Sao Martinho Spa Hotels

Rating 0/5 - Exceptions to this RATING - Are the polite & extremely helpful Jessica @ the front desk & Andre the Rooms Manager who went out of their respective ways to meet any requirements needed. Firstly, my reservation was booked 2 months prior yet NO NOTIFICATION that the Hotel name & brand had changed a couple weeks prior. With a few street signs & the massive New Name signage on the hotel marquis , I was not notified of the NH Re- Branding. I was told that ALL guests were notified of this Change of Corporate Re- Branding . When I explain this to the Day front Desk Manager his reply was nothing they can do as it all comes from Head Office (poor apology ). I checked all previous correspondence & no such emails were received by me despite being assured that notifications were sent to all arriving guests! After an 8 hour flight from Toronto Canada & driving past the hotel 3 times up & down one way streets, finally parked & asked where is the Tivoli Sintra Hotel? I was directed in its direction. Jessica @ the front desk walked back with me to my car ( got in with my wife & I ) & guided us through the streets to the hotel. Wonderful ! Andre was most attentive & any request was followed through with the expertise & care of a 5 star manager (a hand written note expressing his desire to be of service should we require anything) was in our room . COMMENDABLE! Now my rating is based not on these two wonderful caring staff But the other staff & room encounters. The shower head kept falling down on the bar so could only be used by hand . The evening front desk manager came to the room & apologizing said it would be repaired in the morning, still not corrected by next day. I asked for 4 towels as the shower floor was soaking wet ( said could give us ONLY 2 ) from the ill functioning shower-head, also the sink faucet spout that spewed water over the entire area (poor design) choice. The house maid came & cleaned entire bathroom that evening so we could still use it the next day - lovely lady despite no English we gestured what was required and she met our expectations. The following day we went @9:30 pm for a late light dinner. After being seated by a bus boy who did not provide us with table settings, we waited 10 minutes as the Waiter walked by us twice with no acknowledgment as to our presence (saying he would be with us momentarily would have been considerate). He proceeded to serve another table 3 feet from us, who were asking for additional drinks as they were obviously there for some time dining. We finally got up from the table & in dismay the waiter looked at us. We stated that being ignored & as guests of the hotel were upset with this level of disrespect & lack of hospitality professionalism. Lastly, I had sent an email at the time of booking advising of this being a special 70 th Birthday trip for my wife, to the hotel Manager that any niceties that could be offered would be appreciated. Not even a note ! As I am writing this in our Fig

Lovely hotel , centrally located in Sintra with easy access to shops and restaurants, Room was great, clean, and spacious with a view of the National Palace. Breakfast was very good and all the staff were polite, attentive and happy to help. We enjoyed our brief stay

My wife and I stayed for three nights at the start of March and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The location is great: easy to find and a 3-minute walk from the main square in the historic centre but nonetheless in a very quiet area. We booked the ‘suite with private terrace and balcony’ which was huge and exactly as pictured on the website, clean and bright with lovely large windows and patio doors. Because the house sits on a hill, the room was at ground level at the front but at first floor level at the rear and it was reassuring that, I assume for security reasons, the windows accessible from the street could not be opened. The room had a large TV with Netflix available. Water pressure in the bathroom was very good and lovely soap, shampoo and conditioner were provided. (The only watch out is the water pressure can easily blow out the shower curtain, so water ends up on the bathroom floor. Still, you only make that mistake once.) The breakfast was buffet style and taken in the kitchen or the room next to it and it does feel like you’re in a family house. The food was lovely, with hot scrambled eggs, beans and sausages, along with coffee, juice, toast and pastries, cereals etc. available. They also make snacks, wine and beer available in the kitchen overnight and operate this on an honesty-book basis. This is really convenient if you’re really tired after a day of sightseeing. The host Karen was really welcoming, friendly and helpful, as was her assistant Bianca (who we saw most of as she seemed to be receptionist, housekeeper, chef, waitress etc, all rolled into one!) This is a guest house rather than a hotel so bear that in mind for the level of services - there’s no 24 reception for example. However Karen is accessible by WhatsApp and she replied quickly when we had a question about car parking on Saturday evening. We arrived by train (less than an hour from central Lisbon and dirt cheap - about €3) and the walk from the station is easy along pleasant roads and takes about 15 minutes. We got a hire car part way through our stay and used the car parking token (payable) from the guest house for parking in the Old Town. Even though visiting in low season, we were very lucky to find a space so plan carefully if you are intending to drive to the historic centre of Sintra. It’s also worth noting that Sintra has its own microclimate with relatively high humidity which means it can feel quite damp and there is often a lot of cloud and mist, even in summer. (Anyone with a respiratory condition might want to do some research.) Given the time of year we visited, this meant our room felt quite cold whenever we arrived but the air con unit was effective and warmed it up very quickly. Also, even though there is modern double glazing, there can still be some condensation on the windows in the morning so don’t leave things on the windowsill overnight as they could get damp. All in all, we had a lovely stay in the town of Sintra and in Sintra 1012, a

More like a weekend holiday place, sit on the terrace for breakfast, facing the rolling hills, overlooking several of Sintra's main palaces and manors. The breakfast is rich, especially the bread is still hot, the taste is excellent, it is said to be ordered from the country workshops. 10 minutes walk from the center, the recommended restaurant is great. There is free parking. The city of Portugal seems to be not easy to drive in the city, climb and descend, drive by car parked in the hotel can walk or Uber to attractions and restaurants. Hotel service is also patient and provides the help you need. If summer can also swim in beautiful outdoors.

We spent six days here. This is our second visit. We love the quiet rural situation of the Quinte. Andre and his Mother are most hospitable people. Friendly and nothing too much trouble. Fantastic breakfast as much as you want to eat. Lovely swimming pool and pretty gardens. We visited Mafra, Sintra and various small rural villages in the region . Recommend Tabunas restaurant in Varezea but advise booking. Lovely beaches especially Magoito On a warm but stormy day, just us and the surfers. Car hire advisable as you are quite rural tho still in walking distance of Varezea but if you want to go out to rural restaurants or sightseeing it’s a must. If you want to visit Lisbon then there is a great train service from Sintra where you can park the car for free ( speak to Andre). We hope to be back again .

This is a perfect little spot for being a few blocks to the center of Sintra, yet a little off as to not get all the noise. The hostess here, Dulce, is a very kind, caring woman. My phone fell into the sink and stopped working. I travel alone and had no information to my next place. Dulce took the time to sit with me, let me use her personal phone and assured me that everything would be okay. She did absolutely everything she could for me. This is the place you want to stay if you are traveling alone and need assistance within daytime hours. Not sure about night but I am confident they would help within their capability. Please note, the houses are very old and you can hear the people above you. There was an elephant staying above me so, PLEASE be aware of the people below when you walk across the room. Or ask for a top floor ~ all stairs. I also wish there was a small fridge in the room. Overall, an excellent place to stay with caring people there to welcome you and bid you farewell. I would highly recommend staying here if not having a fridge isn't an issue.

We stayed here 2 nights and everything was fine except for having a toilet in the bedroom. Especially one with only slightly frosted glass doors and without any kind of extractor fan. I’m quite liberal but I do prefer to do my business in private and the room can potentially smells so this was a definite disadvantage. And hence 1 star less. That aside, the breakfast was good, there is free cake and coffee downstairs but beware no alcoholic drinks in the bedroom. This B&B has a lovely court garden and is very central. Note the bell is off to the right outside (we arrived and tried the keypad on the left so it’s slightly confusing).