Hotel Black Tulip - Porto Gaia

"Would I stay in Black Tulip again?" Answer: "Yes". Detailed comments: We stayed 5 nights on the Gaia side of Porto. It's about a 20 - 30 minutes walk to downtown Porto. It suited us as we normally walk many miles daily. There is a tram across the street but we never used it. Hotel is very clean throughout. Our room was a good size with a decent ensuite and full size bath. Fixtures and fittings sturdy and everything worked; safe in room. Daily maid service excellent. Beds a bit hard for our liking. Dining-room is on 10th floor with brilliant views and nicely set up: white table clothes etc. Friendly attentive staff. Usual buffet type breakfast with good selection. Main downside (and as other reviewers have also mentioned) there are only 2 tiny lifts (hold max of 4 people, or 2 with suitcases). Our room was on the 1st floor and it took forever to wait for an empty lift to the 10th floor for breakfast. There are no stairs... only the fire-escape stairs which we used (we checked and were given permission) when going out/returning to the hotel as it was only 1 flight. But the stairwell is very dimly lit and everything is painted grey: walls, ceiling, concrete steps etc, so it was hard to see the actual steps - needed extra care not to miss a step and fall. I'd be worried what it would be like if there was a real emergency evacuation using the emergency stairs. But yes, overall I would stay here again.

There are only 2 small elevators for 10 stores hotel. They are always busy. The breakfast is very poor. No fresh vegetables, not enough coffee cups. We tried to use safe. It closed and did not open. The refrigerator was not working on the day of our arrival, though it was fixed next day.