Vila Gale Collection Palacio Dos Arcos Hotel

“Great location”

Such a lovely hotel and great location . Our room was fantastic though upgrading disappointed not to have a coffee machine or kettle . Lovely gifts of fruit/chocolate/ wine though asked many times for a cork screw never arrived. Breakfasts were fantastic though service of drinks a little hit and m… more

Such a lovely hotel and great location . Our room was fantastic though upgrading disappointed not to have a coffee machine or kettle . Lovely gifts of fruit/chocolate/ wine though asked many times for a cork screw never arrived. Breakfasts were fantastic though service of drinks a little hit and miss . Would definitely return .

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“Away but close enough to the hustle of Lisbon”

The hotel was a good choice for a business meeting as it’s easily accessible yet far enough from the hustle and bustle of Lisbon. It can be reached by a 20 minute smooth train ride from Cais do Sodre or by Uber but the car traffic can be pretty bad at certain times of the day, up to 45-50 minutes. … more

The hotel was a good choice for a business meeting as it’s easily accessible yet far enough from the hustle and bustle of Lisbon. It can be reached by a 20 minute smooth train ride from Cais do Sodre or by Uber but the car traffic can be pretty bad at certain times of the day, up to 45-50 minutes. The hotel rooms are large and comfortably luxurious with nice amenities and daily chocolates in the evening. Their on-site restaurant is also worth visiting a couple of times, the shrimp risotto was a particular standout on the menu. The staff was terrific, reordering the vinho verde at the guest request. The only small negative was a non-working air conditioner in the small gym but I am sure that was promptly fixed considering the efficiency of the staff. The beach is only a street crossing away and there are several restaurants in the immediate vicinity so if not keen on city center vibes, this is a perfect alternative.

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“A thumbs up by the whole family.”

The hotel is wonderful, the staff is great and they have the most comfortable bed and pillows! Don't get fooled by the front facade. It is old world charm, gorgeous furniture and a stunning dining room. The rooms are relatively new and offer modern facilities, large, clean and comfortable. We had a… more

The hotel is wonderful, the staff is great and they have the most comfortable bed and pillows! Don't get fooled by the front facade. It is old world charm, gorgeous furniture and a stunning dining room. The rooms are relatively new and offer modern facilities, large, clean and comfortable. We had a room with a view. The place is perfect for families, the location Oerias is small, quaint, friendly, but using bolt and ubers at reasonable prices made it very accesible. Lots of restaurants in walking distance. A small shop, deli, good supermarket, barber, pharmacy and cookery store! The beautiful water front, and a park nearby makes it pretty. Only negative, there was construction going on which they should have warned us about.

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“Front lady with glasses created a “no microwave use law””

It was a good experience overall. I stayed 3 weeks for a business travel. Pros: Since it was a long stay, they offered free parking. I forgot my laptop charger so I asked to borrow theirs. They said no at first, but they eventually let me use their charger. Cons: breakfast is expensive and they s… more

It was a good experience overall. I stayed 3 weeks for a business travel. Pros: Since it was a long stay, they offered free parking. I forgot my laptop charger so I asked to borrow theirs. They said no at first, but they eventually let me use their charger. Cons: breakfast is expensive and they served the same food throughout my 3 week stay. If there were not enough guests, they will only put out the bare minimum, with very limited food options. They refused to let me use their microwave, first claiming it was their hotel policy, then stating it was the law. I asked them to show me the law, but they eventually said it was “their right to refuse.” One lady wearing glasses in particular, had the worst customer service. Everyone else was great including Alexandre, Andre, and the entire restaurant crew. I loved Portugal and I am coming back again for business and leisure. However, I will not be returning to this hotel based on the simple fact that the lady in the front desk with the glasses simply lied about the “microwave law” even when just the night before, the gentleman in the front desk informed me that I was allowed to use the microwave. If you plan to spend big for a hotel stay, I suggest searching elsewhere. You will have plenty of great options!

