Hotel Heritage Av.Liberdade in Lisbon – a luxury boutique hotel

Our second visit to Lisbon was very much enhanced by a stay at the gorgeous Hotel Heritage Av Liberdade. My first visit was as a child on one of my family trips around Europe, but there was no such luxury on that occasion as we we camped every summer.

My mother reminds me that we all had our photos taken in front of what must be the most recognizable sculpture in Portugal at the Padrão dos Descobrimentos or Monument to the Discoveries at Belem and I’m sure that we must have tasted at least one of those delicious Pasteis de Nata custard tarts.

I’m pleased that my children occasionally get a taste of staying in a nice hotel, combined with the odd camping trip, apartment or hostels to give them a broad experience of travel in all its forms.

I’ll tell you up front that I was there at the invitation of Mr & Mrs Smith to write a review for their boutique hotel site – but this is one hotel that it was pure pleasure to write about.

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Appreciating a luxury hotel

For our visit, the Christmas lights were up and we were in a festive mood. That washed out turquoise frontage made me think of those distinctive Tiffany gift boxes, with some delectable piece of jewelry inside. Indeed a similar building along the road had Christmas lights in the shape of ribbons wrapped around it!

As we entered the hotel, we stepped down from street level in to a warm and welcoming space, decorated in spicy colours of cinnamon and saffron. It was a stylish, modern scene but one with a nod to the old traditions of Lisbon with the blue and white Azulejo tiles on the wall.

Tables and flooring were in dark wood with an Eastern feel, as if inspired by the travels of the great Portuguese explorers like Vasco da Gama who established trade routes to Mozambique and Kerala.

Just inside the door was an old herbalist’s counter, taken from a shop down the backstreets of Lisbon. Now it was filled with tins of loose specialty teas, from which you could make your choice to brew up something delicious and fragrant.

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More of the hotel

The hotel is full of interesting individual touches. The lift is paved with the same black and white stone mosaic that you find on the boulevard outside. A huge photo-realistic Narnia-esque picture with bright blue turrets and waterfalls is on display in the lobby, where a complimentary glass of port is offered on arrival.

The hotel’s large downstairs bar area is perfect for lounging around. There’s no restaurant, which you may find no hardship, as Lisbon is packed with interesting choices to eat.

In the backstreets just down the road, we enjoyed our first evening at the Casa do Alentejo with hearty traditional cooking surrounded by more blue and white tiles. Up in Chiado I’ll recommend the beer and seafood at Cervejaria Trinidade, on the site of the oldest brewery in Lisbon.

Our bedroom at Hotel Heritage Av. Liberdade

And so we took the lift up to our 5th floor room, reading the snippets of poetry about Lisbon and along the dimly lit corridor. Our room on the corner of the hotel overlooked the terracotta rooftops with a distant view of the Castelo de Sao Jorge on the hill.

The room was modern with luxurious caramel tones of silks and velvets, a leather chaise longue and mirrored wardrobes.

The bathroom was traditional in style incorporating more of the Portuguese painted tiles as well plenty of fluffy monogrammed towels.

It was a lovely room (No 54 if you must know) from which to soak up the charm of old Lisbon. From our bed we could watch the elevator funicular slowly chug up the steep hill and be woken by the church bells from the dome behind the hotel.

Sightseeing on a weekend

Saturday in Lisbon was spent taking in the major sites, jumping on and off trams. We admired the carved stonework in the Monasterio de Jeronimus and took afternoon tea Portuguese style below the Castelo de Sao Jorge with our new Hospitality club friends, Sergio and Marco.

The hotel is perfectly placed for sightseeing in the flat downtown area from which you can stroll either down through elegant squares to the waterfront or up the steep hills to the Castelo. Or try the trendy Chiado district and the nightlife of the Bairro Alto with narrow streets packed with bars and restaurants.

On Sunday morning, wanting to enjoy everything the hotel could possibly offer (for review purposes of course) we took a dip in the small pool in the basement, overlooked by a mural of Sepia bathing beauties from the 1920s, then lounged around on the day beds.

I’d recommend the Hotel Heritage Av Liberdade for it’s warm and welcoming atmosphere and extremely friendly staff. The stylish interiors show an appreciation of the charm and heritage of Lisbon reworked for modern tastes. The hotel is perfect for a short but relaxing break in Lisbon, and ideally located to venture out and enjoy the best of the city.

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Conserveira de Lisboa – discover this Portuguese sardine shop in Lisbon
Pasteis de Belem in Lisbon – the delicious taste of Portugal
Visiting the Monastery of Jeronimos in Lisbon
A weekend in Lisbon – Podcast

Hotels in Lisbon – Heritage Avenida Liberdade

 Book for Heritage Avenida Liberdade | More Hotels in Lisbon

Plan your trip to Lisbon

On this trip I used the DK Top 10 travel guide to Lisbon which is a pocket sized guide that’s ideal for sightseeing if you’re there for a short time.

I received a complimentary* stay at Hotel Heritage Liberdade, Lisbon, in order to write a review for Mr & Mrs Smith Hotels.

* More info on my policies page

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com

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