We took Melissa to Lisbon last weekend for an operation on her eye. This is not a sad tale of NHS waiting lists for cataract removal, but nine-year-old Storme's idea of a dream vacation. Melissa is her doll, and the hospital was the Hospital das Bonecas Ervanaria Portuguesa in Lisbon's Praca da Figueira (tel: 00351 213 428574).
At this hospital, founded in 1830, all the patients are dolls like Melissa. They first have to register at the ground-floor reception, where there is also a small shop. At seven o'clock on Friday night, Storme was already a million miles away from school, trying to decide which dress best suited Melissa. From the shop reception, the Lilliputian patients are taken up in an "ambulance" - in reality, a tiny dumb waiter - to the fourth floor, where the ward is.
There is no miracle that the doll-doctors can't perform, from restoring amputated limbs to hair loss, all for around £2. One woman arrived with her granddaughters' favourite doll, her head hanging on by just a thread, but was reassured that she had many years of life left in her yet.
We had found out about the hospital from Travelscene (Travelscene), which has recently launched Cities for Kids - five popular city break destinations, from Barcelona to Reykjavik, tried and tested by five travel writers after making a family trip themselves.
For each destination, they've produced their own personal guide. As well as recommending the hospital as a must-see, the Lisbon list includes a river-boat trip, and parks with playgrounds where the young ones can let off steam. Such stalwart advice is what makes such a short break possible. Without it, the first day would be eaten up trying to find where to take the kids.
I wonder if they have a doll's hospital in Reykjavik?
