The hotel is immediately adjacent to the historic area of Coimbra, around the corner from the Coimbra-A (not the main Coimbra-B) train station.
It is dated, but very clean. Rooms are small, and the shower was "close"; the only negative was a small step in the middle of the bathroom - a hazard at night.
The staff was helpful and pleasant. Ensure that you eat the great breakfast - and enjoy the excellent view from the restaurant.
We were in town for a Tindersticks concert and this place turned out to be ideally placed between the delights of the old, upper town and the concert/nightlife area across the river. Service was very friendly and the man on the front desk is what used to be described as ‘a bit of a card’ – this put a smile on our face from the off. The Coimbra A train station is nearby but the walk from Coimbra B is an easy 2km too. All facilities worked well while the roof terrace affords beautiful views and the breakfast was superior, local specialities included.
We arrived at Coimbra train station having traveled from Porto and I was not immediately taken by the surroundings. The Oslo hotel is literally 2 minutes walk from the station and the warm welcome we received made up for my initial misgivings (I did in fact quickly warm to Coimbra). We were given a choice of two rooms which we were shown, both of which looked very adequate. We had a superior room with a very small balcony and a view up to the University. The room was very comfortable and the bathroom excellent. We had a very pleasant three night stay. The buffet breakfast which is included is certainly adequate - cereal, fruit, pastries, bread and rolls, scrambled and boiled eggs, cheese (and meats), tea, coffee and orange juice. I only had the juice once as it tasted like sweet watered concentrate of some sort rather than actual juice. The hotel is within a few minutes walk of numerous restaurants and the main street. The sites though are a strenuous walk uphill (or take a bus) or across the river. We made it up to the old town twice to the two cathedrals and the university. The monasteries are a ten minute walk across the river. The view of the old town and university from the hotel rooftop is stunning. A very pleasant three day stay in a very good, very reasonably priced hotel with very helpful staff. It's not 5* luxury but it's certainly an excellent 3* (I think) hotel.
Upgraded to superior room for 25 euros a night - am glad we did as the superior room was smaller than expected so the standard room would have been tiny! There was a balcony which looked out on university which was pleasant enough. Good selection for breakfast, bar snacks in evening not so good - definitely go out! It would have been more pleasant if there were tea/coffee in room but that might be a British thing . The hotel is in a great spot for getting around, close to everything. Reception staff fabulous & helpful - other staff were rather surly. It did help that the car was parked free for us whilst we were there.
Stayed here for 3 nights. Booked directly with hotel for 210Euros but chose to take the upgrade for 20Euro/night more to room 503. Larger, much nicer bathroom and views of Coimbra from our bed as well as from the balcony. Just beautiful.
The location can not be beat. At first, upon arrival I had my doubts, but after just one day I realized the value of the location. Close to so many amazing restaurants that there is no reason to look elsewhere to eat. A 2 minute walk is all. If you walk 2 minutes in a different direction you are at the Coimbra A train station. And your car is parked less than 2 minutes away in a covered garage via a valet. And you are at the very base of the old town, just steps away. PERFECT location in our estimation.
The staff were all very friendly. Breakfast was ok. Juice didn't taste freshly squeezed and the coffee wasn't special either, nor were the pastries. Don't go here for the breakfast. The wifi was very good however.
We found the bed to be quite comfy, but the towels scratchy. They do provide some huge towels, however, which was nice. Also, the linens and toiletries provided were of good quality too.
Our room view was amazing, but we found that the rooftop terrace view was even better! Pop up here one evening or clear day and you won't regret it : )
As you can see, the hotel wasn't perfect, but the positives so outweighed the detractions, we feel comfortable rounding our rating up to a 5 because the positives were THAT good. We would not consider staying anywhere else if we ever return to this historic city. Hope our review was helpful in your planning......
Ok not the flashiest hotel but great location, amazing service at the front desk, parking is included if you’re driving into town & great view from the rooftop, you can’t ask for anything more. We had a great stay..
