that glorious maximalism going on elsewhere in the hotel, but still full of fun textures, art and little surprises.
We took up residence in an executive junior suite, sleeping on cloudlike beds beneath a black-and-cream Toile de Jouy-style tapestry, depicting, in woven jute, scenes of Greek goddesses lolling under palm trees. On the walls, white tile art, an understated nod to the city’s famous azulejos. Beneath your feet, smooth parquet flooring and a rug you sink into. The coffee station and mini-fridge sit in a rattan alcove. The bathroom is your standard-nice-hotel-bathroom: cream tiles, marble sinks, a lovely hot rainfall shower.
What’s the food like?
Set up in the Dona Filipa Ballroom, beneath warm crystal chandeliers and high coffered ceilings, breakfast at Infante Sagres is by far the most regal start to the day I’ve ever had. A small omelette and eggs menu is accompanied by a breakfast buffet with all the classics and some wonderful extra treats, like warm pastéis de nata and mal de canela (cinnamon honey, scraped straight onto your cheese plate from a slab of honeycomb).
🥘 The best Porto restaurants right now
Restaurant Scarlett is a smart-casual bar-brasserie affair, street-facing, with brunchy bites like padron peppers and truffle fries, and an excellent local wine list. Opening into an art studio next door, it’s markedly more down-to-earth than the hotel proper, the sort of place you can lose an afternoon yapping and drinking in; and a lovely spot for dinner.
What’s the area like around Hospes Infante Sagres?
You’re smack-bang in the heart of it all here. Cadofeita, the immediate neighbourhood, is teeming with excellent restaurants like the all-veg Especie and the Argentinian-Portuguese Belos Aires, as well as plenty of fun local bars for terrace drinks, like Aduela. Porto’s biggest and best attractions, from Time Out Market Porto to Livraria Lello (widely considered one of the world’s most beautiful bookshops), are minutes away by foot.
DETAILS
Address: Praça D. Filipa de Lencastre 62 4050-259 Porto, Portugal
Price per night: Standard rooms from €204
Closest transport: São Bento train and metro station is a 10-minute walk away
Book now: Via Booking.com