Martinhal Lisbon Chiado

Rooms

There are 8 studios and 29 apartments, all beautifully decorated with white walls offsetting 50s-style furniture: oak sideboards, cork coffee tables, anglepoise lamps. Which you choose depends on how many children you have in tow.

Velvet cushions, sofas and armchairs provide bright pops of colour - lime green, rose pink - as do bed blankets and red or blue statement walls in the studios. Artwork throughout is striking and modern. Huge windows let the light pour through, and their original shutters provide perfect darkness at night and for nap times. Thankfully, soundproofing is excellent - we didn’t hear a peep from any of the other apartments nor much street noise. Bathrooms (usually 1 per studio or apartment) are modern affairs; marble tiles, square sinks and a shower over a tub, except the Superior Deluxe Apartments which have walk-in showers. The design is a bit bland but bathrobes and toiletries up the ante.

Features include:

• Bathrobes
• Hairdryer
• Safe box
• Washing machine
• WiFi

Eating

Breakfasts are served on the ground floor (cereals, pastries, eggs to order), complete with a bright-red vintage BMW, which gives kids somewhere to ‘drive’ while you order and await food – we found it quite hard to extract our car-mad toddler! There’s also a corner filled with toys (taking the pressure off those ‘please just sit quietly’ situations). Most people, however, opt for the in-room breakfast hamper: pastries, orange juice, yoghurt and jams. You have your own kitchen for self-catering – stove, oven, fridge-freezer, Nespresso – and a dishwasher for tidying up.

For the rest of the day the space morphs into the cool Bar 1855 Gin Garden, the name a nod to the age of the building, which has a laid-back vibe set to ambient beats. Tapas, pinchos and pizza are available through the day and evening, also available on room service. Daily specials are also available for lunch. There's a kids’ menu with crowd-pleasers like pizza, hummus and pasta, perfect for a quick lunch or easy supper. Later in the day, perhaps after sightseeing, parents can enjoy beautifully crafted gin-based cocktails; make your own G&T to order.

Chiado is teeming with excellent restaurants, both family-friendly and intimate (for nap-time in the buggy or a romantic evening out). Staff will give recommendations and help with bookings.

Features include:

• Bar
• Coffee maker
• Dishwasher
• Food blender
• Fridge
• Full kitchen
• Hob or stove
• Kids' meals
• Microwave
• Oven
• Restaurant
• Restaurants nearby
• Room service
• Toaster

Activities

• Ride the clackety trams up and down vertiginous streets, a highlight for all the family. Just beware of pickpockets on Tram 28
  
• The aquarium is Europe’s largest indoor, with 8,000 species including sharks, rats, sea dragons and sun fish. Lisbon Zoo is also brilliant, with rare white tigers and a family of mountain gorillas. There’s a petting corner with rabbits and guinea pigs for youngsters
  
• The medieval Castelo São Jorge is a must-visit, with its ancient ramparts and canons. A camera obscura in the Tower of Ulysses provides a 360-degree perspective of the city below
  
• Take a Hippotrip amphibious sightseeing cruise, in buses that turn into boats!
  
• Jardim da Estrela is a large green space in the centre with a café, a big playground, a large climbing frame and 'hidden treasures’ trails
  
• We love Museu da Marioneta, Lisbon’s puppet museum, with a collection of traditional marionettes from Portugal, China, India, Thailand and Brazil, as well as exquisite glove puppets. Kids can make their own puppets at the end
  
• The Science Alive centre (Pavilhao do Conhecimento ) is great for a rainy day, an interactive museum with working exhibits, puzzles and phenomena
  
• A cable car runs over the estuary, offering a 20-minute flight with panoramic views over the city
  
• Older kids will enjoy the 19th-century warship, D. Fernando II e Glória, now restored and dry docked. Mannequins bring the experience to life
  
• Golden beaches are easily reached. The Costa da Caparica is a 15-minute taxi ride, the Praia do Tamariz is a leisurely tram ride (get off at Estoril, 30 minutes from central Lisbon), or drive to beautiful Guincho if you’ve got a car
  
• Tram to Bélem, where many of the 14th-century 'voyages of discovery' departed. Visit the Discoveries Monument, picnic in the botanical gardens and queue for delicious pastéis de nata at the famous Pastéis de Bélem bakery
  
• Bus 24 (or a cheap taxi) will take you to Monsanto, with its giant playground (endless slides, teepees, a pirate ship) and outdoor swimming pool

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Boat trips
• Historical sites
• Museums / galleries
• Nightlife
• Plantlife / flora
• Private guided tours
• Shopping / markets
• Swimming

Kids

This is a parents' dream. It's aimed at families and its core clientele are families, so there's no need to worry about your kids disrupting anyone else's holiday. There's baby equipment to borrow (pre-booking recommended), a kids' club and creche (complimentary year-round), superlative childcare, and a café serving simple meals and a range of purees for under 1s. Reception has a shop selling lotions, nappies and snacks. The hotel also has good security features, such as lifts to the apartments that can only be accessed using key cards. But best of all, they offer a 'Pyjama Party' or disco - children are looked after in a big tent with Fatboy poufs, giving parents the chance for an evening out.

Best for:

All ages

Family friendly accommodation:

Deluxe Studios are an open-plan room with a kingsize bed and space for a baby cot. Superior Deluxe Studios are open-plan with a kingsize bed, bunk beds and space for a baby cot. The 1-bed Apartments have a kingsize/twin bedroom and a living area with bunk beds and space for a baby cot; the 1-bed Premium Apartment has twin beds instead of bunks, which makes it suitable for older kids/extra adults. Our favourites were the spacious Deluxe Apartments with 2 bedrooms. They have a kingsize bedroom, 2 pairs of bunk-beds, and space for a baby cot. Superior Deluxe Apartments with 2 bedrooms have 2 double bedrooms and a pair of bunk beds, plus space for a baby cot in the living room. All studios and apartments except Superior Deluxe Apartments have a tub in their bathroom, and all have a full kitchen with a washing machine.

Cots Available

Distances:

• Airport: 10km (Lisbon)
• Shops/restaurants: 0.1km
• Hospital: 5km

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

The hotel is set in the heart of Chiado, a vibrant area between the neighbourhoods of Bairro Alto and Baixa Pombalina in Lisbon, Portugal. Many major sights are within walking distance.

By Air:
Lisbon's Portela Airport (10km away) is served by plenty of flights from the UK, elsewhere in Europe and further afield. The hotel can arrange airport transfers or you can take a taxi. You can also take the metro from the airport to Baixa-Chiado station (changing once), which takes about 30 minutes. It’s a 5-minute walk from the station to the Martinhal Lisbon Chiado.

By Car:
We don’t recommend having a car in Lisbon - the city is easily navigated on foot and by public transport, and the traffic can be tricky. However, if you want to hire a car, the hotel can arrange parking.

Detailed directions will be sent when you confirm a booking through i-escape.