Mr & Mrs Smith

Mr & Mrs Smith have just returned from a stay at this luxury boutique hotel in Lisbon, and just as soon as they've unpacked their art deco design manual, sketch pad and designer acquisitions, a full account of their city break in Portugal will be with you. In the meantime, just to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside Hotel Britania…

Step into Hotel Britania’s gleaming, glittering lobby and you’ll be immediately impressed with its sense of luxury, history and style. It’s an opulent space bedecked in milky marble and punctuated with charcoal grey trim, full of curves and angles. The sculpted gold chandelier complements the skeletal form of the Scarface-esque golden globe and round-topped chairs, circular windows; while the glossy reception desk and the front door’s curving form contrast with the angular lines of sleek tables, rectangular lifts and the stripes and patterns in the bar’s floor and furnishings. You will need to linger here a while to appreciate the art deco decor; a tribute to the hotel’s original 1940s beginnings, when its modernism and magnificence reflected Portugal’s economic boom and hope in the Estada Novo (Second Republic). Part hotel, part mini-museum, it is even home to a preserved barbershop with green leather swivel chairs – a beautiful and fascinating survivor from bygone days.