Touted as the business hotel and four star this proved a disppointment. It is a bit of a walk to the Baixa centre and this felt a bit threatening on a quiet Sunday evening. It was much better the following night.

The hotel is going through a bit of a well needed upgrade and we were disappointed that the pool was closed.

The staff were probably the most unaccommodating encountered in Portugal and their gloominess and dour attitude mirrored that of the waiters in town. Perhaps it is a Coimbra thing that all hospitality staff are miserable even when you speak their language.

The room was big and had a great view up to the Univ, and had a double as well as proper single bed for our child. The room however was beyond tired and the bathroom, although big, was grotty. Beds were a bit of a backacher.

The breakfast was poor and the breakfast room dingy.

The price was ok but for the time spent I would have gone to the Ibis or a more budget hotel which would have served the same purpose.

Bit of a pity as it is a nice city to visit.

We did not like this hotel at all. The staff was apathetic and we felt ripped off. Our reservation stated that hotel "amenities" included a gym and pool. True, but those amenities are not run by the hotel and you are charged to swim. It is run by a different company and the hotel guests are allowed to use the facilities. My son left his goggles by the pool and when he went back to get them (withing minutes) they were gone. When my husband asked the girl at the desk, she suddenly only spoke Portuguese, even though she spoke English an hour earlier, and indicated shen knew nothing about goggles. When he got assertive, they goggles suddenly appeared. My husband ordered a gin and tonic at the bar and was charged 4 euro for the gin and 2 euro for the tonic! We have travelled all over Europe and have never been charged like that! When I talked to the manager he basically shrugged and handed me the bill. My advice, skip Coimbra and the Tivoli all together. There are much nicer places in Portugal. Oh and one more thing, the rooms are spacious but very worn and tired looking. Not worthy of 4 stars.

The Tivoli Coimbra claims four-star status but that seems a bit optimistic to me. However, even if considered as a three-star hotel, it offers good value, with double rooms available for €76.00 including breakfast if you know the right questions to ask (hint; say that you are arriving in Coimbra by train).

The hotel is part of a rather ugly concrete development that stands on a busy street corner on the northern edge of the town centre. The area is busy and safe, but lacks any charm whatsoever.

Think of this as a four-star hotel and you will be disappointed. However, judged as a three-star hotel it does most things reasonably well. One area of concern is the ventilation of public areas, as one smoker can quickly make a large area quite unpleasant.

I stayed here in November 2005 and thought it was a decent, comfortable "business style" hotel. The staff were very friendly, breakfast was decent, the rooms a good size, beds huge and the whole place in decent condition.

It's not far in to the centre of town, and there are decent restaurants nearby. Rooms on the front are a little noisy as there is a main road below, but then they have the good view over the town.

Overall, good quality for the money if a little "faceless".