We are going to speak about design hotels again. Generally, I am in love with design hotels that are unique or have an original theme. There is a big number of such hotels in Lisbon, moreover, I sometimes think there are too many hotels in this city, but I have somehow managed to develop a love-and-hate attitude towards one of them.
This time the victim is Hotel Flórida, welcoming guests since 1941. And that’s one of the first things that I don’t like about this hotel. I’m not in any way against Americans (moreover, I love the state and the music band), but a Portuguese hotel with an American name sounds a little weird to me. When I visit Lisbon, I want everything in my vacation to be fresh and new. I want to learn new things about the country, completely soak in its culture, and leave WOW! exclamations on the way.
The list of things that I don’t like continues with the service and the technological provisions of the hotel. The reception is almost a professional in dealing, or, to be more precise, not dealing with the software crashes they very often have. This may result in guests waiting for an hour until their room is ready to host them. But, the opposite is also possible, I have heard many people praising the service at the hotel. I guess it depends on your likes and mood, make sure to smile when you enter the lobby. Who knows, maybe it’ll help?
Now, let’s forget the bad things I said about this hotel, as its theme and design are enough for me to stay there whenever I visit Lisbon. The design is done according to the best cinematographic traditions. The decorations and objects remind you about the world of movies. There are 72 rooms, all of which are equipped with a specific theme, like Marilyn Monroe, Alfred Hitchcock, and so on. The rooms may also be themed in accordance with movies, an example of which is Casablanca.
You must not forget that this is a 4 star hotel, so don’t expect too much luxury. But staying in a room inspired by the incredible glamor of Merilyn Monroe is an interesting experience by itself. There are a few legends of movies that will always attract the crowd no matter in what form or where they are reflected.
Transparent lamps and chairs can make me stare for more than 10 minutes. The rooms, naturally, have flat-screen TVs with satellite channels.
The hotel has a not-so-bad location, close to the metro station and several attractions of Lisbon, especially to Alfama, it’s basically 20 minutes away from downtown. The check-in time starts at 2:00 pm and the check-out is at noon. There is Wi-Fi in the hotel, but you will have to pay for it (I forgot to include this in the minus-list). Unfortunately, if you are another Paris Hilton, you have to give up the idea of bringing your chihuahua (or any other dog) along, as pets are not allowed here.
Everything I said might be very subjective and you may end up with a terrific experience. After all, the hotel is a decent one and has all the appropriate conveniences. There are 3 conference rooms for doing business, a very charming restaurant that is decorated with antiques and retro photos. Most importantly, there is a huge piano standing in front of the dining tables.
