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Serralves (Se-RAL-vesh) hosts the Portuguese national museum of contemporary art. But its delights go well beyond your regular museum. Serralves started in 1925 as a villa for a wealthy industrialist, surrounded by a beautiful park. After having ben bought by the state, the villa and park opened to the public with art exhibitions in 1987. Ten years later, a brand-new museum designed by Pritzker-prize winning Portuguese architect Alvaro Siza started being built at the opposite end of the park. Work was concluded in 1999, and since then Serralves offers visitors art, architecture, and landscaped gardens without match in Porto.

The villa was for a long time the main attraction at Serralves. Originally conceived as a private residence in the 1920s, it is a prime example of art deco architecture. It was build over a period of almost twenty years, between 1925 and 1944. Its exquisite wrought-iron gates, modernist marble stairways, and magnificent views of the garden make it one of the finest villas built in Portugal during the first half of the twentieth century. Serralves is considered the most notable example of an art deco building in Portugal, even though it was completed well after the end of this style’s golden years. Ironically, the owner was plagued by financial problems and had to move out only three years after completion of his lifetime project. The house was kept private until the 1980s, when the heirs of its last owner sold it to the state in 1986. Currently, the villa serves as an extension of the Museum, featuring temporary exhibitions. Among the many delightful rooms, one of the highlights is the 100%-pink-marble bathroom of the main suite, which is often closed to the public. Try to talk one of the staff-members to open it for you.

The Serralves park has always been a must in Porto. It is rather unique in Portuguese landscape gardening history. There are wooded areas, artificial lakes, rose gardens, perfectly-manicured lawns, and a main garden with a sequence of water tanks surrounded by flower beds. Serralves is perfect for a stroll or to read a book on one of the benches. You feel completely isolated from the city around you.

With the opening of the Museum in 1999, Serralves now has a third major attraction to offer. The National Museum of Contemporary Art is the permanent home of one of the best collections of Portuguese twentieth-century art (the others are, you guessed, in Lisbon). The works on show span from the end of the 1960s to the present, covering all genres from pop art to conceptual projects, and including great pieces representing the experimentalism that dominated Portuguese art of the (literally) revolutionary 1970s.

The museum’s building, by architect Alvaro Siza, is worth a visit even if you don’t like contemporary art. It is an exponent of the Porto school of architecture, with its clear lines, exterior walls in white stucco and stone, and a playful interaction with natural light. It also makes the most of the lovely park views. So it should be no surprise that it is a magnet for architecture buffs from all around the world, who roam there to learn from the great Portuguese master. As in most of Siza’s buildings, the furniture and fittings were also designed by him, without neglecting the smallest detail — including lighting fixtures, handrails, and doorknobs.

Besides the villa, park, and museum, Serralves has an excellent cafeteria, a fine-dining restaurant, and an auditorium offering dance, music, and performances on a regular schedule. The lunch buffet at the cafeteria is particularly good, so arrive early before the place gets packed. Our favorite spot, however, is the tennis-court teahouse, which offers an assortment of teas, scones, and tarts in a hard-to-beat environment. It is located halfway between the museum building and the villa, making for a mandatory stop during your visit to the park.

Price point: entrance to the museum and park costs 5 euros; 2.5 for the park only. On Friday and Saturday, entrance for the museum costs 3 euros after the park closes. For details on discounts for seniors, students, etc., check the Serralves website.

Address: Rua D. Joao de Castro 210, Porto.

Phone: (+351) 22.615.6500.

Website: http://www.serralves.pt/

Opening hours: from October to March, Serralves is open from Tuesday through Sunday 10:00am till 7:00pm. The cafeteria opens seven days a week — from 12:00pm to 7:00pm on weekdays, and 10:00am till 7:00pm on weekends. The restaurant opens from 8:00pm till midnight from Tuesday through Saturday. The teahouse opens from 10:00am till 7:00pm on weekends only. During the Summer months, the park closes at 10:00pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and at 8:00pm on Sundays; and the teahouse is open every day.

