Heritage Av Liberdade by Mary Lussiana

From the moment you set eyes on this boutique hotel, the Heritage Av Liberdade, its brilliant blue façade standing out on one of Lisbon’s main thoroughfares, you cannot help but be captivated. This late 18th-century building is the first hotel project for Portuguese architect Miguel Câncio Martins who has already proved himself in his work on the Buddha Bar in Paris, Man Ray in New York and Strictly Hush in London. With Heritage Av Liberdade, Câncio Martins was responsible for the architecture and the interior design bringing together an atmosphere which evokes the Portuguese way of life today. The original exterior of this boutique hotel remains. Within, there is a balance between respecting the 18th-century origins of the building and providing a modern, convenient ‘home’ for busy City life.

The facilities
Inside the old walls of the boutique hotel, every bit of space has been utilized. Walking straight into the lobby and reception area, the bar beyond doubles as a breakfast room. An open spiral staircase takes you straight from the lobby to the mezzanine where internet access, computers, newspapers and an impressively large library offer the businessman a quiet corner. For the health conscious, the Wellness centre is equipped with a long rectangular Jacuzzi and a variety of exercise machines.

The rooms
The boutique hotel is spread over six floors, the 41 rooms and one junior suite offers the ultimate in comfort. Peaceful colours and an uncluttered feel are combined with plenty of natural light and uninterrupted views over the City centre. Blinds fall to be locked into position for utter darkness at night time. The beds are firm and large, pillows are soft and ample and both are clad in luxurious cotton. In some rooms LCD television screens are wall mounted in others they are hidden in pop up cabinets at the foot of the bed. All rooms within the boutique hotel are equipped with CD and DVD players. Sufficient desk space, so often lacking and so necessary in a city hotel is well conceived here. All rooms have free Wi-Fi access.

The bathrooms, many with natural light, are more colourful than the bedrooms with blue detail at the top of the wall tiles and a floral shower curtain. Showers are generous, the bath fills fast and mirrors and lighting, hairdryers and dressing gowns are five star standard. The mini-bar located in one of the cupboards has a transparent Bombay Sapphire Gin blue door to it – which illuminated as it is, invites you in much the same way that the blue exterior to the boutique hotel seduces you by its sheer warmth.