As you approach the attractive building, Hotel Estoril (and Residence Cardeal, where we stayed) look inviting, but the establishment gradually lets itself down in a lot of small ways which annoy and frustrate. But it's possible to put yourself in a frame of mind just to shrug your shoulders and accept whatever's going. Overall we enjoyed our stay.
Good bits:
>short journey from and to airport
>little traffic noise, quiet place, few guests on site (many were apparently working on the island)
>the hotel was clean (though some parts.. eg reception.. were dustily cluttered), as was the room overall, but it didn't really appear so as many of the fittings looked weary and in need of replacement
>inviting restaurant ("Cafe del Mar") (evenings), with excellent menu and good service [see Bad bits for breakfast and lunch]
>nearish to the beach (which was hidden behind other buildings) and the town centre with shops, restaurants and banks
Bad bits:
>reception is a bit hit or miss; some confusion with amount to pay in Escudos/Euros/cash/credit card (charge was levied for card use (3.5%?)); the hotel seems to prefer (cash) Escudos, which you'll probably have to get from an ATM at one of the several nearby banks
>Booking.com's (and now we see other Agent's) description of the room is inaccurate where most rooms are described as having a private terrace or balcony. NO ROOM HAS ANY TERRACE OR BALCONY EXCEPT THE SUITES ON THE 3rd FLOOR. We had booked an apartment, and on being shown to it could not see the balcony we thought we had booked. We returned to reception to enquire. Eventually we settled on upgrading ourselves to a suite (fortunately, said the manager, one had recently been vacated. Hm.) This cost us an extra £25/30 a night, because we really didn't want to be confined indoors for a week. To be ultra fair, it should be said that outside the apartment's front door was an area in permanent shade (sometimes with a hammock and chairs) which at a large stretch could be called a terrace but certainly not a private one: all the front doors (with front areas) of the apartments on that floor are visible, as presumably yours would be to the residents of those apartments. We haven't found Estoril's description of its rooms to see if it makes the same claim (about private terraces/balconies) as the Agents mentioned; the photos of balconies we saw before booking show the suite balconies
>the suite balcony overlooked the roof of another part of the hotel and a dormant building site, not the sea as mentioned somewhere (one of the other suites...not offered to us...might be luckier)
>the balcony was windy, but this is not the Hotel's fault
>there was a lingering smell of sewage at the ground floor of the stairwell
>the chambermaids (who also lingered at the foot of the stairwell, where their cleaning kit was kept...urgency doesn't seem to be one of their priorities) gazed at you in a mildly hostile fashion as you left for the beach, though this changed after we had smiled at them for three consecutive mornings
>only one pillow per person was offered, with no extras in the wardrobe (usual arrangement), but this was fixed fairly quickly
>the safe didn't work, but was fixed within 24 hours (and after a reminder to the manager, who opened it and gave us new batteries so we could fix the problem ourselves)
>the toilet tank often took an hour to refill
>the lights over all three of the external doors had failed, but we didn't bother to bring this to anyone's attention because we thought it would probably take more than a week to get fixed (clearly no one takes the trouble to make a thorough check of the rooms from time to time)
>the assistant manager (who was occasionally at reception) was all but comatose during the day but seemed to regain energy when working in the evening as a waiter in the restaurant
>the fly screen doors don't lock into place (important at night we thought)
>the front door would only stay closed if it was fully locked
>no kettle was provided in the kitchen; plates, utensils were only sparsely provided and of very cheap quality
>the hotel suffered a powercut for 3 or 4 hours one morning (not the hotel's fault, but they don't have a standby generator like some of their neighbours); this meant no lighting (it was a dark cloudy morning) and, more important, no water supply. The assistant manager remained comatose when asked for information
>we had read earlier visitors' comments on breakfasts at the restaurant before leaving home; we agree with them, and felt some of the comments were generous; well worth avoiding; instead visit the Italian patisserie a couple of hundred metres away for a good coffee and croissant cheerfully served (we noticed the Estoril's manager having his morning coffee here); not clear if lunch is served: we never saw any clients in the restaurant at lunchtime, and we didn't bother to ask if lunch was available. Good lunch available at the beach restaurants three hundred metres away
>our apartment overall gave the impression of fatigue; the paint on the walls was just too slapdash/amateurish; cheap fittings had been installed in the kitchen and bathroom and after only a few years were wilting (probably from the humidity)
>the whole establishment needs an owner who is not afraid to spend money on the place and on staff training to bring it up to a professional standard; he/she will then need to spend all his/her waking day keeping an eagle eye on everything to ensure standards don't revert to below average

The whole hotel is nice and clean but they dont have hot water and its hard to speak with non english staff. Location is very nice, close to the beach where Boa Vista social club is great, and close to the main part of the city.

awful week in truly poor hotel with rjgid beds,fraying curtains filthy shower with hot water which lasted only a few minutes.The wifi never worked all week,the towels were filthy and the Italian owner made us pay inflated charges because he held our passports.Do not stay here.