Along Avenida Almirante Reis in Lisbon's diverse Mouraria neighborhood of Indian, Bangladeshi, and African immigrants, this old building has been beautifully refurbished with a very hip and modern interior and a large restaurant. It's situated across from Lisbon's most heralded seafood restaurant and the lobby is accessible by a back entrance on the marble square. It may not be the flashiest hotel in Lisbon, but it's probably the coolest with its cozy but classy rooms. They take care of the little details and have some of the most fabulous customer service in all of Portugal! Upon returning to our room from dinner, there were two fabulously delicious little pasteis do nata (the classic Portuguese dessert) and two tiny bottles of wine that had been left by the staff. You'll drift off to sleep with the city soundscape and the distant rumbling subway trains deep beneath you.
I would probably have given the hotel a solid four -star rating had it not been for the receptionist who went above and beyond. She sealed the five stars I'm giving 1908 Lisboa. We didn't catch her name, but she was strikingly beautiful with very long hair dyed red toward the lower portions. She spoke excellent English, helped us find a currency exchange location near the hotel, gave us a tour of our room, and was remarkably welcoming from the moment we walked in. We asked if we could get reservations at the fabulous seafood restaurant across the street. This is a very difficult restaurant to get into, sometimes needing a reservation a month in advance. And this is precisely where she scored major points. The receptionist walked across the street and personally asked the restaurant to squeeze us in. It worked! They got us a table for two immediately! In our travels to 79 countries, we've never seen a receptionist go that far above and beyond, literally leaving the hotel to get us a difficult reservation! Wow! read more