A Review of Thomar Boutique Hotel, One of the Best Places to Stay in Tomar
Thomar Boutique Hotel is an excellent option for guests planning to spend a night in Tomar. It has a great location right next to the Municipal Market and Mouchao Park, while still being just across the river from the old town. Besides the location, the rooms here are elegant, modern and exactly what someone might need for one restful night in one of Portugal’s smaller towns.
But those aren’t even the best parts. The best part of Thomar Boutique Hotel is the stunning view of Tomar’s medieval old town and the Convent of Christ overlooking town. The very affordable price for a night here is well worth it just to while away some time at the rooftop lounge as you take in that view.
To find out more about Thomar Boutique Hotel and whether it’s the right hotel for you, keep reading for my review of our stay!
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Initial Impressions of Thomar Boutique Hotel
At first glance, Thomar Boutique Hotel seemed like a fairly generic hotel without much to look at from the street. So, I wasn’t expecting much as we unloaded our car.
Thomar Boutique Hotel is much different from the inside. The lobby is simple yet elegantly sleek, with modern seating for visitors seeking a rest from their travels. Throughout the day, the hotel offers snacks and water for guests. This area also doubles as the breakfast area if you choose to have your first meal of the day at Thomar Boutique Hotel.
Checking in was simple. The woman at the front was helpful, kind and quick during the check-in process. She was also extremely professional and patient. The group before us was challenging, to say the least, but you’d have never known it from listening to how calm she was while helping them.
Another interesting part of Thomar Boutique Hotel is how each floor has a different theme. The different themes are the Roman Era, Templar Era, Age of Discovery and Industrial Era. It’s a nice nod to Tomar’s rich history while also providing interesting variety in the hotel’s decor.
Thomar Boutique Hotel’s Rooftop Bar
Easily the best part of Thomar Boutique Hotel is its rooftop bar. I’d go as far as saying the rooftop bar was even one of my favorite parts of all of Tomar.
Thomar Boutique Hotel’s rooftop bar offers guests perhaps the best view of Tomar in town. From here, you have an uninterrupted view of the Convent of Christ nestled majestically on the hill overlooking town. Besides the convent and its associated castle, you can also see the Church of St John the Baptist’s bell tower among all the pretty rooftops of Tomar’s old town.
To make the views more enjoyable, Thomar Boutique Hotel provides guests with a range of seating options, beverages, snacks and board games. Various cocktails, wine and beer can be purchased for around €4 based on an honor system that adds the price onto your bill at checkout.
One thing to take note of is that it can get very hot when the afternoon sun is hitting the rooftop. Fortunately, a large portion of the rooftop bar is under shelter, so you should still be able comfortably enjoy the views.
Our Room in the Industrial Era
We had a room on the Era Industrial floor of the hotel. This floor’s rooms are decorated with simple, bold colors and straight lines, giving them a more contemporary feel than the other floors of the hotel. It was a nice, if somewhat abrupt, change of pace from the other accommodations we stayed at in Portugal.
Inside our room was a large, comfortable bed; two small nightstands with convenient bedside power outlets (a feature that wasn’t always present where we stayed in Portugal); a small writing desk; and a closet. Rooms also have a wall-mounted TV, a favorite of our daughters while we were scrambling to get ready to leave Tomar.
My highlight of our room was the small balcony facing Tomar’s old town and the Convent of Christ. It didn’t quite match the comfort and ambience of the rooftop lounge, but it was nice to be able to admire Tomar from the privacy of our room. The balcony was also a good way to let in some natural light.
Our room was also very quiet. Thomar Boutique Hotel only has several rooms per floor, so it isn’t an especially crowded hotel, which helps to make it a quiet and relaxing stay. Even with the balcony door open, we still had minimal noise from the outside.
The attached bathroom was spacious and well lit during the day by a large skylight above the walk-in shower. Thomar Boutique Hotel provides guests with higher-end bathroom conveniences, like shampoo, body wash and conditioner.
A Perfect Location Near Old Town
Thomar Boutique Hotel’s location couldn’t be much better. To start with, it’s just across the river from Tomar’s Old Town. You might think you want to stay directly in the old town, but in Tomar’s case, I don’t think you should.
