Chic & Basic Gravity
image from Expedia
We stayed at this quirky hotel in Porto, Portugal and I absolutely loved it! Chic & Basic is a group of design, boutique hotels each featuring a different theme and personality. The one we stayed at in Porto’s theme was Gravity! They did a fantastic job at capturing this theme! The minute you walk into this hotel you’re greeted with plants on the ceiling, topsy turvy lettering, and gravity equations on the walls! Its super cool, unique, and each turn in this hotel features a spin on gravity.
Location & Price Point:
Located in the beautiful Porto, Portugal this is in the Baixa neighborhood. This is a super walkable location close to many bars, restaurants, and historic landmarks. It’s walkable to the famous Livraria Lello, which is known as one of the libraries that gave J.K. Rowling inspiration to write Harry Potter. Upon arrival the front desk welcomed us with a drink and gave us a map showing all the surrounding attractions. Douro River and Riberia area being very close. We booked this hotel on Expedia for $136/night. I did see on their website the same room for as low as $94/night.
Luxury Feel:
My favorite thing about boutique hotels are the little touches they add to make it super inviting. The rooms design is modern and minimalistic. Our room had a beautiful balcony overlooking the city area. The room had crisp white seats, a desk area, and a Nespresso machine. They gift you with a cute little canvas bag and Chupa Chup lollipops. The bathroom amenties were great featuring hilarious sayings on each bottle. One of them saying “Glad to see you naked” and “you have a dirty mind.”
Our booking came with free breakfast and they had a great buffet! They had lots of pastries, juices, and other delicious breakfast foods. That was one of my favorite things about Portugal is most of our hotels came with free breakfast, which is a huge plus and saves you money!
Unique Experience:
Of course there is no question this is a super unique hotel. This hotel was beautifully designed and in every corner is something new to be in awe of. The pool is a super cool concept and can confidently say I’ve never seen anything like it! Basically upside down this pool acts as a fountain that you can dip your feet in. The lobby is super funky with flowered wall paper and a disco ball creating the perfect ambience. Once we headed up to our room the hallways are designed to look as if they are never ending with large mirrors on both sides.
Food/Dining:
The hotel offers an awesome bar and the restaurant, Valentinas! Valentina’s offers Italian and Mediterranean cuisine. We ate there for lunch on one of the days and it was delicious! We did the lunch menu which offered a choice of coffee, starter, and an entree. We opted for the featured pasta and it was the perfect portion size for lunch!
