The old vault was transformed into a “walk in wine cellar”, and where once operated a bank works, since 2019, the Torel 1884. The heavy doors of the safe are usually open, inviting to a wine tasting, and are one of the best examples of the spirit of the whole hotel, where we tried to preserve everything that was of origin to the fullest and at the same time convey a sense of home, in an exclusive mansion.
In total there are 12 suites, all different. If some have wallpaper in the bathroom – Ralph Lauren brand and stuffed with exotic birds – others are decorated in the same shades of Chinese porcelain or have a huge canvas of Jorge Curval painted using coffee beans. In addition to allow the experience of sleeping in a building of the nineteenth century, in the middle of Downtown Porto, Torel 1884 makes a trip to the Portuguese discoveries. Each of the three floors is inspired by a different continent – Africa, America and Asia – with a décor that privileges natural materials such as wood, straw and leather. It’s all big: the plants, the windows, the door key, the spacious rooms, the bathtubs at the foot of the bed, the right foot (almost five meters) and the skylight that illuminates the staircases.
And it’s worth walking up and down: at the top is the Under the Stars Bookstore, the library with travel books from private collections; on the ground floor is Bartolomeu, the colonial-inspired restaurant where snacks were made to share and accompany with wines – all Portuguese – from the wine cellar open to seven keys.