Getting there: Serralves is easy to reach by car. If you’re driving from downtown, follow the directions to Boavista. Once you get to the Boavista roundabout (known informally as Rotunda da Boavista and formally as Praca Mouzinho de Albuquerque — you can’t miss it; there is a tall column on the center, with a lion crushing an eagle at the top), take Av. da Boavista heading down to the sea (Casa da Musica, an unmistakable building shaped like a quartz crystal, is on the corner). After about one-and-a-half mile, take a 45-degree left towards Av. Marechal Gomes da Costa. There is a large glass-and-metal fountain (actually, a sculpture) at the intersection. Once on Av. Marechal, Serralves is on the inside of the long wall you will find on your left after the Shell gas-station. As soon as the wall ends, turn left and park. The entry is at the intersection of Av. Marechal Gomes da Costa and Rua D. Joao de Castro. If you’re not driving, a taxi should take 20-30 minutes from downtown.

Triplex (TREE-plex) is a bar / restaurant combo. The bar is one of the best in town. The restaurant, if not one of the best, is pretty good too, and has a hip ambiance for dinner. Owner Jose Carlos Tinoco (also of Labirintho, a close-by bar catering to an older crowd) did an excellent job of converting this townhouse into one of the best bars in town, with rooms for different moods and a great garden.

Triplex is located in the heart of the Boavista neighborhood, just one block from Casa da Musica. It occupies an early twentieth century townhouse, with the restaurant on the second floor, and the bar (with a stand-up section and a lounge with sofas) on the first floor. There is also a porch on each level and a relatively large garden that fills up in the summer. The bar is popular after 10:00pm and stays open at least until 2:00am. On the weekends, you can count on a crowded house till at least 4:00am. The stand-up section sometimes bursts spontaneously into a dance floor. They have guest DJs almost every day, playing consistenly good lounge and club music. The crowd consists in sophisticated college students, young professionals, and a lively mix of out-of-towners and insiders. Plenty of opportunities to meet new people.

The restaurant is decorated in simple, clear tones and serves good food in a lively ambiance — many patrons go downstairs to the bar once they finish dinner around midnight or so. Dinner entrees are between 12 and 20 euros. There are also less pricey options for lunch. We wouldn’t say Triplex is one of the ten best restaurants in Porto. But it is certainly good enough to deserve a visit if you’re going to an early concert at Casa da Musica or if you feel like sliding to the bar afterwards. The food is enjoyable and so is the environment.

Appetizers include skewered prawns with mushrooms and herb butter, clams with garlic and herbs, several quiches, and salads. There also a good curry fish soup and a traditional Southern Portuguese soup (sopa alentejana), which features bread slices, olive oil, garlic, coriander, and a poached egg. Fish plates include a good bread soup (acorda) with shrimp, several grilled fishes, monkfish and smoked salmon in puffed pastry with mango, and two staples of Portuguese cuisine — baked codfish with bread and olive oil; and cod fritters with a runny rice with tomato. The meat section features several steaks (au poivre, with cheese, etc.); grilled wild boar loin with mustard ice cream, asparagus, spinach, and gratin potato; and partridge in puff pastry. The chef prepares all of these competently. There are also a few good vegetarian options, such as omelets and pastas. Dessert selection changes daily and is consistently good. The wine list includes many solid values among Portuguese wines. Service is OK.

Price point: drinks at the bar 3 euros and up; lunch around 10 euros; dinner around 25 euros plus drinks.

Address: Avenida da Boavista 911, Porto.

Website: http://www.triplex.com.pt/

Opening hours: restaurant open Monday through Saturday for lunch (12:00-3:00pm) and dinner (8:00-11:30pm); bar open Monday through Thursday 9:00pm-2:00am; Friday and Saturday 9:00pm-4:00am.

Reservations: recommended for dinner; call (+351) 91.494.3039.

