Avani Avenida Liberdade Lisbon Hotel

The breakfast had a good spread of continental options, pastries and fruit, all self-service. Staff were charming and helpful, and my room was large, nicely decorated, with a little balcony and seats. It faced the car park, though. The hotel sits about 100m from Avenida Liberdade, handy for the upmarket clothes shops, and around a 15-minute walk from the main shopping and eating areas. The building itself feels uninspiring, more like an office block. There's no hotel bar, and in the evenings the breakfast space becomes part of an upmarket Japanese restaurant.

The hotel staff went out of their way when someone hit my car in the parking lot while I was out. They had all the documentation ready before I'd even noticed the damage, and I really appreciated their help. Riu at reception also gave me a professional, helpful welcome. The rooms are a good size, the beds comfortable, breakfast delicious, and service good. It's about a 15-minute walk to the heart of the city.

The secured car park was a real help in this busy part of Lisbon, where parking can be a challenge. Inside, the hotel was quiet, clean and very well organised. Breakfast at the buffet was superb, and the staff were kind and fantastic to deal with. A great experience.

When widespread power cuts left Lisbon dark, our flight was cancelled and the ten of us were stranded without food, water or anywhere to stay. We'd asked every hotel in the area for a room and got turned away, sometimes quite rudely. Avani Avenida had no rooms either, but the staff let all ten of us take shelter in the lobby overnight. They brought blankets, pillows, drinks, gas heaters, and breakfast the next morning, and didn't charge us anything. They were working through an incredibly stressful night, and their own families may have been in trouble too, yet they still made sure we were safe simply because they cared. I dread to think what would've happened without them. The difference in how they treated us compared with literally every other hotel was striking. Those staff were amazing, genuinely decent and kind people who went above and beyond. We won't ever forget it. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.