The Literary Man Obidos Hotel

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Vicky Marshall

5/5Google· 4 months ago

Lovely quirky hotel with lots of nooks and crannies for settling down with one of the thousands of books crammed into all available wall space! Friendly service, very large room, excellent value for money. One particular highlight was the breakfast buffet with a huge assortment of savoury and sweet pastries and delicious homemade cakes. Dinner is also available in the very tastefully decorated restaurant. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here.

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pa824

1/5Tripadvisor· 2 months ago

I stayed in a suite at this hotel for only about two hours before checking out and moving to another hotel because the room was extremely dirty and the evening receptionist handled the situation terribly. The suite contained fecal residue and obvious black stains in the toilet, hairs and grime in the bathtub, dirty windows and glass, a dirty mirror, a dirty air-conditioning remote control, dirty walls, and two large flies flying around the room and landing on my arms and legs. I was not an early check-in guest. The hotel had enough time to clean and inspect the suite before giving it to me. A clean room is not a special request. It is the most basic thing a hotel must provide. When I first spoke to the evening receptionist, she began by complaining about an Uber Eats delivery. I had never asked anyone to bring my food to my doorstep, but on if the staff voluntarily delivered to my doorstep. They still blamed me for it. During that same conversation, I clearly told her that the bathtub had hairs and was very dirty, and that the toilet was also dirty. I also asked her to remove the bed runner and decorative cushions. She laughed when I made that request. She did not apologize. She did not offer an immediate deep cleaning or another room. She simply said that she would tell the cleaning team. No one came to inspect or clean the room. No immediate deep cleaning was arranged, no replacement room was offered, and no clear time or actual plan was given. I received no real remedy and was left in the same dirty suite. I did not leave immediately. I returned to the room and even planned to clean it myself. I removed the hairs from the bathtub and wiped it down. Afterwards, my hands smelled disgusting. I was a paying guest, but I somehow ended up doing part of the housekeeping staff’s work. Why should I be forced to clean a filthy hotel room myself while I was on vacation? I booked a four-star hotel, not a hostel. I then searched for another hotel, left to inspect it in person, and later returned to collect my luggage. During my third interaction with the evening receptionist, I was already carrying my suitcases downstairs by myself. She asked me why I was checking out. I told her again that the room was extremely dirty. She replied: “I already told cleaning, and why can’t you wait?” She did not say whether I was supposed to wait until the next morning or the next afternoon. She did not promise any time at all. This statement is extremely important because it confirms that she already knew about the hygiene problems. Despite knowing about them, nothing had been done. Instead, I was expected to continue staying in the dirty room. Only after I told her that she had completely failed in her duties did she finally say that she could scrub the toilet herself. By then, I was already checking out. Scrubbing only the toilet would not remove the hairs and grime in the bathtub, clean the windows, glass, mirror, remote control, walls, or remove the flies. No replacement room and no immediate comprehensive cleaning were ever offered. The hotel later claimed that I did not give them an opportunity to solve the problem. That is simply not true. I reported the hygiene problems during my first conversation with the receptionist. I then returned to the room, stayed there, searched for another hotel, went to inspect it, and came back for my luggage. During all that time, the hotel took no action. Is saying only one sentence, “I will tell the cleaning team,” what management considers giving the hotel a chance to make things right? That is not a reasonable response. I stayed there for approximately two hours and then checked out. I did not use the following nine nights. I even agreed that the hotel could keep the first night’s charge and requested a refund only for the nine completely unused nights. Management refused. Instead of addressing the photographed hygiene problems, management focused on Uber Eats, luggage, a rubbish bag, and internal hotel policies. They blamed me instead of accepting responsibility for delivering a dirty room. I have stayed in hotels around the world, including Paris, London, and many other cities. I have never experienced a hotel that failed to provide the most basic level of cleanliness and then spent so much effort blaming the guest instead of taking responsibility. A clean room is not an extra service. It is the most basic duty of every hotel.

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Luis

2/5Google· 3 months ago

Booked a “Superior Deluxe Suite” expecting something similar to the modern, bright wood room shown in the confirmation email. Instead, we received one of the old, dark historic rooms that smelled terribly damp and musty. The air conditioning in the room was also broken. When we asked to move to a better room, the front desk said nothing was available and basically dismissed it because we were only staying one night. This is not a 3 or 4 star experience. If you’re planning to stay inside the town of Óbidos, I strongly recommend choosing a different hotel. We were very disappointed for the price we paid.

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Trip.com Member

3.7/5Trip.com· a year ago

This hotel has become well known for being a book lovers haven. The hotel itself is super interesting and each room is different. My friend and I each stayed in different parts of the hotel and had very different looking and feeing rooms. Which means each time you stay there; there could be a new discovery. The hallways and corridors are lined with books. Even if you don't stay here I would highly recommend eating at the restaurant. The food was amazing every time. The only thing I would recommend if this hotel needs more cozy reading areas. They have a couple but they are not the most comfortable places to sit; although they are definitely aesthetically pleasing and fit the vibe of the hotel's history. We spent a lot of time out in the courtyard reading; there's a great spot under a large tree with canvas chairs.

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GillJezz

5/5Tripadvisor· 2 months ago

What a wonderful, atmospheric place. Easy to find and the street parking wasn't too tricky, just a short walk up to the gate to the town. It was a great experience starting with the warm welcome right through to the delicious breakfast.|Their restaurant was closed that evening, so, I'm afraid I'm unable to review it but their standards for everything else are very high.

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robertyau

5/5Tripadvisor· 6 months ago

I've read about this hotel many times. So purposely made a side trip to stay here.|It did not disappoint. The books, libraries made this one of the most unique hotels I've stayed in. The staff was so friendly and helpful. Amazing location - a few steps outside the castle wall. Highly recommend the restaurant/dinner and breakfast (home made pastries!) Definitely recommend this for all book lovers or a place just to chill and relax.

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Paul Fisher

5/5Google· 6 months ago

This was a great choice. It's very near two entrances into the city walls. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful. The included breakfast was outstanding, and we really enjoyed dinner in the restaurant.

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John “Mad Dog” Eastwood

3/5Google· 4 months ago

The hotel is ok, the idea and decoration is nice BUT the hotel has 0 sound isolation meaning that when they start to setup the breakfast at 7am, you can hear all noise in your room, just like if they were setting the tables in your room.