Not easy to find, but not easy to forget either.
What we mean by the first part of our statement is that although the boutique Casa das Janelas com Vista is located in the Bairro Alto, one of Lisbon’s most emblematic, central and liveliest areas (especially at night), you can easily miss it, tucked away as it is in a quiet little side street just wide enough to let a car past.
For many people this is the real Lisbon, a sort of sexy concoction of “shabby chic” buildings all huddled together in a warren of single car wide streets and steep hills. Picturesque it certainly is, but if you’re not careful you can easily pass the Casa das Janelas com Vista without a second glance as it is pretty discreet on the outside.
But once inside it’s a different story with the trendy boutique nature of the Casa das Janelas com Vista immediately hitting you in the face.
The common areas combine no end of contemporary and classic elements to perfection, for example, with modern designer chairs, sofas and lamps competing with an old yellow iron table a velvet chaise longue and old armchair for our attention.
That’s just the entrance and check-in area. Rooms (12 double rooms, 6 of which can be combined to make 3 family suites) are just as imaginative and made up of many small details that all together add up to a great experience.
Now, the name of this accommodation also gives the game away as to one of its other plus points: Casa das Janelas com Vista means “the House of Windows with Views”. In short, some of the rooms have stupendous vistas over the Bairro Alto itself with its orange coloured rooftops and the Tagus River itself, which puts most of Europe’s capital rivers to shame in terms of size and breadth.
And so we come to the second part of our initial phrase. Given the location, the lovely decoration, wonderful city views and, we almost forgot, the gracious and considerate staff, some will want to stay on a few days longer. In other words: It’s not easy to forget.