Green is one of the most calming colors. It’s the sign of positive, nature, and freshness. So, if you want to rest after a tiring day of sightseeing, green is the best color you can be surround yourself with. Hotel Botanico offers the greenest interior in Lisbon.
The hotel is located near the Botanical Gardens, where you can have a walk after busy Fado afternoons. There are only 30 rooms, and considering the close distance from the airport, you should definitely make the booking beforehand.
The rooms have the most common amenities, nothing too special or too poor. You get free WiFi, flat-screen TV, minibar, etc. All rooms are non-smoking.
Pets are not allowed, and parking may turn into a tiny problem. The hotel itself doesn’t have any space for that, but there is a nearby parking lot, where you would have to pay for parking. The metro station, on the other hand, is very close, so renting a car might not be the best idea. Moreover, public transport is under a huge stress in Lisbon. The trams are becoming equal to tourist attractions. The Portuguese even have a transport museum called Carris to show off with. If you arrive to the hotel and don’t find the transport level satisfactory, you can always rent a car right from the hotel.
Other services include breakfast to the room, laundry, dry cleaning, ironing, and so on. Hotel Botanico usually has a good collection of international newspapers in the lounge. You can enjoy great Portuguese wine and catch up with international news in the meantime.
The staff is very friendly. They will forgive you, if you can’ t utter a word in Portuguese. The location is central, which means you can also walk around on foot.
To be objective, the hotel is not about green only. The building, for example, is light blue. There’s also a lot of yellow inside. The designers probably went for fresh, but lost it on the way.
I would actually expect more plants, like a botanical hall or cafe . . . or anything connected to nature and plants. You know, color is not enough to feel the natural sensation. You should also have the scent, the sight, and so on. I hope they have a lot of green vegetables in their menu. They can add some extra greens to the traditional dishes and start a new style. Who knows, it might work.
This is probably the only major problem I have with this hotel. Other than that, it’s a good mid-range hotel to stay at, especially if you’re saving money and are on budget travel. Most importantly, you don’t pay much, but you also don’t get less. It’s a good choice, if you’re planning to spend most of your time outside and come back home only for sleeping. The weather is not that hot here, so you can spend the afternoon outside without having to worry about the heat. Just wear light clothing and soak into Lisbon atmosphere.
