A Hotel with a Story to Tell in Porto

From the moment we walked into the hotel, there was something different. Even the scent caught my attention. It was like stepping away from the busy streets of Porto into an elegant, quiet world filled with little details.

Where wine meets literature

The concept behind Wine & Books is fascinating, and the name itself tells you this isn’t an ordinary hotel. It brings together two important parts of Portuguese culture: wine and literature.

And why should wine only be paired with food?

Here, Portuguese wines are paired with works by Lusophone authors, bringing together flavours and stories in a rather unusual way. The hotel works with both a literature curator and a wine curator, who carefully select what becomes part of the collection. The concept is even being taken further with wine and book pairing boxes — something that I think would make an extraordinary gift, but also a lovely way to discover Portuguese culture.

Books are everywhere in the hotel, but in a very sophisticated way. Nothing feels excessive or forced. It is entirely up to you whether you want to stop, discover more and perhaps pick something up to read, or simply admire the intellectual feel they bring to the interiors.

In the lobby, shelves combine books, bottles of wine and old typewriters. When you step out of the lift, you find beautifully cut books displayed almost as pieces of art. In our room, there was a book about Porto.

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I loved this little detail. Being able to sit in your hotel room and read a few pages about the city you are currently exploring, its history, stories and character, before heading outside and seeing it for yourself.

Porto from above

The welcome didn’t end with a book; instead, there was a bottle of Kopke waiting for us in the room, a nice Portuguese touch and another element of the hotel’s wine concept. Kopke goes back to 1638 and is the oldest Port wine house.

Wine naturally follows you through the hotel, but one of the best places to enjoy it is the rooftop.

We could have stayed there for hours and completely forgotten about time.

The views from the rooftop are spectacular, with Clérigos Tower and Porto’s historical buildings all around you. Here, you can be sipping your cocktail, enjoying the atmosphere and looking over the city, with several hours passing by and you don’t even notice.

Breakfast honestly could not have been much better.

It is served in Tasca da Memória, a beautiful restaurant that continues the hotel’s distinctive style, with books, wine bottles, large mirrors and soft lighting creating an intimate atmosphere.

Almost immediately, two large coffees arrived at our table with plenty of foam — already a good start.

Then came the menu, and for what might have been the first time ever in a hotel, I barely even looked at the buffet.

There were pancakes with forest fruits, waffles with caramel sauce, eggs prepared in different ways and plenty more that could be ordered freshly made and brought hot to the table. Breakfast where you really want to take your time with. You sit, order another coffee, and somehow lose track of time again.

Time to slow down

The spa is open early in the morning, which was another detail very much appreciated. And once again, the design makes it feel different from a typical hotel spa. Large daybeds with canopies add to the atmosphere around the indoor heated pool and create another little corner where you can simply lie down and switch off.

Guests can also use the sauna and Turkish bath, while massages and other treatments are available for those wanting to stay a little longer.

After spending a day walking around Porto, it is exactly the kind of place you want to come back to.

Portuguese flavours at Tasca da Memória

Tasca da Memória deserves another visit in the evening, when the same restaurant where breakfast is served takes on a completely different mood.

The idea here is rooted in Portuguese cuisine and memories connected with food, but traditional flavours are presented in a more refined, contemporary way.

Fresh ingredients and familiar Portuguese dishes are at the heart of the menu, with classics such as arroz de marisco and the very typical Portuguese dish bacalhau appearing with a modern touch. It perfectly aligns with the philosophy of Wine & Books: respecting Portuguese traditions while presenting them in a contemporary setting.

The hotel also has the Wine & Books Café, inspired by Porto’s old café culture, when writers and intellectuals would meet over coffee and conversation. With the rooftop and Tasca da Memória, it offers several very different places to enjoy during your stay.

In the heart of Porto

The location is another big advantage. Wine & Books Porto is right in the centre, and we could walk to many of the places we wanted to visit. Avenida dos Aliados, Clérigos Tower, Livraria Lello and São Bento station are all nearby.

Perhaps most surprisingly for such a central location, the hotel also has parking — something anyone who has tried driving and parking in central Porto will appreciate.

Wine & Books Porto is certainly luxurious, but for me, that isn’t what makes it memorable. It is the thought behind everything: the book waiting in your room, the Portuguese wine, the old typewriters, the rooftop overlooking Porto, the long breakfast and all those small details that make you want to slow down.

It is a hotel that doesn’t simply give you somewhere to stay in Porto. In its own quiet, sophisticated way, it invites you to discover the city through its stories, flavours, and wines.