WearsMyMoney

Last weekend I went to Lisbon with the ‘long’ brothers. Alfie’s exact words when describing us were ‘just a middle-aged woman and her long children’. Fairly astute representation, I feel. The initial reason for our trip was to see Brentford play a friendly against Benfica. We know that our dreams of seeing them in the Champions League are possibly a little far-fetched, so we took this as an opportunity to see what a European game would be like. Plus, you know, Lisbon is nice and hot, and it’s only a 2‑hour flight away.

The good people at Travel Seen* found us a great hotel to stay at. My main criteria was to have somewhere that was within walking distance of all the main sights and restaurants, shops etc, and that it should have a pool. After a day of wandering in a hot country, a few hours lazing by a pool before dinner is the absolute ideal. Travel Seen came up trumps with the Avani Avenida Liberdade Hotel, which is on the Bond Street of Lisbon but is still reasonably priced.

I’ll get into what we did in a bit, but this is a list of what I took with me in my trusty little carry-on case. It looks like a lot for 4 days now I’ve written it down, but everything fitted in nicely and with space to spare.

• 3 pairs of shorts (denim, linen, long)
• 2 pairs of trousers (these and these)
• 2 T‑shirts (printed and sleeveless)
• 2 vest tops (with built-in bra)
• 4 lightweight shirts (to wear over the vests)
• 1 blouse (for evening)
• 2 pairs of sandals (these and these chosen purely for comfort)
• 1 pair of Vans (see above)
• 1 denim jacket (not worn, apart from at the airport on return)
• 1 black dress (not worn)
• 3 bags: Uniqlo cross body, small evening and basket
• 1 swimming costume
• 1 pair of short PJs

Let’s have a look at the outfits I made from these items. Some of the things I took are old or no longer available, so I’ve tried to find similar alternatives for you…

On our first day we explored the Bairro Alto area, full of little bars and restaurants and SO MANY TILES. I swear you’ll want to go home and cover your whole house in patterned tiles. We walked down through the main squares and had lunch at the famed Time Out food market. It has everything you could want to eat. We plumped for Croqueteria. Very nice – have the goat’s cheese croquete. We all bought something at a cool streetwear shop called Ementa, then headed out to Benfica for the match. They have an eagle as a mascot that flies around the pitch pre-kick off. Plus we didn’t lose, so it was a good day all round.

By the way, Ubers in Lisbon are way cheaper (and seemingly a lot more reliable) than at home. I bought the shirt above in Athens when I was there in June from a shop called Just Brazil, but it’s not online, I’m afraid. I also bought the matching shorts, but I feel a bit like a clown wearing them as a set.

1. Alexis Amour Cameron soft pink sparkle sunglasses 
2. Daisy London x Shrimps Clover Charm Necklace 
3. Uniqlo AIRism Camisole Top
4. Sandro floaty patterned shirt 
5. Abercrombie High Rise Loose Shorts
6. Mango Double strap basket bag
7. Air & Grace Ivory Two Bar Back Strap Sandals

As for tourist sites, we ticked off quite a few of them. Edward wanted to visit the giant Christ statue on the other side of the bridge, so we got a taxi over there one morning. You can pay to go up it, but the view is just as good from down below. We also checked out the Belém Tower, but didn’t go inside that either.

We did go into the Castelo de São Jorge, though. (Avoid the queue and just buy your ticket online while you’re standing outside wondering why no one else in the queue thought of that.) There’s a nice café inside the castle for a cold glass of Coke with ice, which is my favourite holiday drink. I never drink it at home, but I have one every day on holiday. We hired Lime scooters and bikes to get from the Belém Tower to the city – it’s a fairly smooth ride along the bike lane on the seafront.

1. Arket white linen shirt 
2. Monica Vinader Goddess Coin Paperclip Chain Necklace (use code KATEHMV20 for discount)
3. Moscot Lemtosh Crystal Sunglasses
4. Uniqlo Seamless Half Camisole Bra Top
5. Iris Roller stripe cotton trousers 
6. Sezane Justine Basket bag 
7. M&S Leather Buckle Ankle Strap Flatform Sandals

If you’re going to the Belém Tower, you can maybe bike ride to LX Factory for lunch. It’s an old industrial area that’s now home to lots of cool restaurants and shops. The bookshop there is a visual feast, and there’s a great homeware shop where I purchased a set of cups with letters on because I can’t resist anything monogrammed. On our second night, we had dinner at The Decadente, which was recommended by a few friends. Probably one of the best steaks I’ve ever eaten and the wine was superb too. You need to book, and make sure you get the terrace. The Decadente is in the Príncipe Real area. In fact, most of the restaurants we ate at were in that area. Some cool bars and shops there too. 

