Lisbon Hotel Recommendations please!

[Shimsdan]

We will be overnight in Lisbon pre-cruise and are looking for a hotel recommendation.  And any tour company recommendations, as well.  The ship is actually overnight in Lisbon before we sail, so we will have two 1/2 days there all together.  It's a first-time visit for both of us, so any recommendations will be greatly appreciated!  Thanks in advance!

[grnrab]

Hotel Bessa right on Liberdade - right near Restauradores metro stop. Was excellent for us- recently updated. Get room in the back. Has wonderful breakfast room if inclined - steam spa, exercise room and semi-outdoor pool hidden in the back. Plus there is a full restaurant in front as well. Very close to everything and plenty of restaurants uphill in Bairo Alto and Principe Real. Principe Real has some nice places to stay as well.

[grnrab]

Also - anything offered by "We Hate Tourists" - don't be put off by the name they have wonderful staff and tours. Try reserving in advance any of tuk-tuk firms for any of their 1-3 hr city tours. Do not take the Hop On Hop buses in our opinion it was not worth the money - bored drivers not tour guides really.

 

[Ski Mom 2]

We Hate Tourism Tours was WONDERFUL! http://www.wehatetourismtours.com/

 

We did their lunch tour. Ended up just being my DH and myself along with our guide. He took us to a delightful restaurant where we sat for almost 2 hours talking and learning about our guide, his city, his country. Afterwards we went to their offices and met several other folks that worked there and had some Portugal's famous liquor. It was one of the best things we did!

 

We also took their tour to Sintra. While we enjoyed that tour as well (about 8 of us in a van), we didn't like the last stop and wished they had spent more time in Sintra.

[frenchhorn]

http://www.toptentours.eu/  They specialize in very small groups.  Four of us toured for two days in December with a wonderful guide named Alex, and we'd recommend the company to anyone.  Their tours are a very reasonable cost for such a small group, and they worked with us to decide what we'd do each day.   

We stayed at the Altis Avenida Hotel in the Rossio area - across from the train station.  The hotel was very nice, and the area was perfect - near restaurants and shops.  We ate at a restaurant called Bonjardim, which was tucked away in an alley near the hotel.  Our guide recommended it, and it was filled with local families.  They specialize in chicken, which was terrific and plentiful.  We loved Lisbon and wish we could have stayed longer.