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“Good base to explore Lisbon, Belem, Cascais and Sintra”

We visited for a chance to explore Lisbon and had a good time. We stayed for two weeks, on a package with EasyJet. The hotel is lovely, the public rooms in the old palace are full of character and the guest rooms in the new annexes are spacious and well appointed. The gardens are mostly lawn but… more

We visited for a chance to explore Lisbon and had a good time. We stayed for two weeks, on a package with EasyJet. The hotel is lovely, the public rooms in the old palace are full of character and the guest rooms in the new annexes are spacious and well appointed. The gardens are mostly lawn but there is also the Poets Park to explore and there are adult's and children's pools, both clean and well provided with loungers. Rather shabby and small towels are available from the spa (sometimes also put out on the loungers which can confuse you into thinking someone is sitting there) for use at the pool, but you can get a clean one every day. The situation in Paco de Arcos (not Estoril as advertised by Easyjet) is very convenient, just across the road from the sea and a short walk from the dog-friendly beach and the train station. The disadvantage is that the dual carriageway corniche runs between hotel and beach and can be noisy if you want to sit out on the terrace or under the arches. There are other beaches a slightly longer walk. The village/town is pleasant and home to a small supermarket, shops, cafes restaurants, bank with ATM, vet etc etc. From the station it's a 20 minute train journey into Lisbon or down to Cascais, return tickets for both are less than 5 Euros pp and trains run every 15-20 minutes, so really easy and convenient. It's also only about 30-40 minutes taxi drive from the airport. To get to Sintra is a little more difficult as you need to change stations in Lisbon or get a bus from Oeiras - we went via Lisbon and it was easy, but we did check the route beforehand. There is a buffet breakfast with the usual range of cooked and continental, and a chef on duty to cook eggs and pancakes if you wish. We were half board, so ate in, but this is unusual and there are plenty of good restaurants in easy walking distance so with hindsight we would have gone B&B. There is an extensive menu for dinner, but it doesn't change, so if you don't like/can't eat fish and cheese (as one of us doesn't) your choices are quite limited and repetitive. The food is good - I tried most things on the menu - the portions aren't huge but we never left hungry. The wine is mostly from the Vila Gale chain's in house vineyards and is very palatable and reasonably prices; we sampled a wide range of red and white and found it all good. There were a few things we didn't find as good: Although the bars are described as 'open' from whenever to whenever, they were not obviously staffed, so if you wanted a drink or to order lunch at the pool, you first had to find someone to serve you. Whoever then appeared was very happy to help, but it made the process of acquiring a drink long and tedious. We never lunched in the hotel, because we couldn't be bothered to find someone to take the order. The bar never seemed to do much business and was very quiet - a shame as it was a nice cosy space. It would be an easy fix to staff the bar, as there were always plenty of staff around, making a great show of achieving not very much and would create a virtuous circle of being easier to get drinks, so more people were drinking, so more people were attracted in by the convivial atmosphere and bought drinks. There was one breakfast when the hotel was full after an event that was complete chaos, there were plenty of staff, but no organisation and so two waiters would do the same thing, but no one would do something else. The schedule for making up rooms seemed idiosyncratic. Our room was rarely made up till well after lunch and one day not till after 5. Now, maybe you don't mind the bed unmade when you come in from a day out, but I hated it and found it very not relaxing. It also meant that the maids often wanted access when we were changing for the pool after a morning out. One day they seemed to forget to leave any towels. However, the standard of cleanliness was good and the plumbing functional - the shower drained well. The hotel says it will provide a coffee machine in the room on request - there was a well stocked mini bar. We chanced our arm and requested a kettle (come on, we're Brits and like a well made cuppa), we were told that they would 'ask maintenance', no idea whether they ever did, nothing transpired and no one followed up with an apology or explanation. (I should say that you can enter and exit without going through reception, so you didn't get to know the staff on the desk.) We had a late flight out, not landing till around 10:30, so it was late when we arrived. Despite having missed dinner, and indeed not really wanting food at that point, we did feel that the hotel could have made some recognition of this fact. It's not unusual to arrive late, and either be offered the chance of a cold meal or a lunch one day. There was also no token 'welcome drink'. Not the end of the world, but it did leave us feeling a little bit anticlimactic on arrival. Overall, it was a good holiday and a good place to stay. Really convenient for Lisbon and very welcoming.

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