That might seem counterintuitive. There are a couple reasons you should pick Thomar Boutique Hotel’s location over something right in Tomar’s historic center. The first is the scene from the rooftop bar. Staying in the old town means you won’t get that view with all the old buildings, the church tower and the Convent of Christ atop the hill.
With Thomar Boutique Hotel’s excellent location, you’re also right next door to Tomar’s Municipal Market and Mouchão Park. Both are nice local spots worth checking out, especially when they’re basically right outside the front door of the hotel.
Thomar Boutique Hotel’s location has one potential drawback: parking. The hotel doesn’t have a parking lot for guests. There is a large public parking lot next to the hotel, but because it’s public, you aren’t guaranteed a spot. We were fortunate that someone was leaving just as we arrived or else we’d have been out of luck.
Breakfast at Thomar Boutique Hotel
Thomar Boutique Hotel offers breakfast for an additional fee. We skipped breakfast since we were only at the hotel for one morning, which coincided with Tomar’s big Friday market. However, the cheap price and convenience of breakfast here made it a difficult option to pass up.
I snuck a quick peek at the breakfast spread, and what I saw was promising. The dining room at Thomar Boutique Hotel is a sleek, modern space with several tables for guests. More importantly, the spread looked appetizing. It was your standard European breakfast buffet, with various deli meats, pastries, breads, fruit, eggs, bacon and more. Standard doesn’t mean bad, though. It looked tasty and online reviews generally attest to that.
Guests can also pick up small snacks and flavored water throughout the day from the lobby. The day we were checking in, they had small pastéis de nata. They weren’t fresh by the time I gave them a try, but they were still a nice enough treat, especially considering they were free.
Would I Stay at Thomar Boutique Hotel Again?
It’s a no-brainer that I would stay at Thomar Boutique Hotel again if I were visiting Tomar. This hotel is one of the nicest I’ve been in at this price point. It feels like it should be more expensive. I imagine it would be much pricier if it were in a city like Lisbon or Porto.
Regardless of its affordability, Thomar Boutique Hotel is a solid hotel. From the impressive rooftop views to the simple yet comfortable room, I enjoyed everything about our stay here.
I absolutely would not pass up a chance at staying here if you’re staying a night in Tomar during your time in Portugal!
Frequently Asked Questions About Thomar Boutique Hotel
How much does it cost to stay at Thomar Boutique Hotel?
One of the most surprising parts of staying at Thomar Boutique Hotel is its affordable price. Rooms start as low as €90 per night! That’s a huge bargain considering the quality of the hotel and its proximity to Tomar’s historic center.
Is Thomar Boutique Hotel child friendly?
It is. We were able to request a crib ahead of time for no extra fee, and it was already set up upon our arrival. Our room was more or less baby-proof, insofar as hotel rooms go. With Mouchão Park nearby, we even had quick access to a playground for our daughter. While the playground wasn’t age-appropriate for our 13-month-old who hadn’t mastered walking yet, it still gave her a place to crawl around and practice being on her feet.
What is there to do near Thomar Boutique Hotel?
The #1 thing people visit Tomar for is the Convent of Christ. It’s the large fortification on the top of the hill that can be seen from all around Tomar, and it’s something you shouldn’t miss. Other things to see in town are the old Jewish synagogue, the Matchbook Museum, the Municipal Market, and the Pegoes Aqueduct. You can also go further afield to see Fatima, Batalha Monastery and Almourol Castle.
Is it worth staying overnight in Tomar?
Yes, but only if you have a day to spare during your time in Portugal. We made a full 24 hours of it by first visiting Almourol Castle about 30 minutes south of Tomar. After that, we drove into Tomar and explored town. The next morning, we visited the weekly Friday market and then made our way up to the Convent of Christ before it got too crowded. It was a pleasant and relaxing time in the area.
On the other hand, none of those things, except for the Convent of Christ, are must-see sights that warrant a full day and night. We stopped here because we had 12 days in Portugal and planned to use this time as a bit of a break. You could easily do Tomar as a day trip if that’s all your itinerary allows and you really want to see the Convent of Christ.
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