Rosa Et Al Townhouse
A place like home
Among artists and artisans
In the creative heart of very-much-arrived Porto lies Rosa Et Al Townhouse: an imaginative blend of traditional architecture and mid-century design. Hand-crocheted throws and an artful assembly of antiques give the six light-filled rooms personality, there's a courtyard garden out back to catch some rays and brunch is the stuff of local legend – teetering stacks of pancakes and just-baked loaves among its highlights. Brother-and-sister owners, Patricia and Emanuel, ensure the warmest of welcomes – and you'll soon feel like one of the family, too.
Facilities
Quartos
Seven suites.
Checkout
Noon, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 4pm, unless otherwise agreed.
Mais detalhes
Rates generally exclude breakfast.
Also
Co-owner Emanuel is an architect by trade, and his delicate renovation of Rosa Et Al Townhouse picked up a Respect for Architecture gong in 2012. Nowadays, he’s the celebrated house chef and has written a recipe book, Life on a Plate, to share his wisdom. Some kids get all the talent. Apart from the ever-present Patricia and Emanuel, the hotel staff are all part-time – a lovely, relaxed-yet-efficient mixture of artists, models, teachers et al. In-room massages, aromatherapy treatments and reflexology sessions are available on request, from €40 a treatment.
Hotel Closed
24 and 25 December, and two weeks in January (dates change annually).
Acesso gratuito à Internet
Aceitamos animais de estimação
Restaurante no local
Serviço de quarto
At the Hotel
Free WiFi throughout. In rooms: digital radio with iPod dock; minibar and fridge; free water; a small bottle of Fonseca tawny port; tea and coffee and the kit to make it; robes and slippers; Castelbel bath products; and beach bags.
Our Favourite Rooms
Top of the pile is the Suite Club, under the eaves of a double-height ceiling in the attic. Scan Porto’s terracotta roofscape from the lofty windows, or sink into the claw-foot bath tub and stare up at the wise old beams above. It’s an open-plan set up, with the bath just a few steps from the bed. Provided you can exit your soak with dignity, that can only be a good thing. For maximum seclusion, go for the Garden Pavilion. It’s separate from the main building and tucked away at the end of a garden, with all the benefits of a private residence but still almost within a fork’s length of brunch.
Packing Tips
Pack a sketchpad and pencils; the hotel's in the arty part of town after all. Flat shoes are required for the steep cobbled streets of the old town, and remember to leave enough space in your suitcase for townhouse-made deli goodies from the Bed and Brunch Collection.
Also
Brunch only on Saturday and Sunday. The only room with wheelchair access is the Garden Pavilion Suite. There’s no lift in the main house, but no shortage of helping hands for lugging bags up the staircase.
Crianças
All welcome; the hotel's best suited for ages 6–12. Extra beds and cots can be added to any room.
Galeria
Food & Drink
Top Table
When the sun’s out to play, the garden’s the way.
Dress code
Don Fifties haute couture to fit in; but it’s not as though you have to in Porto’s indie art district. Step out in your own New Look instead.
Hotel Restaurant
Brunch Et Al does what it says — and does it well. The hotel's celebrated brunch is fast becoming a local institution, and that’s just the way the owners like it. They taught themselves to cook, and did a darn good job of it too. The three-course menu has dishes as delicious on the eye as they are on the ‘buds – and many feature garden produce so local you can see it from your table. Every day there’s an afternoon tea of scones, sarnies and other treats. Lunch and dinner aren’t scheduled sittings, but ask ahead to book in and then take your pick of à la carte options or go big on a three-, six- or nine-course tasting menu. On the first Sunday of every month, an elevated and Mediterranean spin is put on traditional roast dinners.
The hotel also has a sister restaurant — Early — set just down the road, where Rosa Et Al hosts its signature supper clubs, featuring multi-course menus, natural wine pairings and creative cocktails. It's also open daily for breakfast and lunch; as well as more low-key, but equally enticing, dinners from Thursday to Sunday.
Hotel Bar
Handily part of the restaurant, the bar serves beers and wines, four colours of sangria (red, white, rose and green) and cocktails and mocktails to order. Softs include just-squeezed juices, coffee as you please, and a tea list that’d stretch to China and back again, all served with a soundtrack of jazz piano, or something comparably laid back.
Last Orders
Breakfast is from 8.30am; and brunch is served daily from noon until late. Afternoon tea is at 4pm; lunch and dinner are available on request, with at least eight hours’ notice. Early is open daily from 9am to 5pm (10pm, Thursday to Sunday).
Room Service
Anything and everything on the restaurant menu can be brought to the room.
Planes
Porto Airport is 15 kilometres away. There are direct flights from London Gatwick with British Airways, Easyjet and TAP Portugal, and from London Stansted and Liverpool with Ryanair. TAP also has routes across Europe and from several major cities in North and South America. To get from and to the airport, ask the hotel for a transfer (€50 each way), or take metro line E.
Trains
Apart from on two feet, the best way to get around the city is with an Andante ticket (€15 for three days, see www.stcp.pt) for buses, metros or trains. Campanhã is Porto’s chief rail hub for long-distance travel, with trains to Lisbon (under three hours on the Alfa Pendular express) and into Spain. It’s a little out of the way, but can easily be reached by taxi or metro from the historic São Bento station in the city centre. São Bento is also the place to go for services to Braga, Guimares and other parts of northern Portugal - just be sure to leave enough time to ogle at the ornate tiled walls; check www.cp.pt for timetables. From the hotel, São Bento is a 15-minute walk or a short taxi ride (a transfer costs €15).
Automobiles
If you need a designated driver to visit the surrounding area, hire a car from any one of the major companies at the airport. There’s a car park next to the hotel; it costs €20 a day and to be sure of a space, reserve in advance.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
Get barely out of bed for an in-room massage, or venture downstairs for a cooking class with Patricia and Emanuel (Thursdays and Sundays only, classes are in English). They’ll give you the inside line on modern Portuguese cuisine, but beware, the classes sell like hot custard tarts, so book ahead. In the local area, gallery hop (Ap’arte and O! are good places to start) and shop in Centro Commercial Bombarda, which houses independent fashion and home boutiques such as Storytailors and Piurra. A little further down, concept store Early Made Cedofeita resides in one of the Bombarda Art District's iconic industrial buildings, selling locally-produced pieces just steps from it's partnered restaurant. Or to delve a little deeper, ask at reception for an art, food or photography tour. The storied Lello is the grandest of bookshops, magic enough to inspire JK Rowling and many a muggle before and since. For a day out, take a trip up the Douro Valley to explore the port vineyards, and tour the riverside cellars back in the city to sample the end product. Or, explore the city with an architecture tour, taking in Gustave Eiffel’s bridge over the Douro and countless crumblier relics. To work off brunch try a bike tour up and down the hilly streets, or a gentler riverside ride along some of the 70 kilometres of cycle paths. After dark, hit the theatre district for a show, or head to the angular Casa da Música concert hall for proof that good acoustics don’t always come in domes. The hotel staff are on hand to advise and book any of the above and more.
Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt
This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .
