Canto de Luz

Portugal is positively stuffed with extraordinary hotels, but this one stands out by virtue of its sheer uniqueness: a once-abandoned house in a residential section of Porto, after a very thorough five-year renovation at the hands of its French owners, is now a luxurious little boutique hotel in a style that’s decidedly modern yet as warm and welcoming as anything else in town: the poetically named Canto de Luz.

It’s expanded to encompass a variety of units; some suites look into the interior garden, others onto the street outside, and some are rather more than ordinary hotel suites: the Urban Retreat and City Retreat units come with full kitchens, and tucked into the garden is the self-contained Villa Almada, with two bedrooms and its own private pool.

A lavish French-style breakfast has earned Canto de Luz a bit of well-deserved attention, featuring as it does bread and pastries from Padaria Ribeira and an ever-shifting selection of market-fresh items. A proper restaurant for lunch and dinner is beyond the remit of a residential-style hotel on this small scale, but fear not; your hosts are well-connected and quick with a restaurant recommendation.