Family Macedo B&B

When you visit Lisbon you can stay at a familiar, comfortable American style hotel, secure, knowing that you are sheltered from the world. Or, since you went to the trouble of getting to Lisbon in the first place you might want to stay in a place that is Portuguese. Last month I stayed at Family Macedo for a week. The building was formerly a number of apartments; it has a residential as opposed to an institutional personality. The furniture is old and carved and heavy, very much like Lisbon itself. It was fun to be in those surroundings. In my mind that’s why we visit places that are different from home. The gentleman who manages the building is Antonio. It feels like the building, certainly the furniture, has been in his family for generations. He cares about it. Antonio was very friendly, filling me in on the history of Lisbon, finding out about my own interests, pointing me to sights that I should visit and telling me where I could get a decent meal for a decent price. The housekeeper, Barbara, was bright and friendly, available for little chats and fanatical about making sure that the place is clean. If you are going to Lisbon to find out what Lisbon is about, then you should stay here.