my heart is in PORTUGAL
We planned for months to arrive in Portugal; researching articles, listening to podcasts, and watching hours of YouTube videos. I have not anticipated going anywhere more as I wanted to experience the culture of the friendly natives, see the wind turbines on the rolling countryside hills, and see the 100 foot waves in Nazare.
We had an 8 hour flight at 10:30 pm from Chicago and a few mishaps before getting to our hotel in Lisbon. I lost my smartwatch briefly in security, struggled to find Vodafone for our sim cards, and lastly could not find the Uber pick up spot once ready to leave Humberto Delgado airport. We eventually made it to our taxi to take us to Be Poet Hotel and started our adventure in the amazing country. I fumbled through my phone with my jet lagged brain, to find the street address for the hotel. I announced R Augusta 220 but pronounced it “A-gus(like the name Gus)-ta” and the driver laughed loudly. He said, “It’s A-gus(like goose)-ta”. I admit that my US midwestern accent was pretty thick and we all chuckled about that for a moment and were on our way.
We circled around the roundabouts driving on roads with mosaic cobblestone patterns, passing statues and fountains. We made a tight turn through a very narrow arch passage that I thought surely was not wide enough for the car to fit into. I released an “Oh my!” and the driver turned back and told me, “Yes, you must be very careful!”. We pulled to the side and our street was on the next block and happened to be pedestrian only, so we were on foot from there. A short walk on the lively street filled with music, restaurants, and things for sale displayed on the curbs we arrived at the entrance of Be Poet Baixa.
CHECKING IN:
In the quaint lobby we started the check in process with our friendly front desk clerk. She asked for us to go over the paperwork and sign a few forms but then asked if we had ever been to Portugal. I replied “We just arrived, I am excited to explore the streets, taste the wine, and eat my first Pastel de Nata.” The clerk smiled and said “Let us do what is most important first, and then fill out the paperwork”. She slid over the tray that was near containing a glass bottle of wine, wine glasses, and several Pastel de natas. “These are complimentary any time you come by the desk”. I had never been to a hotel that offered a free glass of wine! The wine was wonderful and my first bite of the creamy custard pastry was no disappointment. This interaction sums up for me the service of the staff in general: kind, courteous, and genuine. She offered some tips and advice for our time in Lisbon white we ate and drank, which created an unforgettable introduction to Portugal.
AMENITIES
The hotel has an elevator if you do not wish to climb the stairs. The hotel has four floors with three types of rooms. The superior room category was what we had reserved. It features a queen bed, a city view, Wi-Fi, coffee machine, minibar, double glazed windows, AC, safe, and hair dryer.
The size of the superior room was just as big as we needed. There was enough space for the two of us to place our belongings and not feel cramped. The décor and design was exceptional. I enjoyed the colors and light arrangement along the bed and ceiling. The shower and bathroom was nice and clean. The shower water pressure was pleasant. The bed mattress and pillows allowed for several nights of extremely comfortable sleep. There were no noises from the outside with the windows shut and only heard interior noises in the morning time as people passed our room talking. The staff would clean the room, replace the linens, make the bed, and restock the coffee machine and minibar while we were out for the day. A couple of Nespresso coffees and bottles of water were free but after that there was a fair charge per item to restock.
THE VIBE
In the morning I fired up the Nespresso machine and made my first Nespresso ever. I fell in love with the small coffee while drinking it and watching people shop on the street. During the night we kept the windows open until the night life outside subsided which was about 11pm. We heard music from the street and listened to people sing and laugh. It was a unique experience that made me feel so happy to be nestled in a wonderful European city, the capital of Portugal.
SCORE: 8/10
LOCATION
A short walk can take you to the commerce plaza Praca do Comercio along the Tagus river, or to the Santa Justa Lift, or even to a metro station. Be Poet is in a perfect location to explore Lisbon with several pedestrian streets. I should point out that there is even a pharmacy just across the street.
SCORE 10/10
SAFETY
No safety concerns whatsoever.
SCORE 10/10
STAFF
As mentioned the staff was very genuine and kind. We received a lot of advice on where to eat and things to do. An accident on an electric scooter required us to rush to an ER and the staff even helped direct us to the best hospital location.
SCORE 10/10
DEBUNKED
I searched what negative reviews I could find. 1. Room too small for two people. The room we had was not too small by any means. We had a suitcase, backpack, and one small bag each. There were no issues with the room size. 2. AC was not capable of making the room cool. I had the room AC all the way down on the first night and woke up freezing. We had no issues with the room temperature. 3. Too much noise outside. I did hear a little noise in the hallway around 9 am on maybe a couple of mornings but nothing else.
Would we stay there again: I wish I was there most nights haha. I would only stay elsewhere in Lisbon for the purpose of reviewing. I would stay again and highly recommend others to reserve a night.
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