Figueira by The Beautique Hotels

Interior designer Nini Andrade Silva used fig trees as inspiration for The Beautique Hotels Figueira. The hotel facade is leafy green and dark-wood platforms cover the cobblestones that lead to the hotel from a nearby square. Inside, the reception area has smokey-gray walls and brown leather chairs with spotlights that create a hip, dusky atmosphere. The restaurant and lounge have exposed stone columns, curvy gray walls, dark-wood tables, and brown chairs. The public bathroom has a cleverly designed sink that resembles a fig sliced in half. Hallways have huge figs projected onto charcoal-gray walls. Most guests are either business travelers or vacationing couples.

Several of the guest rooms look out onto Figueira Square, which was created in the mid-18th century after an earthquake destroyed large parts of Lisbon. Once a fruit and vegetable market, the square and its surrounding area are now dominated by restaurants, pastry shops, and souvenir stores. The Rossio Train Station is within a five-minute walk, while the famed Santa Justa Elevator, which connects the lower streets of Baixa to the higher elevated Carmo Square section, is three minutes from the hotel on foot. For visitors who want to see the major sights of Lisbon in one go, Trolley 28 rolls through several historic sections of the city and passengers can board at a stop a seven-minute walk from the hotel. Lisbon International Airport takes about 17 minutes to reach by car. 

The 50 rooms at The Beautique Hotels Figueira prove how much an interior designer can be inspired by fig trees -- and it's impressive. Guest spaces are named after different parts of the plant -- fig, leaf, root, and tree -- and decorated accordingly. All rooms have wood floors, plush beds, and lamps with bases that resemble branches. Amenities include flat-screen TVs with smart capabilities, adjustable reading lamps attached to headboards, espresso machines, safes, and minibars. However, the beds take up a good portion of the rooms and there's little space for lounging or working. Compact bathrooms are elegantly designed with leaf-green walls and modern fittings, including walk-in showers. Hairdryers, scales, magnifying mirrors, and Damana toiletries come standard.

The Beautique Hotels Figueira offers a decent selection of amenities for a hotel of its size. The restaurant serves Portuguese cuisine but receives mixed reviews from guests. Breakfast is also available for a fee. There's also a business center open 24 hours. The exercise room has a handful of machines, which is adequate yet may not be enough for fitness fanatics. Airport transfers and babysitting can be arranged for a fee. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel.