Pousada De Queluz D Maria I

simply beautiful unusual accommodation with delicious breakfast Location opposite the castle is top

We spent two nights there this week as my wife had an immigration appointment nearby (and 300km from where we live). The hotel is lovely and the room was spacious and comfortable. The staff were very welcoming and informative about local attractions and restaurants and were always on hand to provide assistance when needed. Given that the hotel was basically gutted in the renovation it was a privilege to stay in such a wonderful, historic and beautifully restored building. Breakfast was included in our room rate and was both plentiful and tasty. A couple of things were puzzling to us, one was that the master switch for the room lights appeared to be inside the front door. There did not appear to be another one near the (huge) bed. As such we had to walk to the door to turn off the master switch (which was also the light for the entrance hall) and walk in darkness back to the bed. There were also no sockets with which to charge a mobile phone next to the bed. This might be something to do with the rules on renovating an historic building, but anyway, as we are all now permanently connected to our phones it would have been more convenient to plug in next to the bed. A walk-in shower would have also been a bonus instead of climbing into and out of a bath. Had there been a grab handle on the facing wall it would have been much easier to climb in and out of the bath. Small points but hopefully management is listening. If we have to go back to this part of the Lisbon area we would stay there again without question. And the gardens in the palace opposite are a must see for anyone visiting this area.

We had to make a day trip to Lisbon for an appointment so rather than drive back home afterwards, we booked an overnight here so we could visit the Palácio the next morning. We were greeted warmly by a friendly staff member who got us checked in, made a dinner reservation for us at a nearby restaurant, and offered helpful info about the Palácio. The room was warm (I was expecting it to be cold given the building's age and the fact that it was January) and comfortable and, most of all, quiet. In the morning, the shower was strong and the water hot and the included breakfast was a bigger spread of choices than one typically encounters. We enjoyed our brief stay quite a bit!