Vila Gale Opera is Lisbon's ultra-modern hotel and takes its name from the neighbouring classical music schools and the musical theme is conspicuous throughout the building: each floor is named after a different genre and each room an artist.
Theatre groups and singers also perform regularly in the Portuguese/French restaurant. It's a nice idea, but the emphasis on music is both baffling and over-egged; lifesize mannequins of famous opera characters hang pointlessly behind a glass cabinet at the end of an open-plan lobby.
Needless to say, the po-faced staff appear equally inanimate. On the plus side, the hotel benefits from a well-equipped health club with personal trainers at the ready to assist less motivated fitness freaks. The Opera can be found on the road to Belém, and is a welcome alternative to the many city centre hotels.
Several rooms also enjoy fantastic views of the suspension bridge. Business groups and moneyed young professionals make up the bulk of guests.