9Hotel Mercy (Lisbon, Portugal)

As night falls, this immediate area quietens down so you’ll be unlucky not to get a peaceful night’s sleep.

The area is well served by a number of restaurants catering for all tastes. If just fancying a drink there are worse places to go than the hotel’s roof terrace. Gaze out over the city as the sun sets and see Lisbon as it starts to light up.

Very efficient and friendly, the staff are just great. Everything seems to move like clockwork. Check in is quick and not the usual chore. Breakfast is impressive and recommended.

There’s a load of desirable extras here but when asked, “would you like? …”, don’t reply, “yes please!” Your response should be, “how much?” Then, you can decide whether or not you want, or can afford it!

These form the approach that guests have to their rooms and their impression of the hotel itself. They should be light, airy and spotlessly clean. These are black! Trendy? If so, you may not like this particular trend!.

Threadbare towels, mould in the shower area, shower walls not cleaned after the last guest and it’s obvious that the vacuum cleaner needs replacing. Not what you would expect in a place like this. Complimentary toiletries? No chance.