Pousada Viana do Castelo

excellent position with a great view, nice and very helpful staff. very nice pool area and a comfortable and elegant bar area

the rooms are a little bit old and could need some upgrade. the restaurant is of medium class and would require a more interesting selection of dishes

Stunning view

Smelly room, outdated.

Pretty decent buffet breakfast; they will even get you a latte (meia de leite) at no extra charge if you ask - the staff is very friendly and accommodating. The city views are great - when it's not foggy. The pool area is worth checking out as it also has a good view. Very calm at night, which is great for sleeping. The beds were firm but comfortable. The Pousada experience overall was pretty good, I can't stress enough how nice the staff was. Taxi driver are more than happy to recommend great places to eat in and around town.

Unless you have a car, getting from the hotel to the city centre and vice-versa can take a while. By taxi if you want to get around quick. Otherwise there's a cable car that fits 10-12 people that runs quite frequently and takes about 10min either way. Or, there's also 850 stairs. I kid you not; 30min stair-master. Expect the gardener to be using his blower in the morning...so if you're a late riser/light sleeper, you might want to consider ear-plugs. You can probably request a pair at reception.