Novotel Lisboa

This is a nice hotel…once you get inside. The public areas are attractively decorated and the rooms are great. My room was spotlessly clean and nicely decorated, with more originality than you get in most Novotels. The staff are also friendly and helpful both in the restaurant and at the front desk. I had a problem with a blocked sink and they sent a maintenance person to sort it out within a couple of hours. Food and wine in the restaurant were good and reasonably priced, but I didn’t have breakfast Unfortunately, the hotel looks rather unattractive from outside. It’s a 1960s or 70s concrete building which now looks dated. Its location was great for me since I was working at the university, but this means it is some way from the best known tourist spots. It’s also right under the flight path from Lisbon Airport. I always travel with earplugs so I slept fine, but airport level double glazing would be a good idea.

The rooms were clean and modern. The buffet at breakfast was of high quality and the skin-on fries, served at the pool bar, are some of the best I've had. The separate shallow pool was perfect for our 2 year old to splash around in and the small sheltered playground was also a hit. Many thanks to Diana for helping us move rooms when the air-conditioning wasn't working in our original room and it became too hot to sleep.

Overall, my stay at the hotel was quite good: the room was comfortable, the location convenient, and the staff generally friendly. However, I did experience a problem with the room cleaning. The room wasn’t cleaned for two days, and I had to personally ask the receptionist in the afternoon of the first day to have it done. After that, the service improved, but I believe this aspect should be more consistent.