Eurostars das Letras

Fortunately some can still name the ABCs of classic literature without getting lost and some even make a point of keeping the classics alive. Eurostars das Letras is one of those; it can't force the Portuguese to buy more books, but it aims to show that literature is neither boring nor passé. This luxury hotel in the back of the Avenida da Liberdade invites its guests to gather in lively soirées where great writers are remembered. Its 107 rooms got their names from Virginia Woolf, Stendhal, Shakespeare or Mark Twain; snippets of their work hover above the bedposts. Drop by the bar and say hi to Dickens and step inside the conference room to witness an unlikely meeting of Pessoa and Cervantes. All of it is surrounded by a modern atmosphere, with light cascading over design furniture and black marble floors suggesting the hotel's creative personality. Eurostar is unusual in its price – much lower than what you'd might expect in a five-star hotel. But that doesn't mean the staff is any less friendly or the array of services any narrower. There is a small fitness centre with a sauna and a gym, and there's a restaurant focusing on Portuguese cuisine – slow-roast codfish is the menu's top performer. During summertime, meals may be served in the restaurant's terrace, which is also the ideal spot for breakfast.
The front desk will tell you what you need to know about literary tours of Lisbon, but if you are done with books, they also have suggestions for getting to know the city centre or the luxury shopping district, just a couple of minutes away.