AlmaLusa Baixa/Chiado

The place

On the square of Praça do Município, between Baixa and Chiado, AlmaLusa occupies an 18th-century building that once served as the Lisbon Arsenal. Modern comforts arrived; the exposed wooden ceilings and flagstone floors stayed.

No two of the 28 rooms and suites are alike — each follows the original structure it was built into, in a classy palette of white, black, and neutral. The details stay Portuguese, down to the Colmol bedding and artisanal toiletries.

Delfina, the house diner, keeps the same faith: traditional regional dishes, and a wine list drawn from independent wineries in the country's top wine regions.