An Honest Review of the Hilton Garden Inn, Evora Portugal

We travel full time, so we don’t often find ourselves in real deal hotels! We are far more likely to be found in a post-Soviet concrete apartment block somewhere, so hotels are a treat!

When we planned our trip to Evora it was in the middle of a fun winter road trip around Portugal, so we had just two nights to fill last minute, and we settled on the Hilton Garden Inn Evora.

The Price Tag

The Hilton Garden Inn was just 70 Euros per night for our dates, so we went for it! We added breakfast for an additional 15 Euros per adult. (Tots were free!) We paid full price for our stay and have not been sponsored whatsoever.

Of course the price will be higher in peak season, but I had a look just now in August, and the same room last minute currently goes for about 130 Euros per night, which is still not bad!

The Room

The room we booked had one large (king?) sized bed and a small additional bed.

There was a desk in the room for working, and a Nespresso coffee machine, which was a delightful touch!

The toilet was in a separate room from the shower, and the sink was in the open. We prefer that set up because there is 3 of us, so it’s nice to be able to use the bathroom if someone is showering.

My only criticism of the bathroom, is that you really couldn’t flush the toilet if you had nails. I ended up keeping our daughter’s glue stick in the bathroom for flush purposes, because my nails would get stuck in the wall.

(For anyone who doesn’t ever encounter this joyous experience, normally one would use their knuckle, but this hole is too small.)

The room was very comfortable, but it was compact. This is sort of standard for Western Europe, so for a short trip it was fine.

The view was of a road outside and some construction, but we were on the main floor.

The Breakfast Buffet

The breakfast as I mentioned was an additional 15 Euros per adult. There aren’t really a lot of alternative “full English” options nearby, so it was just easier to go with it.

Jason liked the breakfast a lot and there was a decent variety. Personally, I would probably rather spend 15 Euros on a really delightful eggs bennie somewhere, and get exactly what I want, but it was fine.

The price does include either coffee served at the table, or a made-to-order espresso drink, which was a nice touch.

Dinner at the Restaurant

The restaurant was priced moderately. You can get a meal elsewhere in Portugal for a lot less, but for a touristy place like Evora, and a fairly nice hotel, I would say that it was “as expected.”

The food was excellent apart from my shrimp salad (a wee bit too soaked in dressing). We had ribs, mac & cheese, french fries, and a delicious brownie dessert. All of that was amazing!

Finding restaurants open in the winter was a bit hit or miss, so you can’t beat the convenience of a good meal right at your hotel.

The Facilities

The Evora Garden Inn does have a beautiful pool, but unfortunately we visited in the off season, so access was closed.

There is a small gym in the hotel, with some basic exercise equipment. Anything you would need for that emergency workout on your vacation. Although we noticed that nobody seemed to be having any such crises.

Besides the hotel lobby that looks quite cozy for working in, there is also a little snack shop, which is great for late night arrivals!

The Location

The location is truly the best thing about the Hilton Garden Inn in Evora. You are walking distance to all of the major things to see. (Chapel of Bones, the cathedral, etc!) The hotel has parking included, so you can leave your car worry free (and actually for free) and roam the town for as long as you like.

I really can’t overstate just how rare it is to drive right up to a hotel with a proper parking lot, on normal sized streets, and still be able to walk to everything in the old city! There’s not a lot that I like LESS than driving in an old town. (I usually pretend to be asleep.)

I hope this post helped you decide if the Evora Hilton Garden Inn is the right hotel for your stay! We had a really nice time and would stay there again.

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