thought it a lovley hotel although only black mark is the absence of tea/cofee making facility in the room . would recommend this as a place to stay as i would recommend tomar as a town to visit.

The hotel is very large and "L" shaped and is quite impressive when initially approached. There is plenty of outdoor parking with sun shading towards one side at the front.

It's location is excellent and borders the river and park in the old part of town, which is within easy walking distance.

The main lobby and public area are very large and cool, which was a relief after the hot humid air outside. We found the reception staff to be very cordial and professional and checked in easily.

I had reserved a superior room, which apparently was larger than the standard and had a sittng area. We were given room 325 which was dual aspect and must have had the best views in the hotel. We overlooked the river and hotel pool and also had stunning views of the Convent Of The Order of Christ on the hill overlooking the town.

Our room was very large and incredibly comfortable. I know some people have commented on rooms being old fashioned, but I couldn't criticise the decor at all. After some of the beds we'd slept in on this particular holiday, this proved to be by far and away the most comfortable - it was just like being at home.

The bathroom was very large, spotlessly clean and had a separte shower cubicle as well as a bath. The shower head could have done with replacing or cleaning as was quite clogged up with limescale, but apart from that, we were very pleased with the room.

Now, on to the negatives of the hotel.......

Wifi was ridiculously expensive at €9 per hour or €15 for 24 hours. The receptionist confided that he was embarrassed at having to rell guests the tariff. We didn't use it. I would expect it to be free.

The bar area was enormous and we sat for a while waiting for service. There were 2 people working behind the bar, but they were much more interested in filling in some paperwork. Eventually, my husband had to go up to bar to order our drinks, and the lady made it quite clear that he was being a nuisance. She eventually brought us our drinks with poor grace. After that, both bar staff disappeared round the other side of the bar. We watched with interest as other people came and sat down and then gave up. A more determined American went down to reception and they had to phone the bar to get the lady to come out. Again, she was obviosuly annoyed at being disturbed. Not impressive at all.

Dinner - based on the poor service in the bar, we decided to look for dinner somewhere else. Hmm, bad mistake if you hadn't booked, so we were forced to come back to the hotel. Service in the restaurant was much bettter and the waiters were friendly. However, I wished they'd warned us about the size of the "starters". I had gratinated aubergine, which turned out to be a whole huge aubergine sliced into 3. Each slice was lightly grilled (in fact still raw), then built back up layered with tomatoes and cheese. It was just enormous and badly cooked with no seasoning at all. I left most of it. My husband had a salad which again, could have been a main course. We complained to the waiter about the portion sizes, and he agreed that they were far too large. My main course ( beef with muchrooms and bacon) was fine, but I was so full I could hardly eat any of it. My husband chose the steamed monkfish with a pesto sauce. What arrived had been rolled in breadcrumbs and fried and was in a poor quality parsley sauce. It really didn't taste very nice at all. We didn't have dessert.

Breakfast was okay. There were some large tour parties staying at the hotel who had been down to breakfast before us. As a result, there was no scrambled egg left. However, even though the waitress looked at the empty container, it was not refilled, much to my disappointment. I don't think they could be bothered as most people had had breakfast by then. I had fresh fruit instead which was very nice. My husband said his coffee was stewed, but the tea was DIY, so I was fine with that. The waiting staff were surly.

I would stay here again, but would make sure that I ate out next time. I love Tomar and so probably will go back.

Tomar is well worth a visit and he countryside around it. Rooms were large and spacious and we had a view of the river. Rooms were clean and nicely decorated. The pool was clean and had plenty of sun loungers. Breakfast was nice with plenty of choice, my only compaint would be the attitude of the staff when we arrived for beakfast at 10.10. Although breakfast is served until 10.30 the staff were rude, gave us dirty looks and started clearing away before we were finished eating. I was given cold coffee as making fresh was obviously too much bother.

Hotel was functional, clean and satisfactory however was really let down by the fact the internet was down, but more importantly how it was handled by hotel staff. First they told us internet was only available in the lobby so if you require for business this is a problem… so we went to the lobby but then were told the internet was not available at all. When I talked to the reception she told me “it is not my responsibility”. Completely unacceptable.

The rooms are tired and in dire need of upgrading. Pool was nice but cold. Breakfast was OK.