Where is it?
The Novotel Lisboa Hotel is located in the north-western part of central Lisbon. The main tourist areas are not really within walking distance but it is very easy to get around the city using the metro. Baixa-Chiado station is around ten minutes by metro.
The nearest metro station is Praça de Espanha. The metro station is not far from the hotel, less than a 5-minute walk, but when arriving for the first time it is not obvious where to go. Printing a map is a good idea.
The airport is around 7 km away, a rather quick taxi ride. You can also take the metro from the airport to the hotel, which takes around 25-30 minutes which a train change at São Sebastião.
The arrival experience
I arrived at the hotel just after noon using the metro. The square Praça de Espanha is a major interchange station between the metro and several bus lines but otherwise there is not much in the area in terms of dining and shopping. Closer to the hotel there are a couple of bars and shops.
You can see the hotel building as soon as you exit the metro as the building is quite high but getting there turned out to be trickier as the hotel is located on a hill. There are two ways to reach the hotel, one quicker than the other, but you need to have an idea where to go.
The lobby looked like a traditional Novotel lobby, quite spacious. The hotel seems to have a bicycle theme with both the bar and the restaurant called ‘The Bicycle’. There was even a real bicycle parked in the lobby.
Although check-in is usually at 2 pm I was happy to be able to check in just after noon. I was assigned a room on the seventh floor and was also given a drinks voucher for the bar thanks to my silver card with AccorHotels.
The room
There are 249 rooms at the hotel including 47 family rooms, 10 connecting rooms, a couple of executive rooms (with a few extra amenities, although there is no executive lounge at the hotel) and a few suites.
All standard rooms are sold as superior rooms. The room was quite spacious with the standard Novotel interior in yellow, blue, brown and wood.
The room had a large bed, a sofa, a work desk, TV and a closet.
The room also had coffee and tea-making facilities, a safe and a minibar.
The bathroom was surprisingly modern and spacious and even had a bidet.
Food and drinks
The hotel has a bar and a restaurant both called A Bicicleta, ‘The Bicycle’. I visited the bar to make use of my drinks voucher for a beer and it is a very nice and cozy place with a nice interior.
The bar does not only offer beer, wine and other alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks but also fresh fruit juices and various cakes.
The restaurant and the bar share the same space but there is also an adjacent area which is used for the breakfast service.
Other facilities
There is an outdoor pool and sun deck on the ground floor just outside the restaurant. There is also a small pool bar here, probably open during the summer months.
In the lobby, next to the reception area, there is a kids area with both video games and toys.
There are also six meeting rooms, a gym and free wireless internet throughout the hotel.
Service
The service throughout the hotel, at the reception, bar and the breakfast restaurant, was friendly, polite and helpful. Nothing whatsoever to complain about. Being able to check in already at noon was much appreciated and saved some hassle.
Breakfast
Breakfast was served in the restaurant on the ground floor and was quite good with both a good selection of hot and cold dishes and a chef making omelettes and pancakes. The breakfast buffet also offered some locals delicacies such as Portuguese ham.
As the weather was nice and fairly warm it was also possible to have breakfast outdoors.
Final impression
Quite a pleasant hotel with spacious rooms, an outdoor pool, a cool bar and friendly service. The location is slightly off the beaten pattern from the main tourist areas but it is very easy to reach all sites of interests using the metro.
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