Estoril Cottage

I was there for two nights for a work event. The room was really cold because the heating didn’t work, and I couldn’t find anyone at reception in the evening or morning to ask about it. I messaged on WhatsApp for another blanket, got instructions to look in a cabinet, but couldn’t find it. I told them that and never got a reply. The electricity also went out a couple of times on both mornings. All in all, the stay was good. They could pay more attention to the little details, since they make a difference.

The lounge and garden were just what we needed, and breakfast was more than enough. This is a lovely, quiet guest house, close to both the beach and the train station in Estoril. It has a modern feel, and PIN codes on the doors mean you don’t need to keep track of keys or go back to reception. If your room comes with a balcony, that’s a lovely extra.

The location was good, and having my name on the toothbrush was a nice touch, but the stay felt loud and impersonal. There are cameras everywhere and all communication is by WhatsApp. You need a code for every door, from the front and back doors to the breakfast area and your room, which felt like too much. At 2am, noise from upstairs and the creaky wooden floors woke me up. The room was tiny, with nowhere to hang clothes and too little space for luggage.

The location is fine, but the room was so tiny we couldn’t even open a suitcase on the floor. It smelled strongly of mold, and it took us eight hours with both windows open to clear it. There was no kettle for tea or coffee. They left a bottle of water, though it costs 4 euros. After we’d finished paying, they messaged us on WhatsApp to say there was another 4 euros per person to pay for a city tax or something. That fee wasn’t mentioned on their site.