Memmo Alfama

Not only does Memmo Alfama have a calm, bleached-wood and white-on-white minimalist style - quite different from the tightly packed houses around it - but it feels astonishingly big. How do they manage to fit such a spacious hotel - with sprawling lounge, bar-dining room and stepped terraces with swimming pool - into such a tiny space? Admittedly, some bedrooms are a squeeze (and standard rooms have no view to speak of) but all are carefully and minimally furnished - wood floors, white walls, white bedheads, often hooks and hangers instead of wardrobes - to make the most of the space. Wet-room bathrooms are sleek in slate-grey. Most guests hang out on the terraces (some rooms have their own private terraces) soaking up the views. You can breakfast and dine out here, too. Evenings offer a tasty selection of tapas-style dishes - Portuguese cheeses, steak sandwiches - while breakfast is a generous selection of breads, pastries and savouries with cooked dishes to order. Get up early as this is the best time of day to enjoy the sunshine round the pool.