Hotel Tea Praia

The room was noisy and run down, and the appliances didn’t work properly. We paid the hotel over 15 euros extra after being promised the “lowest available price,” which wasn’t true, and still weren’t given late checkout. Checkout at 10 am was enforced because they said they needed to clean, though check-in doesn’t start until 3 pm. Even getting one extra hour meant negotiating directly with the owner. The supposed sea view looks out over an industrial area. This place felt like a terrible scam. Avoid it.

The staff were lovely, the rooms clean, the location just right, and breakfast delicious. Everything was perfect. I’d happily stay again and recommend it.

Our renovated-wing room had a lovely balcony, and Nora at reception was fantastic. She seemed to know how to handle everything. The hotel is close to the sea and not far from the pedestrian street in the city center. There were some frustrating little gaps: our room’s WiFi was very weak, there were no bathroom hooks for towels or anywhere to put the soap, and breakfast was only a partial buffet. They served the omelette and cheese onto my plate, and there were no vegetables. After spending so much on renovations, it feels like they skimped on small details.

We liked the newly renovated double room, with its sea view, little balcony, table and chairs. Watching the sunset from there was lovely, and the room still smelled new. The empty minibar was a letdown. I understand sustainability, but for a four-star hotel, even a bottle of water would be a nice touch. The breakfast was also disappointing: just croissants, mini muffins and mini paperclips, with no homemade desserts. A hotel charging for a savory breakfast should at least offer a more generous sweet selection. Drinks were a mess, too. There were only two vending machines, and one stopped working, which left about 20 people waiting for coffee or cappuccino. We asked if the kitchen could make an espresso, even with pods, but they said they didn’t offer that. We got coffee later on the tree-lined avenue in the center of Praia. The elevator was painfully slow, serving five hotel floors and a sixth floor for staff, and it was always busy. When we checked out with our bags, housekeeping twice refused to let us into the elevator while moving clean towels and sheets between floors. I could understand the first time, while they were on their way to tidy rooms, but the second time they could have waited and let guests board first. We haven’t had that happen even in a two-star hotel. It’s a nice hotel, but it didn’t feel like a four-star stay. We visited in May, and I can’t imagine how things are in July. I wouldn’t book it again.