AlmaLusa Baixa/Chiado

If you ever wonder why you’re seeing so many mentions of Portugal in the travel press these days — well, it’s because of hotels like AlmaLusa Baixa/Chiado, a fantastically stylish boutique hotel built in a heritage building that began its life in the 17th century as the city’s arsenal. Simply put, if they keep opening hotels like this, we’re going to keep on writing about them. That’s just how this works.

The location seems an odd one, at first glance, for an ultra-hip design hotel — the Praça de Munícipio square is historic but not exactly a hipster neighborhood. But sometimes the best hotels make an oddball setting their own, and that’s what’s happening here. AlmaLusa’s designer, Giano Gonçalves, let the constraints of this protected landmark building guide him, and the result beautifully spans centuries, with period architectural details comfortably coexisting with the latest technology, the whole thing a timeless, eclectic, uncategorizable fantasy.

And what it might otherwise miss out on thanks to its unusual location — that is, interaction with the city — is provided by Delfina, the all-day restaurant, serving Portuguese brasserie-style cuisine and local wines. Here guests mix with locals, and you begin your day with local pastries and end it with typically Portuguese seafood. (It’s worth mentioning that the food magazines are in a similar situation to the travel press vis-à-vis Portugal, if that helps you imagine your meals.