Lisbon is a city that really rewards getting a little bit lost. And there is nowhere better to do that than Alfama. A maze of tiny winding streets, tiled façades, washing strung between balconies and the occasional yellow tram somehow squeezing through gaps that don’t look remotely tram-sized, it’s the kind of neighbourhood where having absolutely no idea where you’re going is half the fun.

So staying at AlmaLusa Alfama, right in the heart of it all, felt like the ideal way to explore Lisbon.

The hotel is tucked inside one of those beautiful old buildings that makes you feel as though you’ve stumbled across something rather special. It’s intimate, stylish and full of character, but more importantly, it feels properly connected to the neighbourhood around it. Rather than retreating to a hotel after a day of exploring Lisbon, staying here means you’re already exactly where you want to be.

Almalusa Alfama: The Rooms

Our room had that winning combination of traditional Lisbon character and all the things you actually want from a hotel room after a long day of sightseeing: a seriously comfortable bed, powerful air conditioning and somewhere to collapse while scrolling through the approximately 400 photos you’ve taken of tiled buildings.

The design takes its cues from Alfama, with warm, soft tones and a relaxed Mediterranean feel. But the real surprise was waking up in the morning and being able to see the sea. Not a bad view to start the day with.

And then there’s the location, which really is hard to beat. We could walk straight out of the hotel and straight into the heart of Alfama, with no real need for a plan.

In fact, one of my favourite things about staying here was simply wandering. One minute you’re making your way down a tiny cobbled street, the next you’ve found a little square, a miradouro with a view across the city or a café you’ve immediately decided you’ll need to come back to later.

It’s Lisbon at its best: slightly chaotic, completely beautiful and much better when you don’t overthink it.

Almalusa Alfama: The Food

Image of Delfina Cantina

There are also lots of little touches at AlmaLusa that make the whole stay feel particularly personal. In the lobby, there was homemade iced tea waiting for guests, which quickly became a very welcome thing to come back to after wandering around Lisbon in the sticky August heat.

Breakfast was served at the hotel each morning and, for me, the fact that they had lactose-free yoghurt was a particularly welcome touch. When you’re travelling with dietary requirements, it’s often the small things that make the biggest difference. Being able to sit down at breakfast and actually have a proper choice, rather than asking approximately 47 questions about every item on the buffet, is a luxury in itself.

For dinner, we took a little wander over to the hotel’s sister property, AlmaLusa Baixa/Chiado, to eat at Delfina Cantina Portuguesa. It’s only around a ten-minute walk from AlmaLusa Alfama, which meant another excuse to wander through Lisbon before dinner. Never a bad thing.

Delfina is tucked away on Praça do Município and has that sweet spot of feeling smart enough for a proper dinner, while still being relaxed and unfussy. The menu is rooted in Portuguese cooking, with Mediterranean and more creative touches, and is all about good local ingredients and dishes made for sharing.

It felt like a brilliant introduction to Portuguese food without veering into overly formal territory or feeling like a touristy version of a “traditional Portuguese restaurant”. We took our time and ordered a few different dishes, including codfish fritters, duck rice and roasted octopus, and, as always, I was extremely happy once the food started arriving at the table.

I also really appreciated how accommodating the team were around my dietary requirements. Eating gluten- and dairy-free can sometimes involve a lot of questioning, checking and apologetically asking whether the thing that looks like it might be fine is, in fact, fine. Here, the team were incredibly helpful, which meant I could focus on the important bit: eating.

If you’re staying at AlmaLusa Alfama, I’d definitely make the little walk over to Delfina Cantina Portuguesa. It’s a great excuse to explore another part of Lisbon — and then wander back through the streets of Alfama afterwards.

 Almalusa Alfama: The Verdict

What I loved most about AlmaLusa Alfama was how much it felt like part of Lisbon rather than somewhere separate from it.

You wake up in the middle of one of the city’s most atmospheric neighbourhoods, spend the day getting happily lost in its winding streets, stopping for food, coffee and the occasional viewpoint, and then find yourself back at the hotel within minutes.

It’s intimate, charming and full of character, but its biggest selling point is arguably its location. If your idea of Lisbon is less about racing around ticking off a list of sights and more about wandering, eating well and soaking up the atmosphere, this is exactly where you want to stay.

For more information and to book your stay at AlmaLusa Alfama, click here.

This stay was hosted by AlmaLusa Hotels as part of a press trip. As always, all views are my own.