Porto area Vacation Rental apartment: Oporto - Porto

When we arrived, we met the owner and her family waiting for us. They showed us around, gave us some pointers and departed. Then we spent the next 2-3 hours cleaning the place. I'm not overly fussy but we had to sweep the floors then mop them, clean the kitchen and spend way too much time cleaning the 2 bathrooms and all this just after the owner was there. This place just needs a little care and attention. One day of fixing leaky faucets, repairing showers, putting all the electrical back together so there would be adequate lighting and the apartment would move up a category in ratings. The place is very nicely situated for walking with only 10 minutes needed to get to the port cellars on the Douro and 20 heart pumping minutes to return-- plenty of buses so no need to walk if you don't want to. There is a lovely bakery right across the street(coffee too) and a supermarket beside it.
BUT, here is the clincher!!! WHAT A VIEW from the apartment. This alone makes this place worth considering if you are going to Porto. We had 7 people from 54-64 and we wore out our shoes every day around town, then returned to the apartment to have some wine,talk about the day, plan tomorrow and look at the wonderful view.A great way to end our days.
I'd like to mention Porto as well. This place should be in every tour book of Europe. It's a marvelous city with much history and a lovely river running through it. The hills will test your stamina but the rewards are worth the effort. And the Douro river valley where the port grapes come from is spectacular, well worth the effort to go there. All in all, a wonderful area to visit with the best prices Europe has to offer.