Farol Design Hotel

On the marina in the historic heart of Cascais, the upscale western suburb of Lisbon, a nineteenth-century manor house and a neighboring lighthouse have been painstakingly renovated, converted into a contemporary-style design hotel, complete with all the expected trappings: a Mediterranean fusion restaurant and thirty-four rooms in a fashionable modern style, eleven of them individually decorated, each by a different moonlighting fashion designer.

The house style is a familiar blend of white walls, platform beds, hardwood floors and sleek minimal furnishings, the kind of look that’s just elegant enough, but stays out of the way of the views. From this rocky outcrop by the marina, you’re quite literally a stone’s throw from the water — with a good throw from your bedroom window you could probably toss your Molton Brown conditioner into the sea, if the thought possessed you. Upper-floor rooms are particularly dramatic, with full-length windows opening onto balconies above the rocks.

Many rooms come with whirlpool baths, and there’s a saltwater swimming pool and a massage facility at your service. An excellent Mediterranean fusion restaurant and a sushi bar see to your gustatory needs, and the nightlife comes in two speeds — classic lobby lounge and sensory-overload nightclub. Minutes from the Cascais city center and the beach, and half an hour from Lisbon.

How to get there:
Farol Design Hotel is located 23km from Lisbon International Airport and a five-minute walk from the center of Cascais and the central train station that connects to Lisbon.