Staff were terrific and helpful. The library a comfortable and inviting place to relax but the bed was awful...so uncomfortable we found it difficult to sleep. Also the air conditioning blew but rarely did any cool air emerge. We were surprised to learn that we were charged for breakfast when we checked out...14 euros each. We stayed 2 nights. Also felt a bit claustrophobic. A bit too far from the centre as well.

Our group of 4 adults recently stayed at As Janelas Verdes for 3 nights; it was JUST right! The public rooms (living room, breakfast room, and the fabulous library with a terrace and wonderful views of the Tejo river with Cristo Rei and the 25 de Abril bridge) feel very cozy and inviting with comfortable furniture and judiciously rich decor. We agree with a previous posting about the silk flowers & plants, but we also like the fact that our very reasonable rates clearly did not include the costs of extravagant exhibits in hotel lobbies, where we typically derive little direct benefits. (And though fake, the flower arrangements were actually not in poor taste!) The breakfast buffet was abundant, with pastry, juices, hot tea & coffee and hot milk, fresh fruit salad, cereal, eggs, bacon, cheeses (including fromage fraiche -- yum, yum), yogurt, etc. ... There is no restaurant on site, so one would have to go out for lunch and dinner, but there are enough small and good coffee shops and restaurants nearby, and when inquired, the staff cheerfully offered to deliver fresh fruits and home-made sandwiches to our rooms. Our own double superior rooms were quiet and sufficiently roomy, with comfortably firm beds. The nights were turning cooler when we were there, and both rooms had very comfortable temperature controls. The bathrooms were also sufficiently roomy with marbled floors, tiled baths, and Molton Brown bath products. A small but cute touch was the complimentary port in each room. There was no minibar in the rooms, but the library has a very reasonably priced stock of beverages, and this certainly encouraged our daily sojourns to the library to enjoy the magnificent views too! Nightly turndown service was discreet. Service was consistenly and uniformly excellent, as all previous reviewers have stated. While we were there, we saw the staff going way out to help another guest with locating the guest's luggages, which had been lost by the airlines and had nothing to do with the hotel. The staff even offered to call the hotel on the guest's next destination to make arrangement for delayed arrival and/or delivery --just in case! We knew that As Janelas Verdes is a relatively small hotel and were not looking for any huge lobby with rows and rows of registration staff, but even then, check-in and check-out were both efficient and attentive. The hotel is in the Santos district, right next to the Luxembourg embassy and down the street from the French embassy. We knew that the hotel would not be quite centrally located for sightseeing, but after spending the day sightseeing, it was actually quite nice to come back to a relatively less bustling area. We used taxis a lot to go places, and in general, it costs the 4 of us about 6-8 Euros to go from the hotel to various places in town including going to the Gulbenkian one night for a concert. We ourselves did not encounter any problems with street noise, with one of our rooms facing the garden in the back and the other facing out with a view of the Tejo. In all, we felt that As Janelas Verdes had just the right combination of comfortable space and excellent service for us to feel very much welcomed and to enjoy a very relaxing and pleasant visit to Lisbon. We definitely would stay here again when we return.

This former private home in the Santos/Lapa area of the city is situated right next door to one of the main public art galleries of Lisbon, and about 10 minutes brisk walk from the areas of most touristic interest such as the Bairro Alto. It's not near a Metro stop but a ride on the No.15 tram plus a climb up steep steps opposite the port quays gets you there pantingly! The hotel's richly furnished with nice decorations, antiques and other knick-knacks, plus lots of deep arm-chairs and a lovely guests' library on the top floor where there is also a super terrace to enjoy the view of the harbour together with drinks from the honesty bar or a cup of tea or cofee made by yourself in the special tiny kitchen attached. We stayed there as part of our honeymoon trip and found the place very comfortable but rather quiet. It was full of guests who had obviously payed a lot of money (although one can get surprisingly good deals by checking out a few of the different hotel web-sites) for the intimate atmosphere, spoke in hushed tones and behaved as if they thought you might offend their space by 'spotting' them when they hoped to be hiding! Service was very good, unquestioning, and the house staff all wore 'pinnies' like something out of Altman's 'Gosford Park. I thought the bedrooms were the most disappointing part of the hotel...rather dowdy at all levels. We know because whilst we had paid for a 'superior room', the one we were allocated on arrival clearly wasn't. And when we made representations we were told "oh well, you were the last to arrive". So the room the next night had a better view but was similarly a bit down at heel. Beware front rooms in this hotel. There's a club opposite which you may not even see when you arrive because the way things work in Lisbon is that suddenly around midnight, shutters come off the most innocuous looking frontages to reveal places that then liven up and go on until 5am. They certainly know how to party in Lisbon and everyone spills out onto the street together with the thumping music (go to the Bairro Alto to experience this at its most extraordinary!). The best thing about this hotel is that you certainly wont get any riff-raff, the staff are gracious in the extreme, there's lots of tiny personal comforts like the Financial Times of the day, and unlimited free delicious port wine in the room, there's a wonderful court-yard for breakfast and no restaurant so no feeling of obligation to eat in and so miss the fabulous cooking in the local restaurants.

It's hard to complain about a place where the staff is extremly helpful and charming but this hotel needs a new trend because the decoration is absolutely "has been"... Discreetly located in the most fashionnable district of Lisbon where you'll find the best restaurants, bars and boutiques, AS Janelas Verdes should change its decoration. It's full of curtains, carpets, feck flowers (at each corner...) and there are too many different colours. It can't give to the traveller the peaceful and relaxing atmosphere everybody needs and the only thing i wanted when i arrived is to leave... It's a bit unfortunate because the size of the room is quite good but once again, the decoratiopn is absolutely not actual and this kind of place gives me some difficulties to breathe correctly... The bed comfort was so-so and especially the most terrible pillows i've never had before. Not a good point to sleep well... An other problem was the old air conditionner system very noisy and not really helpful. We stayed in a Superior triple room and if you're unlucky to be the third guest, you'll stay in the small room where there is no air conditionner and no window you can open... Consequently you don't have any fresh ai and it's even not healthy. But except the comfort and the decoration, this hotel has some advantages: a very nice staff (thanks for the front desk officer who gives us a very good restaurant adress i highly recommend you: NARIZ DE VINHO TINTO, Rua do Conde 75, Lisbon, Tel 213953035. Delicious local food extremly fresh and tasty, Fantastic service, nice pretty decoration and very uncheap bill...), a very good breakfast with exquisite pastries like Pasteis de nata and a very good fresh orange juice, somefacilities like wireless internet access and they have a laptop if you don't have yours... Moreover, there is a nice garden and a lovely terrace overlooking the river... Consequently, you have to consider if you're looking for a well decorated and ultra comfortable hotel or if you prefer a place with nice staff and good location close to a delicious restaurant... It's up to you but i'm afraid it's not the best option in town...

We arrived in Lisbon on a Friday and stayed at this lovely hotel for three nights before heading north for stops in Coimbra and Porto. We also returned for our last night so that we could make an early flight out. This was by far where we felt most comfortable, and where the staff was the most helpful and welcoming. Start your day with a delicious breakfast and the front desk will help to coordinate your plans for the day. Anna, Patricia, and Marie were a pleasure to work with and the rooms were quaint, clean and very comfortable (well, except for the pillows). I would suggest that you request a room on the interior because it is more peaceful. We would absolutely return to the Janelas Verdes when visiting Lisbon in the future.