Hotel Rainha D. Amelia, Arts & Leisure

The beds were nice and firm, which I appreciated, and the breakfast was okay apart from the eggs being gray. But there was little else to like. The interior and furniture are outdated, the walls are so thin you can hear everything, and the room wasn’t clean enough, with stray hairs and little marks on the mirror. The hair dryer was barely working, hanging on by a thread with a half-broken cord. The tables at breakfast were awful, mostly flimsy tables for eight. The noise was the worst part. I woke to someone else’s alarm, then heard a considerate neighbour knock on the wall to wake them, followed by that person sighing. You can hear someone sigh through the wall! There was some kind of school trip, and I could hear children who weren’t even on my floor. The toilet dripped all night. I was so tired I managed to fall asleep, but otherwise I’d never have rested. Booking.com lists a spa and wellness centre, but it’s just a massage cabinet you have to schedule. There is a gym. I don’t think €100 a night is justified given all this, though it could be worse. I don’t understand how this is a four-star hotel. Avoid it if you want a good night’s rest.

The location and free secure parking were the only good things for us. The breakfast was very basic, and I’m not a picky eater. Our room felt stuck in the 60s, with a dirty cream carpet and curtains that had seen better days. I looked into other rooms on our floor: they seemed to have been updated in the last 10 years and had red carpets. Maybe not all the rooms were renovated, or ours got left behind. I’d only recommend this hotel for its location.

The breakfast selection was pretty good, and the restaurant inside the hotel was decent, with a good chef and very nice staff. We arrived late, just as the restaurant was closing, but they still served us and stayed past closing to accommodate us. Thank you! The hotel itself was clean and good, but Agoda’s listing was misleading: there’s no swimming pool or spa.

The beds were comfortable and nice, but the hotel felt quite dated, especially the baby items like the crib and high chairs.