sushanna1

Pjay I should have been clearer. There is at least one hotel within easy walking distance of the airport. I don't know whether there is a hotel "at" the airport.

The _Banking_Scot

Hi,

I do not think there is a hotel 'at' the airport but the airport site has 2 hotels very close by

Hotel Stay Inn ( 5min walk)
Hotel Tryp aeroporto ( 10 min walk)

Regards

TBS

Pjay

That is very helpful information with the early morning flight schedules that prevail going west from LIS.

Thank you for taking the time to post!

LCY8737

Few thoughts on this as a fairly regular Portugal traveller:

• TAP is not nearly as bad as it's image. They have a range of new long haul aircraft with lie flat seats. The service is a little rough around the edges and the food is a little ethnic (think cod and prawns with everything), but overall I kind of like them.
• Any connection in Europe essentially will mean backtracking as you overshoot Portugal by quite a bit. And European business class is basically Economy with a meal, so it is an extra connection and not a great experience.
• Another option into Portugal would be Porto (OPO), flights from EWR. It's a lovely town and if you plan on travelling around anyway not a detour.

Other than that, enjoy your time there, it is an amazing place. Have you made any detailed plans yet?

FlyerTalker324193

The long-haul equipment is alright since they've got rid of those dreadful A340-300's, some of which were 30+ years old and featured a J cabin not refurbished in ages.

However, I do feel quite strongly that the legacy airlines from the Iberian peninsula (TP, IB, and UX) feature the worst short-haul product in Europe. Even FR has considerably better seat pitch and more comfortable seats than TP.

mario

Lisbon is one of the few cities where I wouldn't recommend a hotel based on its proximity to the airport. The airport is very close to the city centre, so most hotels are a 10-15 minutes ride away.

Pjay

Thank you / obrigada for the thoughtful message, since I am not st all familiar with TAP.

Mainly the complaints I have read have to do with cancellation and refunds, not service on board. What has your experience been with scheduling?

Almost all the airlines now seem to be changing schedules frequently. The Wall Street Journal said most far off schedules now are placeholders for the airlines and the real schedules appear 6-8 weeks out.

You are right about backtracking!

Thank you for the suggestion of Porto, which I had not known about.

I am still trying to make my plans. So far on the list: Aveiro and Tarouca where friends live, same with Alezjur, Penamacor area, Marvão, Serra da Estrella, Madeira. I’m very open to suggestions!

Thank you again!

LCY8737

TAPs call centre seems a little unorganized. A rebooking due to a schedule change is not a problem, but will usually require you being passed on to a different agent once or twice. I also had two cancelled flights where I asked for a refund that they denied, but that was sorted with one call to the credit card company to dispute the transaction.
If you are using points you may not even have to deal with TAP directly because your booking may be handled by whoever manages your points program.

Lisbon and Porto have a lot to do/see. The area stretching from Lisbon to the Atlantic coast (Cascais, Sintra) is also pretty good. If you are into waves then Nazare is a must see (there is an underwater canyon that routinely produces monster waves that you can watch from a light house).
Madeira is absolutely beautiful, but pretty far out in the Atlantic. Also it is a bit of a geriatric hotspot. My last flight there, about a third of the cabin were Brits in their 80s.

Palal

Nazaré waves are a thing only in the late fall/winter, sometimes early spring, so if you're there in late spring to early fall - don't expect anything crazy.