Grande Pensao Residencial Alcobia - Lisbon, Portugal 

The Grande Pens?o Alcobia is a great value for the price (about 65 Euros per night double occupancy). Granted, the entrance is nothing to write home about as it is small, the interior of the hotel was very nice. Granite steps greet you as you walk up to the front desk but then give way to beautiful wood floors which are on all the floors and in the rooms. Our bedroom on the fourth floor overlooked a dilapidated courtyard, but was very quiet. Of the three hotels in the 65 Euro per night range at which we stayed during this trip, Alcobia’s bedrooms and bathrooms were the most spacious not only in terms of floor area, but also in terms of vertical height. The ceilings must have been 10 feet high. The rooms are equipped with an air conditioner and we found the beds to be quite comfortable. There was a computer available in the lobby for guests. It was not working when we were there, but the staff let me use the computer behind the front desk for short periods of time to print our airline boarding passes and answer emails. There are Internet Cafes within two blocks of the hotel. The hotel offers a fairly nice breakfast with a variety of cold cereals, coffee / tea, breads, meat and cheese slices, and fruit. The orange juice, however, tasted as though it were made from a powder mix. The staff at the front desk was great. All of them spoke English and were helpful in terms of giving directions. Another huge selling point for this hotel is its location. It is located a block from Rossio, the city center. The main shopping areas, restaurants, and many historical sites (e.g., Castelo de Sao Jorge, Pra?a do Comm?rcio) take less than a ten minute walk from the hotel to reach. There is public transportation a block away including the bus stop for the airport. The one negative about our room was there was an unpleasant smell emanating from our bathroom. We solved the problem by keeping the bathroom door shut and keeping the air conditioner running or the windows open. No one else in the hotel seem to have the problem. That aside, Grande Pens?o Alcobia was an affordable, very pleasant place to stay in a great location.