Heritage Av Liberdade

Mr & Mrs Smith have just returned from a stay at this Lisbon boutique hotel, and just as soon as they've unpacked their swimwear, trainers and fado CDs, a full account of their luxury city break in Portugal will be with you. In the meantime, just to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside Heritage Av Liberdade…

Miguel Câncio Martins’ renovation of this blissful-blue hotel won it a place on Condé Nast Traveler’s 2007 Hot List and a Historic Rehabilitation Prize from the 2008 Portuguese Real State Oscars. Tradition and modernity mix in the lobby, and the atmosphere is laid-back and lovely; a 19th-century Hermetica Herb Shop counter stands proud, surrounded by squashy sofas; a curving skeletal staircase, an apocalyptic print with vivid splashes of blue and orange, and traditional hand-painted tiles with a geometric print are mirrored in the saffron-coloured cushions. The caramel-and-spice colour palette adds warmth to the space; equally soothing are the muted liquid-gold tones of the hotel’s basement pool, with its sprawling painted wall-mural and towel-topped loungers. Active types have the fitness centre at their fingertips and for bookworms, there’s the hotel library. Charming bedrooms, with their glossy wooden floors, brown-bronze tones, majestic beds and pretty bathrooms will make it difficult to bid your boudoir goodbye.

That said, with all of lovely Lisbon lingering outside your window, there’s no excuse for a hotel hermitage. The Avenida da Liberdade location places you right in the city’s upscale centre, with high-end shops, gourmet-gorging and all the main attractions a mere stroll away.