What a refreshing change from a lifeless hotel! I visited Porto for a wedding in May 2016, staying for one week in Manuel and Theresa’s apartment.

The room was like a hotel, really well presented, with a big comfortable bed and an en-suite bathroom/shower. I was given keys to the apartment so I could come and go as I please. There was also a key for my room, but I never used it. I had complete privacy over my room and they always made arrangements with me in advance to come in and clean. If you want it, Theresa will make you a good continental breakfast for a little extra and I found this was a great way to prepare myself for a day of exploring in Porto. She also varies her breakfasts to your preferences and made me scrambled eggs :-), served with ham and cheese, bread rolls and homemade jam, along with fresh fruit, a jug of orange juice and a pot of coffee (she won’t let you go hungry... elastic waist band recommended).

For me, actually the best thing about staying in their apartment was the company, which made my stay much nicer and left me with a more personal connection to Porto. Aside from looking after me really well, it was great to have some friendly local people to talk to. They were really helpful, giving me advice on where to go, and even offering to drive me to the wedding... which I should have taken them up on, as I went to the wrong church and found myself walking into a funeral! You’ll be glad to know I still made it to the wedding on time, but I had great fun telling Manuel and Theresa the story when I got back later that night. I felt like one of the family by the time I was due to leave and I think if I had stayed any longer I would probably have ended up helping one of the boys with their English homework, or challenging one of them at FIFA and losing England 1 – Portugal 15.

I can thoroughly recommend staying in one of Manuel’s apartments, and I know that they will do their best to make sure you enjoy your visit to Porto. The final bonus, whether you stay in their home or one of the other apartments, is you can feel good about yourself for helping to support an honest and hardworking local family.