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Lisbon 5 star hotel. Intercontinental Estoril Review

Lisbon has long been favoured for holiday getaways. The Portuguese climate is warm, food options are plenty and you’re near the ocean. I had an excellent stay at the Intercontinental Estoril. It’s a 5* hotel, right on the beach. Best of all, the prices are very reasonable. It’s a great option for a European beach getaway.

I stayed for 3 nights with my family. The resort is definitely on the smaller side. However, for €140/night, I had no complaints. The food was good too. It’s an excellent 5 star hotel in Lisbon.

As always, I took tons of photos. Each photo can be clicked, to pop out into the slideshow.

What I liked

  • Most rooms had sea view
  • Well sized rooms with large terrace
  • High quality breakfast
  • Hotel had outdoor pool and indoor pool
  • Hotel rates are very reasonable

What could be improved

  • IHG Elite Recognition was the bare minimum 

Booking

I paid cash to stay for 3 nights. The price was €140/night. This was a refundable rate, including breakfast. This is a terrific value for a 5 star hotel in Lisbon.

Similar beach hotels in Mallorca start at €400/night, in peak season.

The Hotel

The Intercontinental Estoril is a small resort hotel. It’s suitable for a long weekend. I wouldn’t want to spend a whole week here. There’s not enough to do.

The hotel is in the town of Estoril. It’s a 30 minute drive from Lisbon airport. It’s on a hill, overlooking the ocean. The majority of rooms have a terrific sea view. Only the rooms on the bottom floor don’t have sea view.

There’s an indoor pool/spa, and an outdoor pool. This makes the hotel a great option all year round. Lisbon has very mild winters. I previously visited in December, and it was 18 degrees.

In terms of activities, they have bicycles for rent. We paid €15/day for each bike. I thought this was great value.

Beyond the swimming pool and the bikes, there isn’t that much to do. There’s no kids club or tennis court. It’s a great base to visit Lisbon. We spent 1 full day in the centre of Lisbon.

 

The Room

I have platinum status with IHG. I was upgraded to a room with sea view. I really liked the room. It was large and polished. The room had the following facilities:

  • Ocean View
  • Large bathroom with his and hers sinks
  • Decent sized terrace
  • Nespresso Coffee machine
  • Desk


The bathroom was interesting. It’s large, with a separate shower and bath. There were his and hers sinks. There’s also a large window to look into the bathroom – from the bed! Clearly, the hotel caters for couples rather than groups of friends!

The room had a terrace, rather than a balcony. It was an excellent size. There was a small table with two chairs, and a day bed.

For €140/night, I couldn’t ask for any more. The slideshow above contains lots of photos of the room.

The Breakfast

My room rate included breakfast. I really enjoyed it. The food was fresh, high quality and varied. There was a buffet, and a separate cook to order menu. The following items were available:

  • Cereals
  • Pastries
  • Cold cuts
  • Bread
  • Sausages
  • Bacon
  • Baked Beans
  • Fresh Fruit
  • Scrambled Eggs
  • Mushrooms
  • Hash Browns
  • Cook to order eggs
  • Cook to order pancakes
  • Cook to order porridge


As you can see, they had a full spread. During my stay, I ordered pancakes, crepes and waffles. I enjoyed each one.

With the crepe, they served it with a fruit salad. They put the fruit salad on top of the crepe, which made it soggy. Next time, put it on the side!

I ordered eggs Benedict on one day, which I found to be average.

I had a coffee each day. It was pretty good – better than most hotels.

Elite recognition

Elite recognition is one area where IHG hotels consistently underwhelm. This hotel conformed to type! As a Platinum Ambassador, I got the following benefits

  • Early check in
  • 4pm check out
  • Room upgrade to sea view room
  • Daily newspaper
  • Daily water
  • $20 dining credit
  • Free drink


All of the Ambassador benefits were provided, but nothing more was given.

The Pool and Spa

There’s a small indoor spa with pool, steam room and sauna. It was a nice space. Never busy. The pool had a lovely fountain that poured water down on your head. I used this pool twice during my stay.

There’s also an outdoor pool. The pool was small to mid-sized, with some sun loungers. I didn’t see many people using this pool, during my stay. There wasn’t a kids pool or a pool bar. If you wanted service, you had to go to the main restaurant. For that reason, I didn’t use this pool.

Overall

At this price, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better resort in Europe. For €140/night, there were sea views, indoor spa, outdoor pool, large terrace and good quality breakfast. The Intercontinental Estoril is an excellent 5 star hotel in Lisbon. I enjoyed the stay with my family and can recommend this hotel.

If you fly from Lisbon Airport, you might end up at the ANA Lounge Lisbon. You can get entry with a Priority Pass. It’s typical of many Airport Lounges in Europe. Lots of alcohol and not a lot of food! If you like soggy sandwiches, then this is your place!

Portugal is right next to Spain. I stayed at Marriot’s Playa Andaluzareview here. It’s located in Malaga, Southern Spain. I was massively impressed. It’s a great family resort. We stayed in an apartment, with a full kitchen. The resort also have tons of activities, including miniature golf and giant chess.

This page has all of the articles on my website. I have loads of beautiful reviews. Find inspiration for your next getaway!

 

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