by Mary Lussiana, The Telegraph, October 24, 2019
There is authentic, genuine and welcoming hospitality; and a wave of new and affordable hotels along cobbled streets and flanking bougainvillea-clad squares, all of which brim with a sense of place. These hotels may be budget but they don’t feel like it. Apart from the Tryp Hotel for early airport departures, they are all converted houses in charming neighbourhoods and offer an authentically Portuguese experience, be it an antique-filled palace or a 17th-century house. For Lisbon, unlike so much of the world, has not gone global: it remains resolutely Portuguese, looking out to sea, with its back to the rest of Europe and its identity intact. Here's our pick of the best budget hotels in Lisbon.
Memmo Alfama Lisbon, Portugal
8Telegraph expert rating
This 42-room hotel lies within the Kasbah-like lanes that make up Moorish Alfama. Expect some of the city’s best views of Alfama’s characteristic church spires and red roofs from its sleek terrace, with inset pool, which also overlooks the Tagus River. Friendly service includes a free daily guided-walk around Alfama’s narrow streets, and a well-stocked library with books on Lisbon. Rooms are pleasingly simple and some overlook the river. Breakfast offers typical cakes and pastries such as pasteis de nata, while the Wine Bar offers satisfying regional fare including croquettes of Portuguese ham and a fillet steak sandwich. Read expert review. From £140 per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
Casa Balthazar Lisbon, Portugal
9Telegraph expert rating
Buried in the tiny streets of Chiado, this small whitewashed house offers tranquility from the bustle of the city which its 17 rooms look onto, with views stretching across the red roofs and up to the castle on the skyline. Casa Balthazar has been in the same family since 1829, but only opened as a b&b in 2012. Its rooms, decorated with antiques, are filled with a homely atmosphere that's enhanced by fresh flowers like bright orange birds of paradise. Breakfast comes fresh each day from the patisserie Confeiraria Nacional, and includes warm croissants, and just-out-of-the oven bread. Read expert review. From £145 per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
LX Boutique Hotel Lisbon, Portugal
9Telegraph expert rating
This hip, blue-fronted hotel led the way for the millennial crowd when it opened in 2010 with its affordable prices and location in Cais de Sodre, one of Lisbon's up and coming areas. It has expanded since then to offer 68 clean-lined and sleek rooms with wooden floors, warm blue walls and glossy blue tiled shower rooms. Some have French windows and river views; others are tucked under the loft with sloping ceilings and white shutters. The restaurant is open all day and is run by the Confraria group, long acclaimed for their Japanese cooking: try their Californian rolls, shrimp tempura and gyozas. Read expert review. From £97 per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
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Palacio Ramalhete Lisbon, Portugal
9Telegraph expert rating
This attractive 18th-century palace delivers a real feel of authentic Lisbon, with its rich interior detail, flower-filled courtyards and literary past as home to the Maia family, immortalised in Eҁa de Queiroz’s 19th-century classic Os Maias. You'll find beautifully preserved stucco ceilings, hand-painted blue and yellow azulejos (tiles) and even a mysterious secret passage between the first and second floors. The rooms are completely individual, with some radiating off courtyards and others within internal corridors. There is also a small, heated outdoor pool in the shade of a huge palm tree with far-reaching views over the Tagus River. Read expert review. From £127 per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
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York House Lisboa Lisbon, Portugal
8Telegraph expert rating
This small hotel is named after two enterprising women from Yorkshire who ran it back in the 1880s. It now offers 37 rooms, reached via steep, stone stairs, in a quiet residential part of Lisbon. The hotel is brimming with quirky, independent style but still retains a sense of the building’s history. Portuguese tiles, wood panelling, shabby chic furnishings all add to the old fashioned charm. Swing in a hammock in the courtyard, delve into a book under a parasol or wait until the courtyard is floodlit at night to enjoy a glass of crisp Portuguese wine from the hotel’s excellent wine list. Read expert review. From £115 per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
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Jeronimos 8 Belém, Lisbon, Portugal
8Telegraph expert rating
This futuristic family-friendly hotel, across a palm-fringed lawn from the Jeronimos monastery, is in stark contrast to its Colonial-era surrounds in one of Lisbon’s most historic neighbourhoods, Belém, and fantastic value for money too. The clean and minimalist look is continued into the bedrooms, which feature marble bathrooms, and sometimes monastery views. An all-organic breakfast of fresh fruits, homemade yogurts and pastries is served on the outdoor patio, and there is also a bar showcasing Portuguese wines. Do look out for deals: the room rates can drop by over 50 per cent in the winter months and weekdays. Read expert review. From £98 per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
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PortoBay Marquês Lisbon, Portugal
8Telegraph expert rating
While the 72 bedrooms are fairly standard in feel at PortoBay Marquês, the public areas exude cosiness. The entrance lobby combines a bar, with rows of bottles illuminated behind it, while the reception faces a wall lined with books and ornaments; underneath that are sofas and armchairs, plenty of cushions on both, and low lighting which adds to the welcoming feel. There are tables and chairs on the pavement outside the entrance to the hotel, which make a good spot for a coffee or a drink in the sun. Other highlights include the Italian restaurant, which is filled with leafy green plants and upstairs on the rooftop there are sun loungers around a plunge pool. Read expert review. From £88 per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
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TRYP Lisboa Aeroporto Lisbon, Portugal
7Telegraph expert rating
This is a purpose built and functional hotel which delivers what it sets out to do. It’s a comfortable space without any architectural or design frills, although its position next to the airport sets the theme, from rugs designed like runways to model planes suspended from the ceiling. Continuing the travel theme in the spacious rooms, prints behind beds and rugs atop the pale wooden floors display some of the world’s best known landmarks from the Eiffel Tower to Lisbon’s own Praҁa do Comércio. The fitness area comprises a gym and El Spa which houses an indoor and outdoor pool, a whirlpool tub, hydro massage, a Turkish bath and a sauna. Read expert review. From £97 per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
Contributions by Guyan Mitra
Prices cited on Booking.com are subject to change in high season and during popular holidays and events.
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