1. YSL tortoiseshell sunglasses 
2. Monica Vinader Talisman Hoop Earrings
3. John Lewis Broderie Anglaise Beach Shirt
4. Edit Brand Collection stripe sleeveless t shirt 
5. H&M Linen bermuda shorts
6. Teva Women’s Voya Infinity Flat Sandal
7. Loewe x Paula’s Ibiza Small Anagram Basket Bag

There are a lot of rooftop bars in Lisbon, the one right next to our hotel called Seen was the most bougie, but the cocktail prices were very steep, so we plumped for the Atico rooftop bar on top of the NH Hotel over the road as their drinks were half the price and the views were excellent. I got to wear my shimmery top from 46 Stitch that a lots of you loved, I don’t have these gold sandals, I’m using artistic license here, but I do have them in cream and in black and they are SO comfortable. you can wear them all day and all night.

1. 46 Stitch Ric Rac Millie Metallic Stripe Cotton Top
2. Monica Vinader Root Medium Hoop Earrings
3. Trish Mcevoy Easy Lip Gloss
4. Louise Wade Bowie flash signet ring 
5. Toast Indigo cotton twill trousers 
6. Anna Pugh soft gold leather wristlet bag
7. Air & Grace Gala leather sandals 

Another good place we ate at in Príncipe Real (which was a 10-minute walk from the hotel) is Leonetta, an excellent Italian that I saw on Joe Jonas’s Instagram. He has good taste, as the food was top notch. You definitely need to book. We had a drink at A Cevicheria, but the wait for a table was too long for starving teenagers so we headed to Coyo Taco just a few doors down instead, which was actually perfect for us. We also had a lunchtime pizza at ZeroZero on the terrace overlooking the Botanical Garden.

1. Whistles Collaged Star Bowling Shirt
2. Oliver Bonas Preppy Faux Tortoiseshell Round Sunglasses
3. Louise Sinclair diamond heart necklace 
4. Loewe Anagram Buckle Reversible Leather Belt
5. Uniqlo Round Mini Shoulder Bag
6. COS longline denim shorts 
7. Vans Checkerboard Classic Slip-ons

I took this PJ set to wear in bed but the top doubled up nicely as a pool shirt, in fact I would actually wear this with jeans at home too. I love it when an outfit is two-for-one. I also love my Hunza G swimming costume. It’s quite high cut, though; however, I’ve noticed they now do a fuller coverage version.

1. Coco & Eve Daily Water Gel SPF50+ Sunscreen
2. All Saints Kitty Rectangular Cat Eye Sunglasses
3. Ultrasun Ultralip SPF 30
4. Their Nibs linen mix oversized peacock pyjamas 
5. Hunza G Square Neck Swimsuit
6. Chilly’s Insulated Leak-Proof Drinks Bottle
7. Teva Original Universal Vegan Sandals

I hope this has given a little flavour of our trip. I loved spending time with my boys in Lisbon. They were really good travel companions. For anyone still in the trenches with tiny children, you can look forward to sharing a bottle of wine over dinner and having actual conversations about real-life things.

K x

* Our stay at the hotel was complimentary via Travel Seen in return for a mention on my Instagram. There was no obligation to write about them in this blog, but I would definitely recommend them if you are looking for a good travel agent who can take on the task of finding the right holiday for you. They were very helpful and came up with a few hotel options for us based on my requirements.

They have an offer running right now for any of you looking to book a holiday this year:

• £250.00 discount on your first holiday booked with Travel Seen before the end of 2024
• Two complimentary UK airport lounge passes per booking
• Use code TSWMM24 when inquiring to be eligible for the discount
• Call Travel Seen at 0161 697 5665 to book your holiday
• Some T&Cs apply