An Art-Focused Luxe Hotel in Lisbon

Whether you’re an art lover, a gourmand, or someone who wants to connect with nature in a placid environment, a stay at the luxe Valverde Hotel won’t disappoint. Despite being located in the ever-buzzing Avenida da Liberdade, this hotel is a true sanctuary that appears relatively unremarkable from the outside, yet the interior feels like a cross between a private club and an art gallery, along with a courtyard resembling a botanical garden. This is my latest article for ForbesLife on the Valverde Hotel.

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Wanderings in Lisbon - Part 5

In Lisbon’s Amoreiras neighborhood, this 18th century aqueduct with its immense stone arches is part of the Water Museum in Lisbon. It treats visitors not only to a deep cistern in a cavernous, vaulted space, but also art exhibitions.

In the city’s water-centric Parque da Nacoes neighborhood, this tile wall is a contemporary riff on traditional Portuguese azulejos.

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Lisbon’s Valverde Hotel - Part 2

 Lisbon’s 5-star Valverde Hotel is a sanctuary of peace and serenity, though it’s smack in the middle of buzzing Avenida da Liberdade. Their outdoor heated pool looks down on a verdant courtyard garden, a perfect place to curl up with a book and a glass of wine.

Exploring the art-bedecked and meticulously adorned public spaces, you can’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of elegance.

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Wanderings In Lisbon - Part 4.

In Lisbon’s Parque da Nacoes neighborhood that stretches along the Tagus River, it’s no surprise that most all the attractions are focused around water. I was especially enamored with the myriad volcano towers that erupt every few minutes, gushing water up, out, and into shallow pools.

The waterfront views couldn’t be more enchanting.

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Wanderings in Lisbon - Part 3

This giant, whimsical sculpture of an Iberian lynx, an endangered species, was created by Bordalo II. It soars above a pavement in the Parque de Nacoes neighborhood in Lisbon. The artist used objects found in junkyards, including computer parts, reflecting his sensibilities on materialism and consumerism.

This is probably one of the coolest coworking spaces around. Village Underground Lisbon (VULX), a nexus of creativity, culture and art, consists of stacked shipping containers and even a pair of double-decker buses. It’s down the street from the ever popular LX Factory.

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Wanderings in Lisbon - Part 2

I could’ve spent all day strolling along the scenic promenades in Lisbon’s Parque da Nacoes neighborhood where the water views are abundant.

Gondolas hovering above the Tagus River in this neighborhood that’s the site of the 1998 World's Fair.

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Wanderings in Lisbon - Part 1

I can’t think of a more beautiful and quirky bookstore. The name of this former printing shop turned bookstore, Ler Devagar, that’s located in Lisbon, means “read slowly.”

The roofless, 14th century Saint Maria do Carmo Church stands in ruins - it succumbed to the devastating earthquake that befell Lisbon in 1755. Yet, it’s home to a petite archaeological museum with an eclectic array of artifacts.

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Lisbon - Valverde Hotel

The Valverde Hotel in Lisbon is a gem for oh-so many reasons, including  the lush courtyard garden that’s a placid sanctuary smack in the middle of the buzzing city. It’s centrally locally on the Avenida da Liberdade.

Everything is classy, even the hallways. 

The hotel is often described as an oasis, which it is. The hotel feels like a townhouse that’s peaceful and serene with numerous public rooms replete with art.

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European Cemeteries That Resemble Botanical Gardens

It's a shame that cemeteries are typically associated with the macabre, where supernatural influences are ever present. On many of my travels, I've come to appreciate cemeteries as open-air museums and botanical gardens. I chose to visit one treasured cemetery in Lisbon, Reykjavik, Valletta, Zagreb and Helsinki for what they each could tell me about indigenous plants, renowned artists, notable politicians, and much more. Find out what I discovered about botany, architecture, and sociology in this article on the loveliest European cemeteries that I recently wrote for National Geographic Traveler - Intelligent Travel.

