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The One Monumental Palace

The grand hotel on Porto's main avenue, a 1923 landmark with a starred dining room and a proper spa, where the address does the work.

€€From about €220 a night

Porto's grand hotel in the Parisian sense: a 1923 landmark on Avenida dos Aliados with marble bathrooms, a starred French dining room and a heated indoor pool beneath the spa.

The One Monumental Palace: The 1923 facade on Avenida dos Aliados at nightBaixa, Avenida dos Aliados, Portugal
 THE BETTER TRIP · CHOSEN, NOT LISTED · 2026 · ONE OF TEN INPORTO & THE DOURO2026 THE BETTER TRIP · CHOSEN, NOT LISTED · 2026 · ONE OF TEN INPORTO & THE DOURO2026
Selected by: Independent researchCheck availability

The take

The One Monumental Palace is the 1923 building on Avenida dos Aliados where Porto once took its coffee at the Café Monumental, restored by the French Maison Albar group and opened as a hotel in late 2018. H10 Hotels bought it in November 2025 and changed the name, but the fabric is the same: Portuguese marble floors, high ceilings, Art Deco lamps and a Bar Américain that plays the 1920s straight. From the door you walk to São Bento, Clérigos and Bolhão on the flat, and down to the river in ten minutes.

Le Monument holds one Michelin star in the 2026 guide. Julien Montbabut, who earned a star in Paris before moving here, cooks a region-by-region Portuguese tasting menu on Tuesday to Saturday evenings, and Yakuza by Olivier does modern Japanese in a second room. Downstairs the Grand Bleu Spa has a heated indoor pool, hammam and sauna, and it is free for guests.

Guests praise the address, the breakfast and the spa, and grumble that the 29 square metre entry rooms feel tight for a five-star rate and that service does not always match the building.

A few images that matter

The indoor pool beneath the spa
The lobby under its glass ceiling
A room with the Aliados windows
A marble bathroom with a freestanding bath
A table at Le Monument
The library
The piano bar
The palace by day
A suite sitting room
The One Monumental Palace: A room with the Aliados windows

The room to book: Grand Deluxe City Views

Superior and Deluxe Rooms are both 29 square metres, and the hotel sells the Deluxe on its upper-floor courtyard side. Grand Deluxe City Views is the first category the hotel and Mr & Mrs Smith describe as looking onto Avenida dos Aliados, so it is the step that buys the building's own view.

Ask for
Nothing beyond the category: the hotel does not publish which floors the City Views rooms occupy, so ask at booking that yours faces the avenue rather than the corner, and whether the double windows are the full-height ones.
Avoid
A Superior if the view matters; the hotel does not specify its outlook, and the Deluxe is sold on the courtyard side.
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Eat here: Le Monument

The tables at this hotel that are a reason to come, and how hard they are to get.

The One Monumental Palace: A table at Le Monument
One Michelin starChef Julien MontbabutFrench technique, Portuguese regions, in the 1923 dining roomDinner only

Julien Montbabut earned his star in Paris and keeps one here in the 2026 guide for a tasting menu that travels Portugal region by region. Two lengths: Passeio at six courses for EUR 140 and Grande Viagem at ten for EUR 180, dinner only, Tuesday to Saturday. It is the better of the hotel's two rooms for an occasion; Yakuza by Olivier next door is the easier midweek table.

Book well ahead: tables go weeks out

Hotel DNA

Central & walkableRemote escape
ClassicContemporary
Food secondaryDestination dining
PolishedCharacterful
Smart spendSplurge
Wellness minimalWellness focus

What guests keep saying

Recurring themes in recent guest reviews, in our words. No quotes, no scores.

Praised again and again

  • The Aliados address, everything on foot
  • Breakfast buffet at the Mezzanine
  • Spa pool, sauna and hammam at no charge

The recurring complaint

  • Entry rooms feel small for a five-star rate
  • Service and bed comfort vary room to room

Read the reviews yourself before you book.

See guest reviews and prices on Expedia
Area
Baixa, Avenida dos Aliados, Portugal
From the centre
0.2 km
Airport
25 min from OPO
Price band
€€
Typical rate
From about €220 a night
Rooms
76
Opened
2018
Pool
Indoor
Beach
None
Spa
Yes
Adults only
No
Restaurants
2
Parking
Yes
Selected by
Independent research
Last checked
September 2026

Compared with

Appears in

Questions people ask

Good questions

Is The One Monumental Palace worth it?

If you want to stay on Porto's main square in a building that has always been the grand one, this is the address. Pay for the avenue-facing category and let the spa and Le Monument carry the evenings. The most central address in this edit and the most classically grand, a polished city hotel you leave every morning and return to for the spa and a starred dinner. Priced for the avenue and the building rather than for space in the rooms.

Does The One Monumental Palace have a pool or a beach?

It has an indoor pool. There is no beach; the nearest is a drive away.

Where is The One Monumental Palace?

It is in Baixa, Avenida dos Aliados, Portugal, about 0.2 km from Avenida dos Aliados and around 25 minutes by car from OPO airport.

How much does The One Monumental Palace cost?

Entry rooms typically start from about €220 a night outside peak dates. We show typical rates, never live prices or invented discounts.

Which room should I book at The One Monumental Palace?

Grand Deluxe City Views. Superior and Deluxe Rooms are both 29 square metres, and the hotel sells the Deluxe on its upper-floor courtyard side. Grand Deluxe City Views is the first category the hotel and Mr & Mrs Smith describe as looking onto Avenida dos Aliados, so it is the step that buys the building's own view. Nothing beyond the category: the hotel does not publish which floors the City Views rooms occupy, so ask at booking that yours faces the avenue rather than the corner, and whether the double windows are the full-height ones.

Where should I eat at The One Monumental Palace?

Le Monument. Julien Montbabut earned his star in Paris and keeps one here in the 2026 guide for a tasting menu that travels Portugal region by region. Two lengths: Passeio at six courses for EUR 140 and Grande Viagem at ten for EUR 180, dinner only, Tuesday to Saturday. It is the better of the hotel's two rooms for an occasion; Yakuza by Olivier next door is the easier midweek table.

Is The One Monumental Palace adults-only?

No, but it suits couples more than families.

Our verdict

If you want to stay on Porto's main square in a building that has always been the grand one, this is the address. Pay for the avenue-facing category and let the spa and Le Monument carry the evenings.

€€From about €220 a night

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