The Tivoli Jardim was chosen by my Portuguese colleagues and having checked it out on the net I discovered that it had only reopened last week after a major refurbishment, or at least that was the idea. When I arrived it was clear that the builders were still in. The black tiled lobby area was covered in dusty builder footprints and the sound of hammering etc. was everywhere. When I checked in I was told that none of the smoking rooms were ready yet as only four floors were completed and none of the rooms were smoking, however the rooms come with a balcony so no problem there.

When I went to my room it was clear that even the so called completed rooms were nothing of the kind. The peephole in the door was only covered with what looked like chewing gum and what was even more problematic was that the room had no electricity at all. And yes I did stick my card in plug to activate the power but to no avail.

I gathered my luggage and went back in the elevator. The elevator comes with numbers and letters so unsure what level was the lobby in Portuguese I thought I play it safe and pressed one and the next couple of letters. The elevator stopped at the first floor and I was greeted by dozens of builders frantically rebuilding the hotel. The door closed and there I was for the next 10 minutes. Nothing was moving, up or down. Eventually the elevator released me on the very same floor. Slightly agitated I made my way across building material back to reception. While waiting I overheard the receptionist telling another guest checking in that the internet was not yet working. Brilliant! On a work trip and no net access. It was clear that this hotel made the colossal mistake of opening too soon to maximise profit at the expense of the paying customers.

As the Tivoli group has another hotel 100 yards away (Tivoli Lisboa) I demanded that they check me in there. In fairness to the staff they did not even try to defend the state of the hotel. It was clear that by middle of May 08 this was still a considerable building site, weeks off from completion.

When booking the Tivoli Jardim check that their work has been completed and the builders are gone. All I can say that it looked nice and probably has great potential when it is clean, the elevator works and you have electricity and internet access in your room, but only then….

Good 4* hotel on the avenida de libertade (the champs elysee of Lisboa). Rooms a big as is the lobby. Breakfast is good and service as well.

We stayed here when I was 6m pregnant and wanted a hotel close to the centre of Lisbon.

The hotel rooms on one side (the rooms not facing the car park) are V.V. small. We requested to be moved into another room but were told this was not possibe. I pressed them (as I could just about move around the room without hitting the bump!!!) and they agreed to move us. You can use the facilities of the Tivoli Hotel (which is much, much nicer). B'fast is ok, nothing special.

The location of the hotel is very good, only a 15min walk down to downtown lisbon. There is a metro stop near the hotel (5min walk) which is very convienient.

The only selling point of this hotel is location. I dont think I would stay here again.

Located just off the Avenida da Liberdade in the heart of downtown Lisbon, the Tivoli Jardim provides easy access to many of Lisbon's major attractions. You can choose to walk down to the waterfront (about 30-40 minutes) or take the metro (Avenida station is a short walk from the hotel). Being located off the main road also ensures little to no traffic noise, so a good night's sleep is pretty much guaranteed!

Our room was clean and tidy with reasonably modern decor and a comfortable bed, although the pillows were a bit lumpy. The bathroom was a decent size and had a great shower. The only downside to the room was the air conditioning. Despite having a cool setting, it seemed to be permanently set on warm/hot; it was winter so maybe the hotel had the entire system set on hot!?

The complimentary continental breakfast was fantastic - some of the best fresh fruit salad I've ever had, along with a good selection of fruit juices, hot breakfast option, cereals and various breads and spreads.

In summary, a great place to stay if you're planning on spending a few days in sunny Lisbon!