Solar Do Castelo
Lisbon, Portugal

Lying inside the walls of the formidable St. George's Castle, this hotel is reached only on foot because vehicles are off-limits. On the site of the former kitchens of Lisbon's first Royal Palace, this is a converted 18th-century town mansion; a stay here is one of the delights of Lisbon. Some of the medieval architecture remains, such as an old cistern, part of the original palace. Classified as a historic building, the little hotel offers beautifully furnished and atmospheric bedrooms.

The mansion combines elements of the rationalist Pombal style of building - the sober frames around the windows and the main gateway - with others that expressed a greater freedom, such as the elaborate design that surmounts the wall attached to the gateway in the main façade, on which we can read " 1765 " - the probable date of its construction