InterContinental Porto Palácio das Cardosas

The Hotel

The Palácio das Cardosas occupies the eastern frontage of Praça da Liberdade — Porto's principal civic square — and was built between 1796 and 1819 on the site of the former Convent of Saint Eligius (Convento de Santo Elói), which had stood there since 1504 before its dissolution in the 1834 Liberal-revolution suppression of religious orders. The building took its current name from the Cardoso family of merchants who acquired it in the 1830s. It served as the headquarters of the Banco Pinto & Sotto Mayor through the 19th and 20th centuries, before acquisition by IHG and a comprehensive restoration completed in March 2011, opening as the InterContinental Porto Palácio das Cardosas. The principal architectural decision of the conversion was to preserve the original 18th-century convent cloister and refectory and to integrate them as the public spaces of the hotel.

The 105 rooms — including 6 suites — are arranged around the preserved central cloister. Standard categories begin at 30 square metres; Junior Suites at 50 square metres; the Royal Suite at 110 square metres is the milestone unit, on the top floor with a terrace overlooking Praça da Liberdade and the equestrian statue of King Pedro IV at its centre. Liberdade-facing rooms are the booking premium for the square view; Cloister-facing rooms are the quieter alternative overlooking the original convent garden. Bathrooms are travertine throughout; bath products are Crabtree & Evelyn, IHG's signature partnership.

Astória is the all-day restaurant in the original 18th-century convent refectory, with the preserved barrel-vault ceiling overhead and the original cloistered windows facing the central garden — chef Vítor Matos, who previously held the Michelin star at Antiqvvm in Porto, oversees the menu programme. The Cardosas Bar runs the cocktail and port-tasting list. The fitness centre is on the lower-ground level; the hotel does not have a spa or pool, the principal limitation of the offer relative to the Yeatman, Vila Foz and Maison Albar alternatives. Compensation is the address — directly on Praça da Liberdade, seventy seconds from São Bento, with the city's principal civic and commercial businesses immediately at the door.

The location is the unambiguous booking proposition — for travellers who want to walk out the front door directly onto Porto's central square, this is the single best address. Business travellers who need to be in São Bento meetings, civic-square hospitality, or the financial and government district book here over Maison Albar a block north. Multi-generational family travellers benefit from the cloister-facing quieter rooms and the connecting-room programme. Travellers who want the spa-and-pool wellness component should book Maison Albar or the Yeatman.

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