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Plenty of Culture on a Budget in Lisbon

For the budget minded, Lisbon is king. Here you can watch your pennies and do it in style, starting with staying at one of many design-focused hostels. And this week, starting today, you can gain entry to a score of venues that are usually either reserved for VIPs or are otherwise unavailable to the general public. Today starts Lisbon Week, an cultural open doors event, that allows you to enjoy history tours of rooms that are normally off limits. A biologist will lead you along the city's newest section of a peaceful greenway. And an art tour will highlight paintings, video installations and sculptures in unusual venues. You'll even be able to step into several embassies that will showcase their relationship with Portugal.

Find out about the art, architecture, history, green, music, gastronomy and other offerings during Lisbon Week in this article I just wrote for the Huffington Post.

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Lisbon's Urban Wilderness

If you had to pick an activity that would top your list of things to do in Lisbon, how high up would visiting a forest be? Would it even be on the list? Well, it should be. Lisbon is sprinkled with green spaces, including an expansive wilderness that's connected to downtown via a new pedestrian path. And, during Lisbon Week, a festival that starts on September 21st, you can take a free tour of this green way with a biologist. You can also sign up for history, art and architecture and other tours that will weave through some of the city's most unexpected venues.

I recently wrote about the Monsanto Green Corridor for National Geographic Traveler - Intelligent Travel.

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Portugal's Stylish-Budget Inn

Wouldn't it be great if a budget accommodation didn't suffer from a lack of style. Well, you don't have to make that kind of compromise in Lisbon where I've found some stylish accomodations that could fit into just about anyone's slim travel budget. I recently guest blogged for Michael and Allison at Darn Good Digs that focuses in on cool accommodations under $150. Check out one of my fave budget accommodations in Lisbon that's not short on style.

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Portugal Travel Tips

When people find out that I've visited Portugal six times in the past three years, they often wonder what is so enticing about this Western European country. So many people that I know who travel all over the world somehow have missed up on visiting Portugal. And, those who do make it to Portuguese shores, end up just spending a day or so in Lisbon, the capital.
Emily S. Gerson wanted to know what I love about Portugal and how I'd advise others to enjoy one of my favorite countries. Her interview with me appears on her blog Maiden Voyage. There are plenty of tips that can help you plan your itinerary along with hidden treasures galore. Whether you're an oenophile or a gastronome, someone who enjoys hiking in leafy forests or delights in a sense of history, you'll find it in Portugal.

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Lisbon's New Style-Conscious Hostels

I've stayed in plenty of hostels all around the world. And though they can make a good value option, especially for international travel, many can hardly be called stylish. But on my recent trip to Lisbon, I found a handful of new hostels (and one guest house) that were the exception.


1. At the Rituals Backpackers Hostel, the rooms are all named for Fado singers. Housed in a centuries-old building, this hostel is not a throwback to times gone by. After all, the sitting room comes with a plasma screen TV and guests have access to free WiFi and computers with Skype. The red drapes, pendant lights, black lacquered tables and multitude of throw pillows make it difficult to pull yourself away from the comfortable lounge area.


2. The nine-room Shiado Hostel has an eco-friendly bent. The reading lights in the guest rooms are all energy efficient and, continuing with a trend towards conservation, many of the furnishings are reused and restored, even the computer hard drives. Here, you also have an amalgam of the old and the new coexisting in harmony. The owner's friends donated contemporary paintings that hang in the living room that also displays trunks and chairs from his grandparents. A lovely touch can be found in the kitchen/dining room where recipes for notable Portuguese specialties are written on a blackboard.



3. The Kitsch Hostel couldn't be more appropriately named. The living room and dining room are both a rainbow of brilliant colors from the collages on the walls. You could spend a lot of time analyzing the symbolism behind various portions of this artwork -- I gave up psychoanalyzing after about half an hour. Graffiti is painted across the internet room -- also appropriate given the nature of communication that takes place there. Ascend a narrow spiral staircase and you'll find pure white guest rooms accented by crimson curtains. (Apparently many pedestrians feel the need to visit this venue because of these bold curtains visible from the street.)


