How on Earth has a month passed since my Lisbon trip already?  Take me back right now puh-lease.  What a place.  I’ve already shared why I think you NEED a Lisbon city break (spoiler: pretty views, interesting streets, full of surprises, custard tarts) but I thought my stay at Hotel Mundial Lisbon deserved a whole post of its own.  I’ve been lucky enough to have the chance to stay in some pretty cool hotels over the last year or so, but I’ve gotta say this one was a firm contender for favourite. I’m sure you’ll be able to see why!
I’ll get round to listing all the reasons I’m calling it a fave soon, but we’re gonna start off with this view. Because oh my giddy aunt it was beaut. Now I don’t know about you, but pretty much the first thing I do after getting my room keys is draw the curtains and check out the view. Definitely did a little happy dance when I opened these ones. I was on my own with nobody to vent my excitement to, ok?  *Makes self sound super professional*
Can you blame me though? The lovely people at Hotel Mundial had given me a 9th floor room with an end balcony, so a huge chunk of Lisbon (including the São Jorge Castle) was in sight. Not bad, people, not bad.
Much as I love a pretty view for the sake of it (and for the photo opps, let’s be honest) there are a bunch of other reasons why this was perfect too. First of all, being able to see far and wide from your room means you feel like you’re still involved with the city happenings, whilst you’re happily chilling in bed. Live vicariously through that view y’know. I’m usually one for getting out and about as early as possible to make the most of short trips to new cities, but the slightly drab weather and the fact that I was pretty tired meant I spent a little more time in my hotel for this one. Felt like I was in the thick of it anyway though, so all good! Bye bye ‘omg I am not making the most of it’ guilt. (Just me?) And finally, I’ve established that 9 floors up makes for excellent peoplewatching opportunities. Close enough to the ground to be nosy and watch everyone pottering about, and far enough that nobody spots you watching. Winner.
So that’s the view at most times of the day. Gets better! On my first morning I’d set my alarm for 7:30, but naturally woke up an hour earlier and boy am I glad I did. I opened the curtains just for a nosey and wow THAT SUNRISE THOUGH. Never have I ever grabbed my camera so quickly in my life. Panoramic sunrise, from a rooftop, with the sun peeking through behind a castle for crying out loud. So dreamy. I set my alarm to make sure I didn’t miss it the next day and lo and behold, the ‘sunrise’ involved the sky turning from dark shades of grey to paler ones, but still. At least I saw one.
Whilst we’re on the topic of being in the city centre, it’s worth mentioning that Hotel Mundial literally couldn’t be more central if it tried – it’s by Martim Moniz square, near the Baixa district, around the corner from Rossio station, 5 minutes walk from the river, and tram 28 stops right outside. Much convenience!
Onto the next reason for making the favourites list: the rooftop bar. A rooftop bar just gives you the ‘omg yes I am loving life right now’ feels, right? Annoyingly it rained lots during my Lisbon trip, but luckily the rain held off on my last night so I could enjoy some time up there. Wrapped in a blanket and sat under a heater, I might add – but there’s nothing wrong with that!  I bet in summer with the evening sun on your back it’s the absolute best. Lisbon’s rooftop bar scene is pretty special. Whaddya know, I ended up talking to a lovely lady who happened to live 20 minutes away from me back home whilst at this bar too (hi Cathy if you’re reading!). It’s a freakin small world sometimes.
Next reason – huge comfy bed for starfishing/spreading my camera and laptop stuff all over. ‘Nuff said.
Had to get a foodie mention in there somewhere! Whilst the hotel breakfast was just as you’d expect from a 4* hotel, I liked the separate ‘healthy breakfast’ table with alternatives to the usual hotel options. I’m pretty sure they had gluten free bread and stuff on this table too. I like to convince myself I’m being healthy even when I have a mountain of breakfast – I’d rather pile my plate high with good stuff than have one or two fried greasy things in the morning!
Quickly learnt that I have absolutely zero self control when it comes to Pastel de Nata though. I’ve been having dreams about those custard tarts ever since. Needless to say finding a plate of mini tarts when I came back to my room in the afternoon was a welcome treat!
You’ve probably got the idea by now that I really really liked Hotel Mundial. A lot. 10/10 would recommend if you’re planning a trip to Lisbon!
Lily Kate x
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Monarch, the scheduled leisure airline, operates year round flights to Lisbon from Birmingham, London Gatwick and Manchester airports with fares, including taxes, from £51 one way (£84 return)
For further information or to book Monarch flights, Monarch Holidays or Monarch Hotels, please visit www.monarch.co.uk
My stay at Hotel Mundial was complimentary courtesy of Visit Lisboa, however all opinions are my own.
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29th March 2018 at 9:38 am[…] that when I realised I’d forgotten my sunglasses I had time to turn around, speedwalk to my hotel and back, and still make it in time for the train I’d planned to catch. […]