SLEEP
LISBON
Portugal’s capital has taken its growing popularity with city-breakers in its stride — antique trams rattle on, fado folk musicians still sing mournfully in low-lit bars and bakers continue to turn out flaky pasteis de nata. But the influx of visitors has quickened the city’s pulse; Portuguese chefs are pushing boundaries and artisans are opening new gallery spaces. Meanwhile, hoteliers are flexing their creativity too, putting lesser-known neighbourhoods like Lapa, Amoreiras and Príncipe Real on the map. The past five years have seen a proliferation of bold hotel openings, from renovated Benedictine convents to game-changing apartments.
WORDS: AMELIA DUGGAN
ALL RATES QUOTED ARE FOR STANDARD DOUBLES, ROOM ONLY, UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED. IMAGES: AWL IMAGES; FRANCISCO NOGUEIRA
Best for urban explorers
£ £ £
THE IVENS
Dazzling in its maximalism, The Ivens’ showpiece, two-tier reception area is staged like the drawing room of a 19th-century gentleman collector. Tropical curios decorate cabinets, while doormen in starched ecru tailoring look ready to sail down the Zambezi. This is the concept, of course: a homage to early Portuguese adventurer Roberto Ivens who delighted in the flora and fauna of Southern Africa. If, from the grave, Ivens were alarmed to discover a palatial 86-roomand-suite hotel had been erected in his honour in chichi Chiado, then a night dining in Rocco, the hotel’s Jazz Age-style bar and restaurant, would likely smooth things over. The city’s great and good make pilgrimages here for negronis and decadent Italian fare —including a now-famous deconstructed tiramisu. Elegant white bedrooms are studies in understatement —a refreshing point of contrast to the playful opulence splashed across the hotel’s lower levels.