In 1988, a fire tore through Lisbon's Chiado district, where for generations intellectuals sipped coffee watching well-to-do ladies peruse the boutiques and department stores. "We have lost the Lisbon of our artists and writers," said one fire-fighter as she surveyed the destruction at the time. Fortunately the city called in Portugal's Pritzker Prize-winning architect Álvaro Siza Vieira to oversee the restoration and reconstruction. Today the neighborhood is now back to its old glory as the city's premier shopping zone. Located in one of the buildings that rose from the ashes, the Hotel do Chiado's location is hard to beat, especially if you grab one of the top-floor rooms that boast a roof garden where you can admire a superlative view over the city and the waters of the River Tagus. Even those with lower rooms can still admire the view from the spectacular terrace of the Bar Panorâmico. Rooms are comfortably sized and furnished in a sober modern style with soft natural tones—pale blue floors, and beige and gold drapes. And it's all just an elevator ride away from the bustling mix of modern designer stores and centuries-old shops selling books, jewelry, or antiques in the streets below.