"Things I like about the hotel:
The restaurant is exceptional. The breakfast while extra is good. The dinner is excellent. The food and desserts are some of the best I’ve had in Portugal. As a luso-American, I know the importance of complimenting your host’s wine, so I will say it is affordable, but I would appreciate different wine options such as one of the excellent Douro region wines or Porto. The staff is very friendly and kind. The location is also good.
Areas for improvement:
Having been to other four star hotels in Portugal, I have a certain expectation for the condition of the room. But I do not come from wealth, so I also try to be understanding. The hotel is mid-renovation, which is good because it is somewhat dated. The carpet in our room was stained near the door and there was damage on the lower portion of the walls. To be clear, this isn’t an un-nice hotel, but it did not meet my expectations for a four star hotel. The bar was unmanned every time we went in. However, we stayed there over the Republic Day holiday weekend, so there may have been a staffing shortage. Overall not a bad hotel, but it also does not meet my expectations for the price or star rating. A staffed bar and finishing the renovations would assuage my concerns."