KarenWoo

Hi everyone,
I am re-posting on my iPad. My computer wouldn't allow me to select a tag. Very strange!

My husband and I will be stopping over in Lisbon in April for 5 nights, starting April 22. We are taking advantage of TAP's new Stopover program. We will visit our daughter and grandchildren in France first,and than Stop over in Lisbon on our way home.

I have been researching hotels and have not had any luck yet. We typically stay in 3-star hotels and don't like to pay more than $150-$170. We don't need luxury accommodations but we like to be centrally located,and cleanliness is a priority. It seems like most of the hotels that I've found cost $200. Or more. I looked at a few in our preferred price range,but they received negative reviews for cleanliness.

What neighborhood would be the best to stay in? We are 67 & 70, so we don't want a neighborhood that would be noisy at night.

We prefer hotels to apartments because we like having 24-hour reception.
Thank you so much!

efarr99

Hi Karen- we spent four nights in Lisbon a few years ago and had a blast. I highly recommend Baixa House serviced apartments in the downtown ( Baixa) area. Perfectly situated for walking all around to different neighborhoods. It's an old renovated building with the most stunning apartments. Each apt is inspired by a garden in the Lisbon area. Also decorated with unique Portuguese textiles and old repurposed garden furniture. Supremely comfortable beds and sofa. Full kitchen with espresso maker and stocked fridge, washer/dryer. Every day the staff delivers fresh yogurt, butter, ham and cheese and a home baked sweet in the afternoon. The most exciting thing is fresh bread from the bakery left in a linen bag on your doorknob every morning! Bliss! There's elevator access too. There is some street noise from the trolleys rumbling by but not bad. Our bedroom ( gulbenkian apt) was tucked into the interior of the building and was very quiet. I'd suggest a room on a higher floor. The staff is downstairs in an office all day and were very helpful. It's not too expensive either- maybe around $120-130/night. You won't be sorry. I have friends that just stayed there too and they loved it. Enjoy Lisbon- we sure did!

michele_d

We stayed at the My Story Hotel Ouro for five nights. It is impeccably clean and had a wonderful breakfast included in our rate. The restaurant had a great selection: we ate most of our meals here. Located one block from the Baixa-Chiado metro, it was very convenient to get everywhere we needed to go.

http://www.mystoryhotels.com/mystory...tel-rooms.html

Robert2016

Lisbon tends to be normally expensive and now, with its new found populary, we don’t expect it to get any better. Check out the Pousada to see what specials they are offering on your dates.

thursdaysd

I stay at the Residencial Florescente, which may be too cheap for you - April prices for a double are right at $100. I like the location, it's very central. The street is busy but the double (triple?) glazing works very well. Smallish rooms, but clean.

KarenWoo

Thanks everyone!
Efarr, I checked out the Baixa House, and it looks fabulous. You have to give a non-refundable deposit when you book, which i prefer not to do. My husband and I have elderly parents at home, so because of their ages and you never know what can happpen with them, I'd rather not give a non-refundable deposit.

Robert2016,the Pousada is about $300 per night. I definitely have noticed hotels are expensive in Lisbon. I am surprised because I keep hearing that Portugal is inexpensive.

I'll check out the other places.

Please keep the suggestions coming.

Thanks!

rfbk50

If you get travel insurance, your non refundable deposits are covered if you cancel because of an illness or death in your family. I am your age and I never travel to Europe without travel insurance.

thursdaysd

It has not been my impression that Lisbon is expensive, but maybe there is a lack of mid-range places? When I started sleeping at the Florescente it was a good bit cheaper than it is now, and there were several other places nearby in the same price range. It has been refurbishing its rooms over the years and the prices have gone up, and now maybe it is a two star. If I could afford it I would stay at the Avenida Palace, but that is much more expensive. You could look at the Eden, although my room there was not one I would recommend I think there are some that are fine.

KarenWoo

Thursday's, the mid-range places I happened to look at got lots of negative reviews, such as dirty, shabby, not a good location, or noisy. I will keep on looking.

Rfbk50, we purchase travel insurance when we book our airline tickets. I'm not sure if that includes hotel rooms, but i will double check that.

thursdaysd

What is it you want in a "mid-range" hotel?

