Portugal - Braga - Melia Braga Hotel

Moved from Aveiro to Braga. I was kind of sad to leave Aveiro, but I knew I'd be back. Braga is actually a bigger place, but the hotel was on the outskirts, so I didn't get to benefit from the city. The hotel itself is great though. However, upon check-in there was a bit of a problem. I travel with my boss, and hotels often just assume that although we reserve two rooms, we really mean one. They also had a group of Jewish pensioners, so it took a while for the receptionist to work out where to put us. I did love my room, and I wrote for them a very nice review.

Review:

See Bom Jezus from your bathtub!

I really liked my stay in this hotel. Sadly, I never got around to using the spa, so I won’t be able to review that. Would have loved to use the outside pool, but it was 14 Celsius in July. I’ve also stayed at another Melia hotel in Aveiro, so check out that review as well!

Location can be good, depending on what you’re in Braga for. It’s not near the city centre at all. Actually, there isn’t much within walking distance, and it’s right next to a busy road. Higher rooms advised. If you get hungry and don’t want to use room service, you can only use the McD near here. BTW, they have soup. I know, weird. However, it’s just at the bottom of the hill where Bom Jezus is, so if that’s your target, it’s a great location.

Room. Well, now that’s something else. You can see a video I did of the room on my YouTube channel, Izzy’s Travel Diaries. The lights are turned on by a panel. Which is really cool! It also controls the AC. The bathroom is actually one room with the bedroom. This can be good if you’re a couple and not shy, or if you’re a single occupant. Otherwise, it could get awkward. Especially, because there is only one door, which either closes the shower, or the toilet. You also need to take care that if you slide the door from the shower to the toilet before it dries, there’s going to be some water around. I would have just put two doors in. I also have to admit that I love their soap and shampoo! Great scent, very quality product.

Oh, but that tub! If I could have packed it up and taken it home it would be in my bathroom right now! It’s deep and just the right length. I do wish they would have cleaned it after I used it first. Oh well, it was just me. I always wondered why there are no tub cleaning equipment in hotel rooms. Also, with the curtain drawn, I could see the brilliant view of Bom Jezus from the tub, which was something else. I’d go back in there just for that view!

The bed was good. It did have some plastic cover on it under the sheet. I was thinking that maybe they were expecting some seniors into the room, because they had some sort of a pensioner group in. There was a mix up, and they only booked one room for me and my boss. The amount of times that happens! So the receptionist had to go to work on the room allocations. That plastic thing was kind of uncomfortable. Otherwise, the room was very modern and comfortable.

A couple of issues I had. The lamp on the bedside table was so massive, hardly left any space for anything else. The touchpad was right there too, and I kept pressing it with my water, tissues, glasses, whatever. There was also a malfunction when randomly one of the lamps started going on and off. I fiddled around and it stopped. The daybed had a little table, but the top came off. Very unsafe. One of the cups was dirty, which is actually a problem I see often. The TV had very few channels, and mostly in Portuguese. That was weird, because in Aveiro the TV is great. I think they either don’t have enough housekeepers, or they’re just not thorough enough to check for maintenance issues.

Breakfast. So the breakfast room is a bit dark. Otherwise, the selection was great, they had soy milk. Sometimes they were a bit behind on the warm food. Not much staff around though, and also no indication of allergens regarding the food. Sorry, I just wish hotels started to do that.

Overall, really great hotel. Very modern, and stylish. If you want to send me a tub, just ask for my address. :D Kidding. I do recommend staying here, and for details check out my YouTube!