Astute winos of the sniff, swirl and spit (during marathon tasting sessions) family might snub their noses at splashing about in a Cabernet-spiked bath. Thankfully, that's not what Madeira's The Vine hotel is suggesting. The hotel is taking a favorite alcoholic beverage and using it in unexpected ways, namely in spa services that make use of wine's many antioxidant properties. ]]> Heidi Atwal 2009-08-19T09:39:05-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/8/18/64739/8432 <![CDATA[<p><i><a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/user/femmefatale"><b>Monica Guy</b></a> has been dutifully rounding up the best boutique hotels in Lisbon for the past two weeks. Now, she's telling you where to stay in the city. Like actual neighborhoods. Enjoy.</i><p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/lisbon_overview.jpg" class="imgborder"><p><a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotels/city/pt/Lisbon"><b>Lisbon</b></a> is such as spangbankingly excellent place that you're unlikely to spend much time inside your hotel. But it does matter where your hotel is - the city is built over seven hills and if you choose a hotel on the wrong side of one, you'll have a long, hard, trek home.<p> <p>A hotel's location also matters in Lisbon because each area has its own personality. If you're a hardcore clubber, you'll want to crawl (a short way) back to your bed in the early femmefatale 2008-08-22T09:00:14-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/8/10/91035/1967 <![CDATA[<p><p><i><a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/user/femmefatale"><b>Monica Guy</b></a> returns to us again this month with her take on the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/lisbon%20hotel%20scene">Lisbon Hotel Scene</a>. It seems that boutique hotels are battling each other left and right for hotel guests. So how do the contenders shake out? Read here to find out. Got a question? <a href="mailto:tips@hotelchatter.com">Send it to us</a> and we'll get it answered for you.</i><p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/admin/jeronimos8.jpg" class="imgborder"><p>If stop no.1 on the Lisbon tourist train is the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/8/10/84231/7121/hotels/Battle_of_Lisbon_s_Boutique_Hotels_Solar_do_Castelo_">Castelo S&#227;o Jorge</a>, stop no.2 is Bel&#233;m. Bel&#233;m is a 20-minute tram ride west of the city centre and a visitor's paradise of museums, monuments, a monastery and, mmmm... gardens.<p> <p>If you want to stay in Bel&#233;m, call up <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Hotel+Jer%F3Nimos+8/ian/184398"><b>Hotel Jer&#243;nimos 8</b></a>, the best design hotel in femmefatale 2008-08-15T09:00:10-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/6/12/11127/1809 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/11725/lisbon.jpg"class="imgborder"><p>Um, not quite. But the Portuguese capital is in the midst of massive hotel development, with 37 new hotels debuting in Lisbon and its surrounding area through 2011.<p> Four- and five-star hotels are popping up in cities outside Lisbon like Sintra, &#211;bidos and Estoril. In the nearby Algarve region, 10 projects are underway, including the five-hotel, 17,500-bed property <b>Vilamoura XXI</b> and the five-star hotel and Jack Nicklaus golf resort, <a href="http://www.monte-rei.com/">Monte Rei</a>. <p> If you're booking a trip to Portugal next year, you might want to check into one of several new hotels set to open throughout 2009, like the <b>Pousada do Porto - Pal&#225;cio do Freixo</b>, in Porto; the <b>CS Oporto Vintage Hotel</b>, a converted port warehouse in jennm 2008-06-12T13:35:01-05:00 Search HotelChatter string http://www.hotelchatter.com/search/