NH Sintra Centro

We spent three nights at this very nice hotel in the center of Sintra. From there, it was easy to walk to restaurants, shops and the hiking paths to Pena Palace and Moorish Castle. The secure garage is handy, though the parking spaces are very tight. Our first drive through town was a bit of a challenge because construction had blocked the road to the hotel entrance without warning.

The room was boiling in 30°C heat, and its air conditioning only blew hot air. At reception we were told the whole hotel was in heating mode and nothing could be done. We asked to cancel right away because the room was too uncomfortable and didn't match what had been advertised, but they still charged us for the night. They refused to refund it, then stopped replying after a few emails. The front desk staff were awful to deal with. When we asked for help, they shrugged and seemed not to care. There was no real attempt to find a fix, and no meaningful apology. Getting there was miserable too. Blocked roads and access restrictions meant taxis and Ubers wouldn't take us all the way, so we hauled our luggage up an extremely steep hill in the heat. Construction was also underway right outside, with diggers tearing up the road, drilling into concrete and dumping it into huge trucks. The hotel itself felt old and tired. The rooms were dark and basic and badly in need of renovation, and it didn't feel worth the price. We booked NH Sintra Centro because the room was listed as having air conditioning. We'd stayed at NH hotels in other countries and had good experiences, so this was especially surprising. It was one of the worst hotel customer service experiences we've had. Luckily, given the time of year, we found much better options nearby for the same price or even less.

The location is great, some rooms have lovely views, and the hotel lobby has complimentary water. The staff are very friendly, though a few weren't very efficient. As Platinum members, this was one of the worst NH hotels we've stayed at. We were first given an “upgraded” room where the electric panel beside the bed made a terrible noise. The balcony door didn't close properly, leaving a constant draft, so we complained and moved next door. That room was acceptable but clearly needed renovation: mold on the curtains, a toilet that didn't work properly, a broken upper shower head, and no power outlet at the workstation. The room change also came with missing amenities. We had bathrobes at first, but housekeeping took them after the first day and didn't replace them. The app wouldn't let us make requests either. As Platinum members we were entitled to a local welcome treat, but got nothing, despite telling the hotel our status and that we were celebrating. Breakfast was the worst part. At NH Sintra, it costs around +30€ per person if booked with the room, around €13 the day before, and €19 on the day. We booked the day before, but there was no breakfast reservation in the system when we arrived. Reception confirmed there was a note about our request, yet the only offer was to charge €19 instead of the €13 rate we'd booked. Staff didn't apologise or try to fix it. They could have acknowledged the mistake and honoured the booked price, but expected us to pay more. We skipped breakfast there because the whole exchange felt unprofessional. I wouldn't recommend this hotel without significant improvements.

I'd recommend it to a friend, even though we had mixed feelings. The room was as expected, with enough space, a comfortable bed, a nice balcony and a clean, furnished bathroom. The location is right in the center. Breakfast was pretty good and the food was tasty, though the coffee wasn't. They kept our belongings until late, and the common area was cozy. There was a rough start: they told us our room wouldn't be ready by 15h. With a small baby, that would've been a problem. We protested, and they got it sorted, handing us the room at 15h05. Still, at a four-star hotel, they should find another room or offer something like a glass of wine or late checkout, rather than expect guests to accept a delay of 15-20 minutes. It gave us a bad feeling at first, though they managed to turn it around somewhat. I also felt there were times when English was a challenge, which is an issue in a tourist spot and at a four-star hotel. Even so, I was happy with our stay.