Memmo Alfama

Style

White and wonderful

Setting

Old town on the Tagus

Steps from São Jorge Castle and the River Tagus, Memmo Alfama hotel was once a shoe polish factory. It’s certainly scrubbed up well: sleek decor, bold street art and a see-and-be-seen terraced pool bar make this white and breezy townhouse a laid-back Lisbon bolthole.

Facilities

Rooms

42, including one suite.

Checkout

Noon. Earliest check-in, 3pm. Both are flexible, subject to availability.

More Details

Rates include a buffet breakfast of fresh fruits, pastries, cold meats and cheeses, as well as a selection of hot dishes such as eggs, bacon and crepes.

Also

Local street artist Vhils (a young, Portuguese Banksy) has left his mark on the building’s façade with a striking large-scale portrait of a former resident. Inside, housed in what was once a bakery, the library is stocked with books on Lisbon’s history.

Fitness Center

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Room Service

At the Hotel

Lounge, library, terrace, fitness room with free weights and a trio of cardio machines, free WiFi throughout. In rooms: flatscreen TV, minibar, Saboaria Portugueza toiletries.

Our Favourite Rooms

Alfama Superior Room 8 has a small balcony with fantastic vistas over the river. Under the eaves, the spacious Mansard Junior Suite makes up for limited views with a killer bathroom. If it's a room with a view you want, rooms 33 and 22 have vistas of both the river and city. Bedrooms are fresh and clean-lined, with wide lime-washed floorboards, crisp white linens and deliciously comfortable beds stacked high with plump, inviting pillows. The bathrooms – all polished concrete floors, sleek infinity sinks and huge rain showers – have an equally seductive edge.

Poolside

Lined with iridescent red tiles, the unheated infinity pool is sleek but bijou – just the right size to dip a perfectly manicured toe in. Order poolside drinks on the decked terrace and take in those postcard-worthy views over the River Tagus.

Packing Tips

Don’t even think about heels: leather sandals will fare much better on Lisbon’s slippery cobbled hills. Pick up a vintage tin at the flea market to fill with golden custard tarts before your flight home.

Also

One of the Alfama rooms on the ground floor is equipped for disabled guests. Smokers can indulge on the terrace only.

Children

Leave the children at home: Memmo Alfama is an adults-only stay, welcoming guests age 16 and over.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

If you can’t help whispering sweet nothings over your morning pastries, nab a couple of brown leather bucket seats at one of the tables for two.

Dress Code

Something crisp and comfortable to explore the city; cool cottons and elegant flats will do the trick.

Hotel Restaurant

None, but breakfast in served in the Living Room, a laid-back Scandinavian-inspired space gently lit by a light well in the ceiling from the terrace above. Take a seat at the long communal wooden table and help yourself from the buffet and the Smeg fridge, well stocked with milk, juice and yoghurts. After breakfast, the Wine Bar has a tapas menu for the peckish; put up your feet on the terrace and snack on plates of Portuguese ham croquettes, octopus salad and tender veal loin.

Hotel Bar

You’ll find a scattering of Carrara marble tables and a wall of local wines, ports and champagnes at the Wine Bar, but the real action is outside: walk through the sliding glass doors and pick a spot on the poolside terrace. Head for the furthest deck, flanked by glass barriers, for the best views of the higgledy-piggledy jumble of red-roofed houses tumbling down to the riverfront.

Last Orders

Breakfast is served from 7.30am to 11am. The bar’s small plates are served until 10pm.

Room Service

The Wine Bar’s tapas menu is available until 11pm.

Planes

The closest airport is Lisbon International, a 20-minute drive from the hotel, with flights to many destinations in Europe, particularly in the summer months from June to September.

Trains

Santa Apolónia station, a 10-minute drive from the hotel, serves CP trains to major Portuguese cities such as Oporto, Coimbra, Aveiro and Faro.

Automobiles

The hotel is well served by public transport and there’s plenty to explore on foot in Memmo Alfama’s neighbourhood, so you may not need your own set of wheels. If you’re planning on exploring further afield, the hotel is an easy drive from the cathedral square; go along the left side of the cathedral and take the second street on the right, Travessa das Merceeiras: Memmo Alfama is at the very end of the cobbled alley. Public parking near the hotel costs €20 a day including valet parking (from 9am to 5pm); it’s best to drop your bags off at the hotel first.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Spend your days gently meandering down charming neighbourhood paths: Alfama is a labyrinth of mediaeval alleyways, tiny plazas and hidden staircases. Stop to marvel at the city’s most iconic landmarks, the Sé Cathedral and the imposing São Jorge Castle. Nearby Chiado and Bairro Alto are excellent for shopping; pick up a pair of butter-soft leather gloves at Luvaria Ulisses. No Lisbon visit could be complete without a tour on the trundling tram 28, or a refuelling pit-stop at Pastéis de Belém for velvety custard tarts, just round the corner from the architectural splendour of the Jerónimos Monastery and the fairytale Belém Tower. Embark on your own treasure hunt at the Feira da Ladra (the ‘thieves market’, now a bustling and perfectly legal affair) to pick up some quirky one-of-a-kind souvenirs, or wind down from a day of sightseeing with a walk along the sparkling stretch of the River Tagus.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .