One-Minute Hotel / Torel Avantgarde, Porto
The little sister to the Torel Palace is younger, prettier and provides incredible views of the Douro, but don’t make us choose.
So, where are we?
Overlooking the Douro River from very high up in the Historic Centre of Porto, down a quiet little street minutes from the action and less than half an hour from the airport.
And where we’re staying...?
At Torel Avantgarde, which occupies a sleek modern building on the crest of the valley and, since very recently, an adjacent 19th-century villa with pools and terraces and gardens joining them both.
What’s the style?
Playful and arty. Ignore that ornate door on the street and step around the side to a large glass-fronted lobby, littered with local art and quirky furniture. Peer round the corner and you’ll see the Flower Room, a glass-sided salon festooned with flowers, hanging from the ceiling, covering the walls, a great example of how the creative side of Torel Avantgarde always comes with a sense of humour. The bar is modern and cosy with local cork covering the walls, while the inside/outside restaurant includes that terrace when the weather allows, which it mostly does.
And the rooms?
Named after avant grade artists from Oscar Wilde to Frieda Kahlo, rooms all have art at their centre in the form of paintings by local artist Jorge Curval, and are mainly to be found off a long central corridor. Rooms start small at the entry-level end of things and progress to the end rooms overlooking the strip of pool and the Douro itself, maybe with a huge four-person bath with a view and a little balcony for drinking your Port on. Modern four-poster beds, large paintings, arty chandeliers and contempo furniture make for a fresh, quirky, kicky experience.
Is there a story?
From a starting point of a ‘40s building, Torel has added and reinvented with the story going on with that 19th century villa next door being brought into the mix. And what’s the betting they don’t stop there?
And to eat?
Called Digby, the bar/restaurant is - who knew? - quirky and contemporary: walls lined with chunky cork, ceilings hung with rope sculptures or flowers, low gem-coloured velvet sofas in the bar, tables with views out on the terrace, which is covered and heated if the weather decides not to play ball. In the restaurant, Tenro by Digby, it’s the meat that makes the splash, with aged beef sirloin the star of the show. But don’t think they can’t throw together a perfectly lovely - and modern! - vegan selection if that’s what you’re after.
So, to sum up...
You may be minutes from the historical centre but the views and pool and terraces give this unexpected little hotel the feel of a resort, meaning you have the best of both worlds.