Getting there: if you’re driving from downtown, follow the directions to Boavista. Once you get to the Boavista roundabout (known informally as Rotunda da Boavista and formally as Praca Mouzinho de Albuquerque — you can’t miss it; there is a tall column on the center, with a lion crushing an eagle at the top), take Av. da Boavista heading down to the sea (Casa da Musica, an unmistakable building shaped like a quartz crystal, is on the corner). Triplex is right after the first traffic lights, on your left. It is a townhouse next to the Goethe Institute. Street-side parking relatively easy at night, impossible during the day. Several paid parking lots in the vicinity. If you’re not driving, a taxi should take 20-30 minutes from downtown.

The new (2003) Sheraton Porto hotel is an excellent choice for your stay in town. Personally, we prefer the more charming Porto Pestana Carlton, but there are several reasons to consider the Sheraton Porto option seriously. First, it is very conveniently located, close to the highways for day-trips, to the Casa da Musica for concerts, to the Casa de Serralves contemporary art museum, and to the Foz and the sea. Second, it is a top-notch contemporary hotel with all the amenities and convenience that means — world-class spa, spacious rooms with stylish furniture, several restaurants and bars. Third, although the neighborhood is rather boring, that has its upsides, such as no noise in the evenings — which may be something to consider in comparison with the Carlton’s lively surroundings. Lastly, the Carlton, being rather smaller, is often booked. Overall, we’d recommend staying at the Carlton as a first choice for those without a budget restraint. The Sheraton Porto, however, will not disappoint as a safe second choice.

Sheraton Porto occupies an interesting glass-and-metal building twelve storys tall in the heart of the Boavista neighborhood. Boavista is often described as the business district, but it’s actually more a mix of middle-class residential area with offices, and some restaurants and bars. Don’t expect a lively district, bustling with crackberry addicts. Although pleasant, there is not much to do right around the hotel. You can walk half a mile to Casa da Musica for a concert, or one mile to Casa de Serralves, the national contemporary-art museum designed by architect Alvaro Siza. But there is not much more you can do within walking distance.

The building offers all the comforts and amenities you expect of a luxury hotel in a European cirty. The architecture emphasizes transparency and the whole hotel is filled with light.

Each of the 266 rooms and suites is decorated in chocolate and maroon tones, with velvet sofas and leather headboards. Each room features the flat-panel tv sets and on-demand music systems that are now de rigueur . Sleek bathroom with plush bathrobes and toiletries. Plenty of meeting rooms if you come in business. Beds are superb — we challenge you to find a more comfortable bed anywhere.

The spa is exceptionally good, and there are a couple of restaurants and bars that serve good, though slightly pricey, fare. There is also a juice bar for the vitamin addict in you. The breakfast buffet is excellent and is usually included in the room rate.

Overall, Sheraton Porto is an excellent value and guarantees you a comfortable stay in Porto, with, as the song goes, “no alarms and no surprises”. Though not as memorable as the Porto Pestana Carlton, the Sheraton Porto tries to make up in style and modernity what it lacks in uniqueness and character. A close second and a good all-rounder.

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Price point: from 150 euros for a double room.

Address: Rua Tenente Valadim 146, Porto.

Website: http://www.sheratonporto.com/

Reservations: call (+351) 22.040.4000.

Getting there: Sheraton has an excellent location for those who want to drive in and around Porto. It is two minutes away from the main North-South highway (A1), as well as close to Av. da Boavista, one of the main arteries of Porto, connecting Boavista to Foz and the sea. If you’re driving from downtown, follow the directions to Boavista. Once you get to the Boavista roundabout (known informally as Rotunda da Boavista and formally as Praca Mouzinho de Albuquerque — you can’t miss it; there is a tall column on the center, with a lion crushing an eagle at the top), take Av. da Boavista heading down to the sea (Casa da Musica, an unmistakable building shaped like a quartz crystal, is on the corner). Turn right on the fourth traffic lights to Rua Pedro Hispano, then immediately left to Rua Tenente Valadim. The hotel is 100 yards from Av. da Boavista. There are signs with directions on all major junctures as you’re approaching. If you’re not driving, a taxi should take 30 minutes from the airport; 20-30 minutes from downtown.