We loved this hotel. It's not new, and in fact really could use a face lift. However, the rooms are huge! We had a lovely room with an adjoining sitting room that overlooked the town square. The bathroom is also huge, but again, it does need to be renovated. In spite of it's age, everything is spotless, and in fact they were painting the main hallway when we were there. We can't say enough about the staff! All of them were exceptional and comfortable speaking english. I urgently needed to have computer access, and they loaned me their laptop from behind the front desk, and then proceeded to help me as the keyboard and software were in Portuguese. The only problem was finding this place. It's located right on the main square which is under construction, and there is only a small opening in the contruction partition to get to the hotel. If you miss the very tiny sign to the hotel, then it will take you another 15 minutes in the horrible traffic to get back. There is construction all over town due to the European Cultural Festival some time next year and it is a mess! However, Guimaraes is a beautiful town, with great shopping, and areas to explore. I would love to return when the construction is complete and see what they have done. I should mention that breakfast was lovely. Best orange juice ever, and you have to try the orange cake. Delicious! Parking was a bit of a challenge, but again the staff came to the rescue. They let us park our car outside their front door, and then they moved it when a space became available.
- Toural Hotel Guimarães
