Amazonia Lisboa Hotel

Amazonia Lisboa Hotel's owners have ancestry rooted in Brazil, and Amazonian artwork, photos, and decorative items fill the property. A few steps down from the front entrance, a wide, sunken lobby sprawls out with rattan furniture arranged between polished stone-tiled columns and plants potted in large clay vessels. Bows from rainforest tribes hang behind the front desk, and the centerpiece is a sculpture of a jungle cat. Natural light is limited from the street-level windows, but exotic lamps and a ceiling studded with halogen bulbs make the space almost too bright for the jungle theme. The hotel opened in the 90s hasn't kept up with renovations, thus showing its age. It shares some of its facilities with a television channel based in the same building, but the outdoor pool courtyard and patio (which could be the best reason for staying here) has fallen into disrepair. Most guests are budget travelers and tour groups.

The hotel is in the residential neighborhood of Amoreiras, a six-minute walk to the nearest metro stop at Rato. Several restaurants and cafes are about a block away, clustered in an outdoor mall called Páteo Bagatela, and there's a little park, the Jardim das Amoreiras, a minutes' walk down the street. More shops and restaurants can be found less than a 20-minute walk away along the pedestrian Rua de São Bento, and the bustling Avenida da Liberdade, with its luxury shops, is about a 15-minute walk away. Marques de Pombal Square, a major hub with a plethora of transportation options, is a 12-minute walk and affords access to a bus to Lisbon Airport (about 30 minutes total travel time). Driving to the airport takes about 23 minutes.  

The hotel's guest rooms vary widely in size, but they have the same basic decor and dated amenities. Standard carpeted rooms have colorful fabrics with 90s-style prints, twin or double beds with wood headboards, and lamps on bedside tables. Vanities have small benches with stainless steel light fixtures above wall mirrors, and most units have modest seating areas with a variety of chairs; some with small tables. Free Wi-Fi is included and some have mini-fridges, but expect ancient tube TVs. Some units have views of Lisbon's historic center and some upper floor rooms have Tagus river views, while others face the dingy pool courtyard. At the budget end, Low Cost rooms have the most limited views on the second (non-smoking) and third floors (smoking). They lack the mini-fridges and daily housekeeping of other rooms. Family rooms have four twin beds, while Junior Suites add living areas with couches and tables with wooden chairs for two, and some rooms have private balconies with chairs and plastic tables. Bathrooms also need a facelift. Single rooms have bathrooms with walk-in showers, but the rest (including Low Cost Rooms) have shower/tub combos. All contain bidets and hairdryers, but they lack toiletries. 

The hotel's tiny outdoor pool is seasonal and set on a raised sundeck with dingy plastic loungers. Below it, a wide terrace has sleek white chairs amid potted plants and flower beds, but the courtyard is generally overgrown and in disrepair. Inside, Bar Xingú is a small Amazon-themed cocktail bar with seating that spills out into the lobby, and there's a breakfast room where an American breakfast buffet is served for a fee. A large meeting room on the 9th floor gets a lot of natural light and can accommodate up to 80 people. Parking in a garage is available for a fee, though there's also some free public parking in the area. Wi-Fi is free throughout.