"For the local experience In up-and-coming Cais do Sodré, once the red-light district and now filling up with hip bars and clubs, this is ideally located for those who want to be amidst Lisbon’s buzzing atmosphere. The 18th-century powder-blue building has five themed floors highlighting different aspects of the capital: guitars cover the walls on the fado floor, books line the shelves on the floor named after the poet Fernando Pessoa, and so on. The 61 rooms are functional but fun, with iPod docks, clothes rails (no cupboards), and showers (but no baths). The hotel’s restaurant Confraria, a branch of the famous restaurant in nearby Cascais, serves up a superb selection of sushi and sashimi, temaki and nigiri; the house assortment of 30 bite-size dishes is culinary gold. Address: LX Boutique Hotel, Rua do Alecrim, 12, Lisbon, Portugal Price: Doubles from $82" - Abigail Malbon
