Sonel Investe Apartments Praça da Figueira

The breakfast was really good, with plenty of variety for a small hotel, and staff worked hard to keep everything stocked. I loved the toastie maker. On our fourth floor there was also a shared kitchenette we hadn’t expected, with a microwave, kettle, fridge freezer, crockery, and cutlery. Handy for heating food from the supermarket. Our private-bathroom room was excellent, clean, comfortable, and quirky. The blackout curtains and soundproof windows made for a good night’s sleep, and the new air-con was quiet. I saw the shared bathroom facilities too, and they were modern and spotlessly clean, with several secure showers and toilets on our floor. A good option if you’re on a budget. The building is historical, and all of it was tidy. There was nice artwork on the seven flights of stairs, but getting to our room on the fourth floor meant climbing about 100 steps. There’s no lift. Reception is on the second floor, in a small, clean, smart, new-looking area, and the staff were very friendly. When our private taxi dropped us on a side street, we thought we’d been brought to the wrong place. There’s no glittery, jazzy, red-carpet entrance, and the doorway with mailboxes looks like a private apartment block. You’ll see instructions to go up the first of many flights to reception on the second floor. Go up! It’s a great, quirky hotel right in the tourist area. Highly recommend it, just be ready to build some leg muscles.

The serving staff are brilliant, always around and happy to help. We had shared toilet and shower facilities, with no real gripes about them, and there was hardly any noise from the neighbours. The rooms are spread across four floors, with central corridors and a lobby on each floor. Once you reach the central lobby, the rooms are there. Reception is on the second floor, and there’s no lift, so it’s stairs all the way. Don’t be put off by the tradesman entrance at the back of the hotel, everything is controlled. The Pensao is well located, with quick links to everywhere in the city. Now that I know it better, I’d stay again.

We stayed for a couple of days. The rooms had apparently been refurbished and looked very modern, and the location is great, near the city center. There’s no elevator. I wouldn’t book breakfast at the hotel, since there are lots of places to eat nearby. We didn’t know that and paid for breakfast, but the eating time had a strict schedule and we only had half an hour.

We stayed three days while visiting Portugal from the US in November. The staff were super nice, and the location made getting around easy: the Metro is next door, most Alfama attractions are walkable, and there are several good restaurants nearby, including McDonald (my son's must have). Breakfast was delicious, with an awesome Portuguese buffet, and the price was very affordable. The room was a bit small compared with US hotels, but it worked for all four of us, two adults and two kids. We’re from the suburbs, so the night noise bothered us a bit, especially the trash trucks and other everyday city sounds. People from NYC or other large cities might be fine with it. I do recommend this place to anyone visiting Lisbon.