Santiago de Alfama - Boutique Hotel

The location is amazing. The staff are helpful, kind, friendly to a fault, and go out of their way to make you feel most welcome and comfortable, they make it easy to navigate the city and help you arrange your exploration throughout your stay. The view from my room to the river welcomed me in the mornings and the breakfasts and lunches and dinners were all most delicious in their restaurant: Audrey’s. Manuel Da Silva and his staff were the most delightful hosts I encountered in my European vacation. I shall return one day for ai had a much too brief stay in Lisbon and when I do it will be at The Santiago de Alfama where I will hang my hat once again.

Sadly I only had one day in the company of the souls that people this singular hotel. I felt as if I were inhabiting an old film from the 1920’s when life possessed all the glamour and elegance of a bygone time. The details. The cleanliness. The fragrance! Candles at night in the lobby, the ancient Roman foundations, the delicious comfort of my bed and the soft sheets, the free upgrade just because it was available and they love making people happy, the view from the room overlooking the river and the sky l. The owners are celestial creatures themselves. They shepherd their staff with obvious love, and the staff in turn fulfill their duties with such exuberant delight. My first welcome came from Lana and a wide-grinned young chap whose name escapes me now. They were both beautiful examples of effortless style and class. Genuine. Yes, that’s the word that has stayed with me since my regretted departure. Everything was genuine. The camaraderie among all of the staff extends to the team that oversees the attached restaurant, Audrey’s. I fell in love. And that means I am destined to return. How is it one should find oneself missing these attendant angels to one’s whims and desires after only a few hours of shared experience? It was as if I had found family members that I’d lost touch with long ago, who likewise had been awaiting my return for years - and how very happy we were to find one another again. Thank you for being the loveliest of possible endings to my month long journey in Europe and Africa. The perfect conclusion to an odyssey of friends, celebrations and love.

Great Location, Amazing staff, beautiful room