4. Lisbon Dreams Guesthouse may technically not be a hostel but I'm including it because it's so economical. Open since May, this accommodations is your ticket to affordable luxury. The 10 private guest rooms all have a white-on-white color scheme -- the only other color comes from the green apple on the bed and the bright throw pillows. Sure, you have to share a bathroom but you'll hardly mind given the comfy robes and slippers provided. You also have full use of a laptop in the sitting room which also comes with a huge plasma screen TV. But the highlight for me was the meandering outdoor patio that's perfect for dining or sunning in the lounge chairs.

I wish I knew about these hostels before my trip. Next time, I'll be sure to stay at one.

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Lisbon's New Goings-On

On my recent visit to Portugal I found plenty of new goings-on, especially in Lisbon, one of my favorite cities in Europe. What was especially lovely was observing how the Portuguese dive into the ultra-modern design and culinary scene head first, while still maintaining their roots in their centuries-old traditions.

I'll be posting quite a bit on Portugal in the next few weeks. This is the first, representing just one day of discoveries.

I'm very much a fan of creative design concepts and I wasn't disappointed at Lisbon's new Internacional Design Hotel where I stayed. An artistic touch suffuses everything in this hotel that's housed in a building dating from 1899. In fact, the thinly-sliced fruits standing on edge were so captivating that I couldn't help staring at the breakfast buffet. The multi-shaped cereals were even served in shot glasses. You gotta love this. Quotes from Alice in Wonderland rolled past me as I climbed up in the glassed-in elevator. And this is truly a wonderland, with four guest room concepts: tribal (zebra details), Zen (bamboo and quotes from Suzuki), urban (graffiti) and pop (think Warhol). (Since I"m a fan of all things Asian, It was lucky that my room was on the ever tranquil Zen floor.) My favorite color -- purple -- tinted many aspects of this hotel: I found the reception staff wearing purple bow ties, while the banisters were lit up with purple lights. The bathrooms are no exception to the wild and the wacky: toilet paper comes in orange, chartreuse and black hues.

For lunch I chose Sommer -- where coincidentally orange colors perfused the interior -- a restaurant that opened last year. This is a perfect eatery for those who want fast but fab food. In fact, that's their specialty: they can serve a salad in three minutes, a pasta or risotto in five and other hot dishes in 10 minutes. The traditional easily mixes with the more contemporary fare: on the menu you'll find a fine pear soup (hardly traditional) along with a baked chicken served with a traditional farinheira, mashed potatoes and apples. I chose a salad with moist strips of duck breast and drizzled with a marinate of figs and port wine. The most popular dishes are the risottos, such as the one featuring spinach and beans.

For a perfect afternoon refresher, stop in one of three gazebo-like kiosks -- Quiosque de Refresco -- serving traditional food and beverages that were once popular in the 19th century. I hung out at the venue positioned in Camoes Square (great for ultra people watching) and sipped groselha -- a tasty sugary red berry syrup that's mixed with water, and munched pastel de feijao brasao, a moist bean and egg cake. The two other kiosk venues are in Jardim de Principe Real and Praca das Flores.

I certainly have a thing for vibrant colors and they were on full display in the just opened Allarts Gallery where most of the works are produced by naive or unprofessional artists from, aside from Portugal, Brazil, Finland, Turkey, Argentina and Italy. The works will change every couple of months or so. My favorites were the lavender fields of Sema Culam from Turkey as well as the moonscapes by Lena Koski of Finland.











