StarwoodGuy: Sheraton Lisbon Portgual

So time to head off on my big birthday trip. I flew from Seattle to Chicago with a stop in the Chicago Admiral's Club before boarding my 787 flight on American Airlines. The Admirals Club was under renovation but still quite good, the more retro mid-century modern areas slowly being replaced by new modern places.

Once on-board the 787 Dreamliner flight I had a row 2A a Business Seat which was rear-facing. The service was quite good and the staff friendly and attentive. The food was quite good, still not as good as the European or Asian carriers, but still tasty.

Upon arrival in London I used the American Airlines Arrivals Lounge at Terminal 3 where I had a quick shower and a coffee before spending my 8 hour layover sleeping at the Sheraton Heathrow Hotel. I made my way back to the airport by the Hotel Hopper shuttle bus and cleared security quickly. I then went to the Galleries Lounge which was quite busy, and since my flight to Lisbon was out of Terminal 3 I would not see the great main hub for BA at Terminal 5, but the lounge was still quite good. After a quick glass of wine I headed to my flight on to Lisbon. It was the typical European business class with 3 and 3 seats with the middle seat blocked out. The food and service were excellent for a 2 hour flight.

On arrival in Lisbon I grabbed an Uber-X and headed to the Sheraton Lisbon, situated slightly up from the main toursit attractions but near similar hotels such as the Intercontinental and the Ritz-Four Seasons. The hotel is a large older tower but amazingly renovated. The hotel was quite full so no suite upgrade, but my room was modern with a good view, and the Club Lounge though a little small for such a large hotel had good offerings for breakfast and appys and drinks at night. The Panorama Bar on the roof offers the city's highest view. The gym was separated into a few different areas with the pool deck being somewhat sheltered (a plus since it is quite windy in Lisbon) but there was quite a bit of shade.

I did not spend much time at the hotel since I was meeting one of my high school best friends on this trip. Together we toured a great deal of the historic sites in the city, which I found very affordable, and took a bus out to Belem on the water and then the train on to Estoril and the beach there, only 40 minutes from town.

Lisbon offers plenty of historic sights with a friendly people and all at an affordable price. Uber and public transit make travel easy. The city has some hills so this is something to keep in mind when walking quite a bit. Some of the Mercados were where we had our best meals. Great neighborhoods and a wonderful trip. The Sheraton Lisbon had some amazingly attentive staff as well. Great property.