Mo House

Hotel review

Hidden behind a heavy old door on a cobbled street, Mo House is a romantic surprise. Local photographer, Rita Olazabal, rescued the building when it was in a near derelict state — framed photographs bear testimony to this — and her painstaking restoration has been a labour of love. Her triumph is to keep the 17th century features — timber beams, the staircase’s fretted baluster, fine plasterwork, stone-framed doors and windows, the original shutters — but introduce her own distinctive style. There are huge, statement lamps, vibrantly colourful cushions, books, curios, painted floorboards strewn with rugs, and pictures everywhere — photographs, paintings and prints — artfully arranged on the walls.

Some of the nine gorgeous rooms have sweeping views over the city’s orange-red rooftops down to the glittering Douro River. Several can accommodate families. All have a feeling of space, a flat screen TV and kitchenette (with hob, microwave and coffee machine), handy for the occasional evening in. Sofas and exquisite snow-white bed linen make the rooms feel extra special.

Don’t skip breakfast in the intimate, pale, beamed room, which leads down to a bright conservatory extension: the coffee is good and the local pastries are unmissable. After a long summer day’s sight-seeing, the decked garden is the perfect place to chill out with a glass of Douro wine.

Staff are unfailingly friendly and helpful, and spot on with their local recommendations. There’s not only a great selection of restaurants and tapas bars nearby, the major sights and the river are just a stroll away.

Leonie Glass Review published: 31/10/2018