Casa de S. Thiago do Castelo

I was staying in Lisbon for my visit to Óbidos, but the entrance to this hotel looked so lovely that I’d happily have stayed there. It was nice to see, even from outside.

The house is gorgeous and has an old-time feel. It was quiet, the rooms were comfortable, and the people were friendly. I loved the place and the service, and breakfast was good too.

We knew we’d have to park and carry our luggage, since management was clear about that, and we were willing to make that trade to stay in the old town and have it to ourselves once the tour buses left. We also knew there was no air conditioning and kept our expectations in check for a three-star hotel. But the basics still need to be done well. The mattresses were poor and noisy, the bathrooms small, and our room only had a handheld shower. We’d been promised fans for each room by email while booking, but there wasn’t one in either room. A comfortable place to sleep, a working shower, and some unprocessed protein on the breakfast buffet would have been nice. There were cold cuts and cheese, but boiled eggs would’ve helped.

The location worked really well for our stay in Obidos, and the bed and pillows were comfortable. The room was small, though, and the breakfast let us down. There was bread, little croissants, a small piece of Portuguese pound cake, one dish of ham and cheese, orange or peach juice, plus regular coffee, tea, and water. With just three small tables and one larger one in the breakfast room, they have you choose a breakfast slot when you check in: 8:15-9:15 or 9:15-10:15. The bed and breakfast was reasonably priced.