KarenWoo

thursdaysd,
We want a hotel that is centrally located and clean. Not shabby and hopefully not too dated. I know that European hotels are not huge, but we would like a room that is a good size (not real small) since we are staying for 5 nights. Would like to have a closet and drawers so we can unpack our suitcases. If we are staying for 1 or 2 nights, I typically don't unpack. But if we are staying more than 2 nights, I like to unpack my suitcase & have a place to hang clothes and/or put them in drawers. We don't want a place with thin walls where you hear everything going on in the hallways or nearby rooms. I've read that some rooms don't have closets or drawers, and there isn't any room for a chair to sit on so you have to sit on the edge of the bed.

We just returned from a fabulous 2-week trip to Madrid, Toledo, and Andalucía, and we were very happy with all of our hotels. We typically paid between $150 and $180 per night. We don't need to have breakfast at the hotel as long as the hotel is near breakfast cafes.

KarenWoo

I have found a few hotels that might meet our needs and price range. I think they are in or near Baixa. Has anyone stayed in one of them? And what do you think of the locations?

Esqina Urban Lodge, Rua dos Sapateiros - it opened in August 2017.

Hotel Real Palacio - Rua Tomas Riberia, near Edward V11 Park.

Lisboa Prata Boutique - Rua da Prata

Hotel Lisboa Plaza - Avenida de Liberdade

Thank you!!

thursdaysd

Seems the Florescente IS a three star - maybe adding the restaurant added a star. In any case, the star system in Europe is based on the facilities, not on whether the hotel is any good.

See: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/co...explained.html

Esquina - good location, but did you read the tripadvisor reviews?
"Two small suggestions for the hotel would be to change up the breakfast bag items from one day to another and to perhaps add some shelving or closet space in the rooms."

Hotel Real Palacio - too far north for my taste although there are two metro stations not too far away. Again, did you read the TA reviews?

Lisboa Prata Boutique - again, location is fine, although as with Esquina tourist central (as is the Florescente although more for restaurants). However, TA reviews mention noise both from outside and inside.

Hotel Lisboa Plaza - would be my pick of the four, although looks like you shouldn't reserve the smallest room.

lincasanova

We stayed at the real Palacio and got a great deal on Travelzoo, but one June. It is walkable to the Benaki Museum and I would never say it is too far in any direction to be considered.
Taxis were so cheap that if we got tired we just took a cab back to the hotel form wherever we were, although I am sure a bus or metro would have also worked in many cases.

Do not miss the Benaki.

Here is my review from y Fodor's trip report

"We stayed at the Real Palacio Hotel due to a special on Travelzoo. It boasts a 5 star category but only the nice staff could be awarded those ratings. The room was very spacious as well as was the new marble bathroom. The amenities were good quality . There is a small spa in the basement with Turkish bath and sauna and jacuzzi which was included in our price. But it is lacking the level of bedding and furnishings of the 5*s I have enjoyed although it was TOTALLY acceptable. The furnishings and bedding were more "normal".. nothing special although the hazelnut chocolate that was on our pillow the first two nights ( not sure why we didn't get one every night) were welcomed.

I would not hesitate to return to this hotel if I got a great deal again. There are several pleasant places to sit and enjoy the free wifi. The breakfast was correct and the spa circuit hit the spot our first touring day."



check luxury link and travelzoo for deals..

Governator

Have you looked at the Lisboa Tejo. It's very well located. Rooms are newly renovated. Good breakfast. Price is less than your range. Ask for a room with a view of the Carmo Monastery.

rfbk50

I don't think your airline ticket covers anything except your ticket. travel insurance covers all of your trip non refundable expenses like air, hotels, tours plus any medical issues as well as medical evacuation expenses that you might incur. You need to check with companies like Travel Guard or Alliance for example.

rfbk50

I meant to say I think your airline ticket insurance only covers the airfare, nothing else.

KarenWoo

Governator,
I did look at Lisboa Tejo,but they unfortunately got a bad review from someone on Trip Advisor who claims they are still under construction. this was a recent review. The hotel is supposedly partially open.

rfbk50, you are probably correct that the airline ticket insurance only covers the airfare. I usually book my hotels through booking.com and choose the free cancellation price, but I realize that doesn't cover us if we have to abort a trip part way through because of a death of one of our parents.

lincasanova, thanks for letting me know about travelzoo and luxury link. will check them out.

thursdaysd, thanks for your info and suggestions.
I did check out the trip advisor reviews, and noted the noise about Lisboa Prata. But it meets our other requirements, so we could bring ear plugs if we choose that hotel. And I am hoping that Esquina would add shelving or closet space when they read the reviews.