Hotel Mundial

The Hotel Mundial in Lisbon is regulary searched for on the internet. In fact it’s the top searched for hotel in the capital city of Portugal. Is that because it's the best accommodation that Lisbon has to offer? In my opinion - it's certainly worth considering. The cost of staying there reflects the quality of service and its location.

Though I'm now resident in Lisbon, I've stayed at the Mundial several times in the past. From that aspect I believe I can offer an unbiased review as to whether you should part with your money or stash that cash and look elsewhere.

Hotel Mundial

The hotel Mundial is graded as a 4****, though many travelers rate it more for its location. I have to say, having stayed there and now as a resident of Lisbon, the location is excellent. The rooms are, for the main, large and airy in comparison to some other European hotels. The service delivered from the hotel staff is polite and friendly.

The food is as good as you’ll find in local restaurants and the prices are not really any different - plus the hotel boasts a fabulous roof top restaurant, the Varanda de Lisboa. The hotel itself is clean and well maintained.

Hotel Mundial Reception

The Hotel Mundial check in/out area is spacious and the customer service quick and efficient. When I stayed there, there were police officers just outside or in close proximity to the Mundial. Now I live here and walk past the hotel regular enough, the police presence remains.

Not because it’s an area of crime (its not) but now I understand that its normal business practice to employ or engage with the local law enforcement.

Mundial Interior Design

Going back to the hotel Mundial – the rooms are air conditioned and quite a lot of them have a view of São Jorge Castelo (St Georges Castle) – though not all of them do. It’s also a little noisy at times but nothing unusual for a tourist spot.

The bathrooms are modern and cleaned regularly – which isn’t always the case in some hotels. The exterior of the Mundial is, in truth, rather impressive. However, the interior taken as a whole is a little less so.

I’m not saying that’s a huge negative: it’s not. For me, I want cleanliness, comfort, great service and food – and the Mundial delivers on all counts.

Hotel Mundial Location

And now the location. The Hotel Mundial is situated in the heart of downtown Lisbon, a few minutes walk from Rossio square. Once you hit Rossio, you are in the hub of the busy Pombaline downtown area – Baixa.

You have the beautiful São Jorge Castelo (St George Castle) high above you and directly down towards the estuary the stunning Praça do Comércio.

Exploring Around The Hotel Mundial

By exploring the area around the Hotel Mundial & Rossio, you will absorb the Portuguese culture by way of the surrounding architecture, which is classed as Pombaline, the many cafés and restaurants serving local cuisine not to mention street vendors, entertainers and shoe shine ‘boys’.

The Santa Justa elevator is but a few minutes walk from Rossio squares, as are the remains of the once stunning Carmo Convent.

It’s a great area for shopping, from tourist type shops to the more elegant boutiques. You’ll find a shopping mall, book stores, shoe shops, clothing outlets – to name but a few.

There’s literally hundreds of cafés dotted about, along with plenty of banking facilities – ATM’s and the like.

Lisbon Public Transport

Transport wise, the famous Lisbon Tram has one of it’s terminus points right by the Hotel Mundial, plus you are surrounded by Metro stations and it’s a few minutes walk to the beautiful Rossio Station.

If that’s not enough and you’re willing to negotiate the buses (paragems) then there’s plenty of buses running through and around the Mundial/ Rossio area. If all else fails, you can always hail a cab.

In all, the Hotel Mundial in Lisbon isn’t the cheapest of hotels that Lisbon has to offer but if you consider the location, service, comfort and cleanliness – you’ll find that the Mundial is definitely worth considering.