Comtesse Lisbonne Guest House

The room had serious maintenance problems from the moment I checked in. Water kept leaking from the toilet, and the sink and shower were badly clogged, with almost no drainage. I tried asking reception for help, but the language barrier made it impossible to communicate. These issues were already there before I arrived and made the stay really uncomfortable. That level of upkeep is unacceptable.

The rooms were an okay size, the beds fairly comfortable, and the location convenient for the airport. But checking in was a shocking mess. After nearly 24 hours of travel, I only saw their message about online check-in once we landed in Lisbon and got Wi-Fi, around 8pm. It said we needed to check in online to get entry codes because nobody would be there. I completed it but received nothing. When we arrived, there was still nobody around. The contact numbers from the website either went unanswered or gave an automated message saying it was out of hours. We had no roaming or local SIM to try other options. We waited two hours, completely exhausted, until another guest with a separate problem finally reached someone after endless calls. He handed us the phone, and we got our room codes. Terrible service and management, especially since they knew well ahead that we’d arrive late in the evening.

We started off with a good impression, but the customer service spoiled the stay. After our first night, we accidentally got the bedsheet dirty and asked reception if it could be changed. The receptionist said he’d ask the cleaner, without first asking what the problem was. We went out, and when we came back that night, nothing had been changed or moved. I asked again the next morning and was told the rule was that sheets are only changed after a guest has stayed more than seven days. He still didn’t seem to care whether there was a problem on their side. Maybe there was, maybe there wasn’t, but neglecting guests and offering no help is unacceptable.

We had a pleasant stay, with free parking inside and an easy-to-find location. The room was small but had what we needed, including a fridge, and there was a shared kitchen and living room. The metro station was a short walk away. The paperwork was a hassle. We had to register online, upload all our personal details and a passport copy, and provide credit card details even though Booking already had them. Then they checked our passports again on arrival, so I don’t see why all that online registration was needed.