Panoramic Living

The rooms are very basic for the price, and the air conditioning barely works, which is a real problem in summer. They also take a €250 deposit and only return it in the evening after checkout, so if you’re heading to the airport you may have to chase them for it. Staff were unfriendly and even rude when I politely asked to sit in the lobby after checkout. I mean the receptionist on July 1st at 12:00. The hotel doesn’t let guests wait in the lobby after checkout, even if their flight is later that day, so don’t expect to wait there in the air conditioning. I really wouldn’t recommend it.

The second suite was smaller, run down, and not what we had paid for. The fume hood didn’t work, some bathroom lights were broken, and the washer/dryer was useless. It felt nothing like the upscale accommodation in the photos or what I’d expect at that price. We were exhausted and had already put some food away, and at that late hour we couldn’t find another hotel, so we felt we had no choice but to move our luggage to the other building. The owner offered nothing for the disruption. The receptionist even tried to comfort us and asked us not to let it spoil our anniversary. We’d been travelling through Portugal and had five hotel stays that were all five-star experiences, except for Panoramic Living. We arrived at 10pm after driving all day, the night before our 30th wedding anniversary, with takeaway dinner we hoped to eat right away. Check-in dragged on, and we were taken aback by the required 250 euro deposit. The receptionist had to come to the suite with us, and said the deposit might not be returned immediately. We hadn’t encountered an unexpected deposit at any of our other stays in Portugal, and were told paying cash was the only way to get it back quickly. It felt shocking and unsettling. Then, while the receptionist was showing us the amenities and opened the kitchen door, thick smoke and strong burning fumes poured from the ceiling. We thought there might be a fire and wondered why the smoke alarm hadn’t gone off. She called the owner, who brushed off our concern and said it was normal because they’d cleaned the fume hood that day. There was no way that explained the smoke. My husband asked to speak to him by phone and explained the fumes, smell, and apparently nonworking alarm. The owner said he’d come over. We were told he lived nearby, but waited over 15 minutes, by which time our meal was ruined. When he finally arrived, he was dismissive and rude, offering either a refund and the street or a move to a ‘better’ nearby location. That conflicted with what the receptionist had said about having no rooms free. He was the rudest, most selfish person we met in Portugal. If there’s any recourse for how he behaved, I hope this review keeps someone else from having an unsafe, overpriced stay.

A clean, decent place with good ventilation, reliable Wi-Fi, and solid security. It’s away from the city center, which is important if you want proper rest, and Bolt is cheap, so I’d recommend staying here. The staff are friendly, especially the morning lady, who’s genuine and down to earth.

The reception staff were friendly, and our room, number 23 D, was very clean and modern. My wife and I stayed two nights, from Nov22nd to Nov. 24th. We’ll come back next time we visit Lisbon.