Stayed here for a business conference, the hotel caters well for this purpose and is located well in the city center. However the hotel is nothing out of this world and I wouldn't suggest staying here for your private vacation, there are plenty of other cosy boutique hotels in Lisbon.

We were picked up from the airport in the hotels own Maserati - what a way to start.
The hotel is in a good location but it is still quite a walk into the city centre (but probably not far enough to take a cab .) It has a very impressive entance leading to a large lobby/bar area with the most comfortable seating known to man. We saw guests asleep here several times. A downside to this large area is that it acts as the hotel bar, and the service was usually painfully slow, apart from when an English woman was on duty when it became very efficient. This really is a problem as we noticed on many ocassions that guests became angry at having to wait to order/receive/pay for their drinks. It is also very expensive but that didn't put us off using it.
On check in the front desk manager kindly upgraded us to a corner suite which was fantastic. We may therefore have a biased opinion of the rooms, although a problem we had was the temperature (or lack of ) the hot water. It was warmish at best. This was our only gripe. Room service was very quick and efficient.
We were not theonly guests who found the lifts a challenge - the lobby and mezzanine levels are not clearly identified and if you use the lifts which service the rooftop bar it becomes even more entertaining.
The breakfast room was delightful and the food on offer was very good with decent though not consistant service. The room doubles as a brasserie with the rooftop restaurant offering finer dining. This for us was a problem, as on a couple of evenings after a long day sightseeing, all we wanted was a simple unpretencious meal. Neither option offered this. The Experience guy was brilliant. Very knowledgeable and helpful, he arranged a private trip to Sintra which is an absolute must do. Not so keen on the reception/concierge desk. We prefer to see a seperate concierge rather than have to wait behind guests checking in or out. Overall, the hotel staff were friendly and welcoming and spoke good english. So, although there were the above little niggles we would definately stay here again. However, and this is something which management must address: the non existent spa.
We were due to visit in 2009 and enquired about the spa only to be told it would open early 2010. It didn't. I saw literature in our room dated 2006 which mentioned the forthcoming spa! The spa is mentioned in literature,around the building etc and on the web site. This is totally misleading and unfair to guests. Either open the spa or remove all mention of it is our suggestion.
Before we checked out I thought I'd be cheeky and ask for the Maserati again and they immediately said yes - what a way to end.

My room was old furnished with fainted carpet, window screen not tightly closed and leakage in the ceiling. On Friday evening could not visit the terrace and restaurant because space was rented to a private party.
Staff very nice and well trained.

This hotel WAS a great one, but it must have been some time ago. A great Portuguese actress (Beatriz Costa) lived her the later part of her live and that was when movies were still in black & white. The lobby, restaurant and bar are very good and the location is one of the best in the city and you really cant go wrong there. So, why am I rating it a bit low when there is so much going for it? the answer is: the rooms and the extras! Some of my friends did have the luck of staying is better than standard rooms but in my case the room was simply too small for a 5 star hotel, the bathroom likewise (I regret to say that even sitting down on the toilet will be an adventure for some of the "heavier" guests). Then I was surprised to find out that even what should be considered as the complimentary coffee in the room had hefty price tags on it. For the price they charge and the quality of the rooms, it is pushing it!!! Still, this is a very lovely hotel that does need some refurbishing in some areas. There are better in a 1 or 2km range but if you do decide to stay here... you will still be well treated and in a great location.