Brown's Downtown Hotel

A delayed flight didn’t exactly give us great hopes for what was promised as a memorable and unique stay in Lisbon. Nor did the driver of the taxi we unwittingly clambered into at the airport, leering at us in the rear-view mirror with a cigarette-stained grin as he sped through Lisbon’s winding streets. “Perdido.” I don’t speak Portuguese, but I do speak taxi driver; the casual shrug and wag of the fag hung between his lips suggested that we were, indeed, lost. He waved a hand, gesturing our destination was nearby, so my partner and I looked at each other and decided – our nerves shot from a white-knuckle ride through the city centre – to start our stylish city break with a brave adventure.

So it was we arrived at Brown’s Downtown Hotel, sweaty and flushed thanks to the year-round temperate climate, on foot. Fortunately, though, it gave us a great opportunity to explore the neighbourhood. The hotel is in the charming neighbourhood of Baixa Pombalina, and while my partner picked out restaurants we might want to consider during our stay, I contentedly gazed into the windows of the various independent boutiques and high-street stores that line the streets. Though Brown’s Downtown is out of the way enough to be exclusive, the hotel is conveniently situated close to the animated nightlife of Bairro Alto and the city’s principal attractions.

The reception area indicates the hotel’s sophisticated design credentials: stark contemporary furniture is juxtaposed with classical archways, though it lacks no warmth or ambience. Photos in frames lean against shelves running the length of the room, and stylish accents in walnut save the space from feeling too clinical. Our welcome, too, was warm and accommodating. The concierge staff were surprisingly gracious and polite, given our rather flustered arrival, though we discovered this was simply characteristic of the service throughout the hotel: attentive without being overbearing.

Our room was compact, to say the least, but the interior design was similarly sophisticated. While I snooped through drawers and cupboards – finding the concealed kitchen in the process – my partner meddled with all the technology he could get his hands on, and took advantage of the complimentary Wi-Fi. Though the hotel is in a prime location to discover Lisbon’s principal tourist attractions, it is well-equipped enough to host businessmen and Facebook-addicts who need to stay connected wherever they go. Our four-poster bed was dressed in pristine white linens with thick pillows, and was simple but luxurious. We even had a tiny table by the window where we enjoyed drinks and light lunches in the privacy of our room before strolling through the neighbourhood of Baixa Pombalina.

Though the hotel doesn’t have an in-house restaurant – a minor drawback – the mini-kitchenette in every room affords guests the privilege of independence, and there are a number of markets and supermarkets in the area to purchase groceries from. Alternatively, Lisbon is a dynamic city that comes alive when the sun sets: the restaurants and bars of Bairro Alto are as worth seeing as the iconic tramway network. Recommendations from the concierge are excellent, and cater to every taste, whether you’re looking to try regional specialties from the area or dine in any one of the former Portuguese colonies which are well-represented in the Lisbon restaurant scene.

And, on our way home after dinner, we walked through Alfama to the sound of fado music from a pavement bar some streets away. All of our initial concerns had dissipated. As soon as we had reached the azulejo façade of Brown’s Downtown Hotel, that morning, we knew we had little to worry about: our stylish city break was no longer in jeopardy. That was, of course, until I stopped on a street corner and realised I had seen it before. We looked at each other, cheery but helpless – “Perdido.”