EVOLUTION Valbom Hotel

I paid about $100 for this quirky little hotel in Lisbon in November 2023. Unfortunately the hotel is on an antiquated boiler system for heat and air conditioning. Despite the fact that it appears to be a control for air conditioning, during this time of year nothing will come out of the system except blowing air, not cold air. They don't even realize that the front desk that they don't have true air conditioning where you can set the exact temperature. They also have this horrible European thing where you have to put your room key into the slot to keep the power on. So often you will come back in your room will be quite warm and there will be nothing you can do about that except to blow some are there. Not air conditioning. Other than that the room was okay. It's a nice place. But my room did not have a dedicated shower, and so I had to negotiate a high and deep bathtub with no handles to grab onto. Very old-fashioned. The bottom of the tub was quite slippery and there was no bath mat to use. There was no kettle in the roomThere were no electric plugs near either side of the bed except for the one that was being used by the lamp. Pretty inexcusable these days for a modern hotel. I was also told when I checked in that there was a garden on the roof. When I looked for it and I could not find it, I was told that the front desk that there was no garden on the roof, and looked at me like I must have been drunk to think that. I double checked with a friend of mine who was with me when I checked in, just to make sure that I hadn't dreamed it, and he confirmed that yes we were told there was a roof garden. I will double check that with the gentleman that checked me in yesterday. Otherwise the bed was very comfortable. And there was a comfortable chair for sitting in the room. The window is locked and cannot be opened. I had breakfast in the morning, and it's a very good and comprehensive breakfast. That is if you can find food on it. When I arrived at 8:30 a.m., every station of hot food was empty! I waited for about 15 to 20 minutes and had some toast, and still all the hot food was empty. No eggs, scrambled or fried, no beans, no sausage, no mushrooms, nothing! Even after 20 minutes! Only after I complained rather bitterly to the incompetent and clueless manager, was food finally brought out. After that it was fine. If you have breakfast I suggest you get there at 6:30 a.m. to get a good shot at having hot food. The hotel is in a great location, so it has that going for it. All in all it was a decent place. I would probably come back, but just be sure you know what you're getting into before you go.

Beautiful hotel, great experience, and staff. There is a bright view from the morning (if you live facing the sea, it will be enough to wake you. It is a little pricy when it comes to services offered by the hotel. However, the price for staying is fine (it might depend on the season). Excellent and extremely kind staff, very helpful and convenient.