Upon arrival, check in was quite easy. The receptionist's English was okay. We stayed in a suite that faced the front of the property onto the residential street. The bathroom needs a makeover, although we've seen the room attendant thoroughly clean the bathroom...the rust spots were a bit of a turnoff. I booked this 3 star hotel room because it was the cheapest rate I could find for my stay (10 days). It is nearby the Casino Estoril. It is walking distance, not too bad walking down. Going back up is a workout since it is located uphill. It's not hard to find the property as there are bright yellow hotel signs that point you in the direction.
The train station is across from the Casino, you can access it through the underground walkway that takes you to Tamariz Beach.
Back to the hotel room: My biggest disappointments lie within the claimed room amenities. There is no satellite TV in the room. We only had 3 channels that were fuzzy most of the time. I didn't care for English channels, it was just a bit dishonest to claim there's satellite TV when it clearly isn't. It's like you were watching the television with rabbit ear antennas. The only accessible way to access satellite TV is to watch in the bar/lounge on the first floor. You have to ask first for the remote, otherwise be prepared to be watching soccer all the time. They love their futbol!
The pool is also located on the first floor. To be honest, I think this is the best feature the property has to offer. It's apparent that it has gone through renovation. The photos on the hotel website are not current. The pool was very clean and the deck was changed into wood (not concrete).
Another complaint about the so-called amenities...wireless internet is available should you bring your laptop. However, the hotel book states in fine print "if you cannot access wireless internet/modem, alternatively you can use their computers." I had to recheck my flight status and of course, the easiest way possible is to check online. I didn't bring my laptop (come on now, it's vacation). So I asked the receptionist if they have computers available for email. Answer was: NO. Good luck using the phone, apparently all outbound calls, even local calls are charged a fee.
The continental breakfast consists of cereal, watery eggs, lots of pan (bread), ham, cheese, yogurt, oranges, apples...the coffee machine is a bit tempermental. The orange juice machine is simply Tang in a dispenser. There's also a restaurant on the 6th floor. I didn't check it out b/c my roomie called the front desk and asked about it...we were told it's open by reservation only.
The room keys were updated while we were there. Initially it was a card with an actual key. They updated it to the new high tech card swipe key. It seems like they are making other changes as well, not sure what that is, but hopefully it will better the property.
Oh if you're looking for drinking water, my best advice would be to fill up your container during breakfast from the cold water dispenser. You can buy bottled water from the bar, but it's pricey. 2,50 euros for a liter. You're better off walking down to the BP gas station near the casino. The bottled water is cheaper there.
Would I stay there again? If the above listed is corrected, sure. Otherwise, it was just a place for my party & I to sleep and shower. We spent most of the time sightseeing.
Happy traveling.
