BessaHotel Boavista

Check-in and checkout were smooth, and reception staff were friendly and helpful. The rooms are spacious and clean, with comfortable beds, though the pillows seem to get firm over time. Outside noise is well blocked, but sounds from other guests inside the hotel carry. The shower over the bathtub flooded the floor each time. The hotel is a bit far from the city center, between a school and an active construction site on weekdays, so there's no city view. Breakfast was okay, but nothing special. The service was great, though the food was the same every day, with limited fruit and vegetables, and the coffee wasn't the best. The oddest thing was getting complimentary bottled water only on arrival, then none on the following days unless you paid for minibar water. I understand hotels want to be environmentally friendly, but if bottled water isn't provided, they should offer water dispensers for guests.

My son paid for breakfast even though I only wanted a coffee, and we were still treated as if I were trying to take something from their overpriced, below-par breakfast. The service didn't really feel like service, and when someone approached us, they weren't friendly.

The location is midway between the airport and city center. The rooms are very nice, with thoughtful touches and comfortable beds. Housekeeping was good, and the staff were nice. I'd definitely come back.

The flight and airport transfer arranged through EasyJet Holidays were excellent. The flight was comfortable, on time, and well managed, and the transfer to the hotel was smooth. Those parts were stress-free and much appreciated. The hotel, though, was disappointing. The facilities were generally fine, but the service fell short. After our long flight, we arrived too early to check in, our fault, and were invited to have coffee while we waited. We thought that was a thoughtful gesture, but at the breakfast restaurant another staff member said we'd have to pay. It was a small thing, but for a few cents the hotel lost the chance to make a great impression. When we got into the room later, there was a slight unpleasant smell. I also found there was only one sachet of instant coffee per person, which felt stingy for a five-star hotel. That night a generator outside ran around the clock, and we could clearly hear it through closed windows. It made sleeping very difficult. The manager seemed surprised when we raised it, and only came outside after we persuaded him. Even after hearing the noise himself, he didn't offer us another room or make a real effort to fix the problem, so we had another disturbed night. The breakfast boxes for early departures were also poorly handled. We were told to expect pastries and water, which would have been fine, but got hard sandwiches that didn't suit our dietary needs and were difficult to eat before a flight. We weren't offered a choice, though I suggested that they should provide one. I wrote to the hotel directly about these concerns three days ago and have had no response or acknowledgement, which says a lot about how they handle guest feedback. I'd book with EasyJet Holidays again without hesitation, since the flight and transfer were faultless, but the hotel's service dragged down an otherwise well-arranged trip. Maybe we were treated this way because we booked through EasyJet. Who knows.