Lisbon, May 2005

Although unlikely to make any list of the Best Hotels in Lisbon, the Sana chain’s Hotel Rex is an entirely acceptable place to stay – it’s clean, reasonably priced, and it has a charming lobby bar/lounge - but there are several caveats.

To begin with, while the hotel makes much of its location opposite Parque Eduardo VII, the park is actually pretty dull (“monotonous”, is how one of my guidebooks put it). It's basically a long lawn surrounded by a thin border of trees that slopes steeply away from the statue of Marques de Pombal in the roundabout at the end of Avenida Liberdade. You could sun yourself in Parque Eduardo VII, sure, or spend an hour or so reading a book on one of the benches, but there are far better places to do either of these things, for instance in the prettier and livelier park near the Torre de Belem or in one of Lisbon’s myriad sidewalk cafes (only a small sampling of which, unfortunately, are in the Rex's immediate vicinity).

If you’re intent on exploring Lisbon exclusively by walking, staying at The Rex will put your fitness to the test. The hotel is roughly a 15 minute walk (downhill) from the shopping along Avenida Liberdade and 30 minutes from the heart of the Bairro Alto. Once you have a sense of the topography and have had a look at the map, you’ll easily sort out a relatively pleasant route that’ll put you in the center of Lisbon's nightlife. But, no matter where you go or what route you take, the walk home to the Rex, particularly if you’ve had a few Super Bock’s, can be brutal – there’s just no avoiding the climb. It’s a good thing that the Metro (Marques de Pombal) is nearby, and if you can’t bear that, taxis to Bairro Alto, Chiado, even to the new Centro de Congressos de Lisboa along the waterfront, shouldn’t run you more than 4 to 5 euros.

On the positive side of the equation, the Rex’s staff are friendly and helpful, and while the rooms are small-ish many have balconies and they are kept very clean. Happily, the Rex’s housekeepers seem content to start their rounds well into the afternoon, so you needn’t worry about being disturbed should you decide to sleep in.

The Rex also features a complimentary breakfast buffet, and while these are pretty common in Lisbon hotels, the Rex’s is pretty solid, boasting fresh fruit, several different cereals, (decent) coffee, scrambled eggs with sausages and bacon, assorted breads and cakes, and large platters of ham and cheese.

So, if you choose the Rex for your visit to Lisbon, you’re likely to have a pleasant stay, but if your main goal is to be close to the action in Portugal’s very lively capital, there are plenty of better bets.

On the eastern edge of the Bairro Alto’s perpetual block party, in the Rua do Diario de Noticias, just around the corner from the Solar do Vinho Porto, Web Café is a small and comfy oasis where you can grab a cheap drink and check your email. Connection speeds on the café’s six PCs can be a little slow at times, and you may have to wait during peak hours (roughly 10 pm to 1 am), but at 2€ per hour, it’s tough to complain. The mostly 20-something crowd is a healthy mix of locals and tourists, and the extremely friendly bartenders speak fluent English and will happily give you the lowdown on other watering holes in the neighbourhood if you ask. A steady mix of mellow electronica keeps the vibe nice and chill until closing time at 2am.

For anyone with even a passing interest in port, the Solar do Vinho do Porto, the official bar of the Port Wine Institute, is an absolute must-do. The selection is staggering - over 400 different ports, ranging from dry white varieties to rare vintage wines - and the air is one of quiet, clubby sophistication, complete with cigars and comfy chairs and sofas arranged in groups around low tables. Prices start at 1.5€ for the simpler/less auspicious ports and climb steeply from there. The really amazing offerings start with the 40-year-old tawnys in the 10€ to 16€ range.

Overall, the Solar do Vinho de Porto is an excellent choice for a drink before dinner at one the Bairro Alto’s many restaurants or an evening out with business colleagues, but be warned: the staff are as snooty as they are slow (although one is supposed to sip port), and they have no qualms at all about shooing you away if you arrive at a time when they have deemed the place to be too crowded.