From the editors of Condé Nast Traveler:

The French hotel chain has redone its Lisbon property top to bottom, and the result is a hybrid of Gallic savoir faire and Portuguese flavor. The decor of dark woods with ocher and red accents distills the country's visual idiom, and Chinese porcelain (it was the Portuguese, of course, who opened up trade to India and China) and framed silhouettes of Portuguese subjects by local artists give the 171-room property an intensely local feel. Spacious rooms, with beds you want to dive into, are quiet despite the hotel's location on the central Avenida da Liberdade, a short imperial boulevard with mosaic sidewalks. Ad Lib, the Franco-Portuguese restaurant, is popular with locals. —2006 Hot List

When to go: May, before the tourist throngs arrive, and late summer, when it's sultry.

Which room to book: A high-floor double overlooking the Avenida da Liberdade, such as Nos. 803 and 804 (doubles, $197–$435).

Amenities: Gym, 24-hour Room Service, Bar/lounge