I should note that I'd give the rooms and breakfast a 4 out of 5, and the location a 5/5.

We made it to Obidos, and parked at the TI to walk into the city to get to the hotel (Albergaria Rainha Santa Isabel). We got the directions and a very unclear map, and then walked back to get the car. You can't park in the city without a pass from the hotel. This began a series of unfortunate events. The hotel receptionist said that it would take a few minutes…we arrived back about 1.5 very frustrating hours later! The map provided by the hotel was awful, we were not clear on how to get into the walls (i.e., that place looks so narrow, what person in their right mind would ever try to enter it…but wait, that’s a car coming through it! Folks, I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m sure that you’ll go and drive and it won’t be a problem at all, but I’ll convey that I’d do it differently in the future). Maybe it was the jet lag, maybe it was me, whatever. I'll admit that we got stuck in a pedestrian-only street and had to be assisted by multiple friendly locals!

We arrived back at the hotel, and the receptionist said “you certainly had a lot of difficulty; most people don’t have any problems”. As we explained where we parked the car, the woman said “by the church? there are a hundred churches in Obidos”. Granted, perhaps we were frustrated and tired and maybe the receptionist had a bad day, but it really felt like the receptionist was not even attempting to be helpful at all and that really influenced how I saw the hotel. I might feel differently if Silvia had been our receptionist initially. Silvia was extremely helpful in providing directions, explaining directions or recommendations, and very patient with answering our questions. Silvia explained how to drive in/out of the city, and gave us more specific instructions…what I really liked about Silvia is that she took the time to care and explain, even if it was a little more difficult for her. Incidentally, Silvia speaks fluent English (as did the other receptionist), which was really helpful to me as I don't speak Portuguese.

The room at the Albergaria Rainha Santa Isabel was clean and relatively spacious. The location is terrific; it can’t be beat in Obidos if you want to stay inside the walls. There is a small lift (elevator) which can be used, but there are a few steps up to the elevator, which may be a concern if you are worried about steps. The bathroom was very clean and beautifully tiled in the blue and white tiles typical of Portgual. We had a tub with a hand-held shower, a safe, and a mini-fridge. Our room overlooked the Rua Direita (main street) and had a nice view. The breakfast was simple and satisfying (coffee, yogurt, cold cuts of ham and cheese, and orange juice) and served in a beautiful dining room by a friendly woman between 8 and 10 a.m..

Another thing to note. The folks at the Albergaria Rainha Santa Isabel (receptionists) are required to stay in the hotel overnight (unpaid) and are allowed to go to a “sleeping room” after 12 a.m. on weeknights and I think 2 a.m. on weekends. Maybe that’s typical other places, I’m not in the travel industry, but in my humble opinion/philosophy, if you have to be somewhere for work, you’re on the clock and should be paid. This is loosely enforced and followed. My husband called one night at 11:45 p.m., and was told “reception is closed” (incidentally by the same unhelpful receptionist) without further explanation. In fact, she had probably already gone to her room and didn’t have the capability to transfer calls from that room.

The staff at the Albergaria Rainha Santa Isabel, other than the one person that I’ve been referring to often, was very helpful and kind. I’ve stayed in many b&bs and what not, and I’m very flexible, patient, and understanding, but I’ve got to say, I probably wouldn’t stay at the Albergaria Rainha Santa Isabel again. Some of it is the philosophy that I described above, however, I’ll admit that a lot of it was the unhelpful receptionist. Fair? Maybe not.