No wonder my taxi circled the Chiado neighborhood for a good 30 minutes before he found the location of Cafe Fabulas. The restaurant sits along a long set of pedestrian-only stairs where clearly no taxi can navigate. It's a good thing I didn't give up looking for this venue because I would've missed being transported to another century once you enter the network of rooms with vaulted ceilings, archways and rough stone walls. It feels like part art gallery, antique shop and comfy/cozy eatery in someone's ancient home. The walls are bedecked with black and white photos of scenes from old movies, candelabras abound as do tables topped with old sewing machines. I settled into a tiny alcove and enjoyed a grilled goat cheese sandwich with tomato and basil. To finish off a day of discoveries, I nibbled on the yummiest dessert: strawberry slices marinated in mint with a mango sauce and topped with a melted white cheese.

These are all experiences that make a trip to Lisbon unforgettable.

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Codfish – Have It Your Way

In Lisbon across from the parliament building, it's easy to miss the entrance to OhCOD, a restaurant that opened for dinner in spring 2008. After all, the simple, nondescript facade displays the name Santo, its lunch restaurant that transforms to OhCOD for dinner. (The two have completely separate menus and atmosphere – the evening spot is candle laden and intimate while the lunch restaurant serves cafeteria style.) At night, instead of the usual meat-laden rodizio, the restaurant, housed in a 19th century building, is doing a unique fish rodizio, serving up bacalhau or cod eight ways -- and as much as you can eat. Among preparations of noted Portuguese chef Michel da Costa are: carpaccio with the fish smoked over wood derived from port wine barrels; salted and dried and then soaked in milk to reduce any strong flavors; combined with potatoes and squid ink and then fried into an oval fritter; a mousse of fish and paprika; and cod strips fried with eggs, salsa, onions and potatoes. My two favorites were the carpaccio and the fried cod with eggs. In fact, I had several portions of both of these. The other six preparations were tasty as well and none displayed a strong fishy aroma that turns a lot of diners off. The two wines I sampled during this meal were a Fado White made from antao vaz and roupeiro grapes; and the Fado Red made from four grape varieties: aragonez, alicante bouschet, touriga nacional and trincadeira. The white is crisp with an apricot nose while the red was bright with a smooth finish. Having filled my belly with too much cod, I passed on dessert which was an olive oil ice cream. It’ll have to wait for my next visit.

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new restaurants in Portugal

I just spent a weekend in Lisbon and ate at two new and very fab restaurants: Bocca near the Parque Eduardo VII in the city center area, and Arola in nearby Sintra at the Penha Longa Hotel & Golf Resort. They are both must-eat places. Bocca serves up a completely different menu at lunch and dinner and it's the dinner menu that is the most amazing. (Lunch is a more casual affair, without the multi-course tasting menu.) The young chef, Alexandre Silva, creates delicacies that look like mini works of art. He firmly takes his inspiration from traditional Portuguese recipes and then he turns them on their heads. Even if you get the tasting menu, try to get someone at your table to also order the cheese sampler -- it includes varieties from some of the country's major cheese regions -- as well as the interesting convento dessert that's a deconstructed trio of typical egg-based Portuguese desserts that originated in the convents. Because I never can drink more than a glass of wine at a sitting, I was please to find out they have 60 wines by the glass. Quite unusual and they've got great picks, including a Portuguese ice wine. (Obviously, it's made artificially but still very smooth and tasty.) I walked away totally satisfied.

And Arola is the restaurant of noted Spanish chef, Sergi Arola. It's his first eatery in Portugal. The decor is a futuristic Mediterranean style, minimalist with touches of turquoise. They've even got an in-house DJ spinning electronic music. Definitely worth driving to the club house to sample his signature tapas and other dishes. Arola trained with Ferran Adria so expect the unexpected in terms of flavors and textures, including a touch of molecular gastronomy. Of course his patatas bravas are on the menu; they are served at all of his restaurants. I heard that when the restaurant first opened the golfers were more than a little shocked by this very unconventional club house restaurant. But they're getting used to it. I wish I were there when it was warm: the outdoor terrace with views of the 18th hole looked perfect.

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