The Best Family-Friendly Hotel in Lisbon For Web Summit

While we were in Lisbon for Web Summit, we met a dozen families who were also attending the conference and looking for the best family-friendly hotel. We did a ton of research on places to stay and eat that was family-friendly and figured others are doing the same.

This was a hot topic discussed with a cute German couple we met at the top of Alfama with our 2-year-old Charlie. As a pseudo-loyal member of the IHG hotel chain, Steve wanted to stay at the Intercontinental Holiday Inn but after some quick research, Martinhal Lisbon Chiado Luxury Hotel & Apartments was where we decided to stay. This place is a gem.

We’ve traveled to many different countries but this was our first international travel with a 2-year-old. So lots of unknowns are thrown into the mix:

• Do you bring a stroller?
• Do you bring a car seat?
• Do you bring a pack-and-play for the baby to sleep in?

These aren’t just questions we ask, it’s what every new parent is thinking before domestic or international travel. When we arrived and after a 6-hour overnight flight from Newark, we were picked up by a really nice guy named Marco. He had a great van WITH A CARSEAT that shuttled us from the airport to the hotel. We had arranged this before we arrived so needless to say, Steve was relieved we didn’t have to bring a car seat. This was the first major pain point that Martinhal solved.

The hotel has a play area for kids and when we arrived they gave us 2 drink tickets for their gin bar next door. Once we settled in and decided to take on the hills it was game time with the first question “Did you bring a stroller?”

This was the second major pain point that Martinhal solved. THEY PROVIDE YOU WITH A FREE STROLLER TO USE! And it’s important to mention this wasn’t just a dinky little stroller, they have a small fleet of about 5-7 jogger strollers that can take on the hills and bumps of the close-to-vertical streets in Lisbon. After using their strollers to get around we need to invest in one back at home in Tampa.

Here is an action shot of Scooch with Charlie in laid-back zombie mode in the awesome Martinhal stroller:

After about two days we needed to change rooms and they accommodated the request easily and quickly. BOTH of the rooms we were in over the 7 days had a freshly cleaned pack-and-play ready for Charlie to sleep in. This was pain point number 3 that Martinhal solved for parents.

We stayed at Martinhal Lisbon Chiado Luxury Hotel & Apartments for a full 7 days and it was truly a remarkable experience on all fronts. The concierge helped make MULTIPLE lists for us of great family-friendly restaurants, called us cabs, and always provided tips for sights to go see. We did Alfama and made the trip out to Sintra to hike around the castles with their awesome stroller.

Here is our panoramic shot of the street view from outside our window:

We booked the deluxe Deluxe Apartment for 7 days with 2 Bedrooms (2 Adults + 4 Children) and it was somewhere around $1,900 for the entire week. 1000% worth it given the 3 key pain points it solved and how easy the staff made everything. Think about the stress involved with those 3 questions all parents ask themselves before traveling. That alone is worth more than half the cost to stay here in our opinion. Also for the more budget sensitive (even though this is still cost-effective with DOLLAR/EURO), they have a lot of different room options as well. BOOK EARLY if you are going to be attending Web Summit.

The Deluxe apartment we stayed in had a full kitchen with all appliances, 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, a tub with separate shower, a washer/dryer, sleeps 6 people, 99 sq meters, free breakfast, a safe, and the final surprise … SOUNDPROOF ROOMS.

We wanted to save that the rooms are soundproof for the end because that is something we’ve never seen before. It’s really comforting to know that nobody can hear the chaos before bedtime or the screaming for ice cream. LOVE THIS FEATURE and everyone should acknowledge how awesome soundproof hotel rooms for families are.

10/10 recommend you stay here over any other hotel in Lisbon if you have kids or… if you want to have a soundproof room in a bustling city.

Love,
Scooch & Steve