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The Battle of Lisbon's Boutique Hotels: Solar do Castelo

Where: Rua das Cozinhas 2, Lisbon, Portugal, 1100-181

Monica Guy returns to us again this month with her take on the Lisbon Hotel Scene. 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? Send it to us and we'll get it answered for you.

Stop no.1 on the Lisbon tourist train is the Castelo São Jorge, or St. George's Castle. Once upon a time, the castle and its surrounding walls were pretty much all there was to Lisbon - it used to be a Moorish castle, then a king's palace, then later a prison and a soldier's barracks.

Now it's a top tourist attraction and it's next-door hotel

There are only 14 rooms, all sleek and swish in a grown-up way - lots of wood and space and ceiling lights. You can put your feet up in the lounge with a glass of port (not Lisbon's sickly-sweet ginginha drink, though, which is for the riff-raff). You can order champagne and nibbles to your room. And you can plug into the Wi-Fi for free.

What more can you ask for? Molton Brown in the bathrooms. Ah, yes. Luxury.

It's a hotel for honeymooners and rich romantics, because the prices are pretty steep at €230-€289 per double per night. But it's worth it if you want a bit of history behind your bed. Built in 1765, the hotel's inside what used to be the royal palace kitchens. It's kept the odd stone wall and the inner courtyard as an atmospheric reminder of its past.

Two downers:

If you get up late and want breakfast on the terrace, you'll have to put up with groups of schoolchildren peering at you over the wall as they crocodile their way around the castle...

And it's at the top of a very, very steep hill. There's a bus (no.37) to the door or you can hop on the historic tram 28 most of the way up, but if you're out for late-night fun and japes you might not find the trek back so amusing.

Otherwise lap it up, it's a beauty.