Hotel Sao Lazaro

The lack of air conditioning in October was uncomfortable. The hotel’s explanation was that evenings are cool, but for international travellers the daytime can still be warm or hot, and we may want a cooler room. We were there on Monday, when the restaurant was closed because many places in Portugal close that day. They also said many restaurants in town would be closed. Given the hotel’s location outside central Braganca, it would be useful to have its restaurant open when others aren’t. On Tuesday, both the restaurant and cafe were still shut, even though the cafe door sign said it was normally open all day. I didn’t want to go out that evening, so I ended up getting a sandwich from the nearby BP garage for dinner.

Everything else was very good, and the breakfast was excellent. The location was acceptable, though the lighting could be better: there were no ceiling lights, just unusual lamps by the bed, and they weren’t enough at night. The window was also quite noisy, as you can hear in the video. I couldn’t get online to play the MMORPG game Knight Online using the hotel internet.

Sunset bar was convenient for snacks by the hotel pool when you don’t want a full meal, and the waiter was nice. But the ham and cheese toast we ordered was a disaster. It was a good size, but the ham was simply inedible. How could they serve that? It was a real letdown for chef Luis Portugal and the hotel. Having the place run by him had raised our expectations. We’d had a good impression of another place he manages, Ze Tuga in the castle, some years ago, so this was a complete disappointment. The hotel is a bit outside the city, so it’s better to drive to the center and park somewhere on Av Zamora. The rooms are large, but could use some decor, as could the hotel’s general atmosphere. Parking is free. Breakfast was just okay, with plenty of cakes but little cooked food. There were several kinds of bread, though none were good, the coffee machines didn’t work well, and the fruit selection was okay.

The entrance feels dated and could use a refresh to make the first impression more welcoming. The hotel doesn’t merit four stars. The room air conditioning is noisy and still doesn’t cool the room enough.