Villa Hotel, Guimarães

Avenida D. João IV, nº 631, S. Sebastião

Buzz trips opinion

A chic, boutique hotel in easy strolling distance of the historic centre, spitting distance of the railway station and perfectly positioned for exploring all parts of Guimarães. Offering excellent value for money, the Villa Hotel is the perfect choice for anyone who doesn’t want to pay Pousada prices and prefers contemporary style to antiquated character.

The hotel doesn’t look much from the outside – just a wall of jade opaque glass  constructed on the edge of the Villa Commercial Centre but once through the doors you’ll find comfort, friendliness and style in equal measure. Just three storeys of polished floors, opaque glass, chrome fixtures and stylish aesthetics house 47 rooms of surprisingly high quality for its four star rating and price tag where the staff are professional, friendly and eager to make your stay as comfortable as possible.

Rooms:
Double rooms are expansive and luxurious with fitted carpets, king-sized beds, masses of floor space, desk, mini bar, in-room WiFi and good wardrobe and cupboard space. Plain furniture and pale grey walls devoid of artwork keep the style minimalist, clean and uncluttered. The old fashioned TV is oddly out of place and needs upgrading to a flat screen. Given the layout of the hotel, the rooms are quite dark which, added to the double glazing and black-out curtains, makes for a few ‘is it night or day’ moments. Good sized en suites are tiled entirely in black with contemporary fittings but the shower has disappointingly low power.

Facilities:
Breakfast is served in the stylish buffet restaurant and consists of predominantly continental breakfast choices of cereals, ham, cheese, Jamon Serrano, cakes and bread. Scrambled eggs and bacon are the only hot dishes. The fruit selection is excellent and their fresh fruit cocktail had me heading to breakfast with a spring in my step every morning. The typical fat, sliced bread of the area is there for toasting in the only hotel buffet toaster I have ever encountered which actually does the job efficiently.

From 3pm the hotel bar offers snacks such as burgers and toasted sandwiches and in the evenings the TV screens and leatherette sofas of the lounge are a cosy place to do what the locals do – watch the footie. At just €7 to €12 a bottle, their selection of wines are good value and exceedingly quaffable too.

Prices at the Villa Hotel begin at €65 per night for double room and breakfast.

Andrea (Andy) Montgomery is a freelance travel writer and co-owner of Buzz Trips and The Real Tenerife series of travel websites. Published in The Telegraph, The Independent, Wexas Traveller, Thomas Cook Travel Magazine, EasyJet Traveller Magazine, you can read her latest content on Google+