Style
Palatial mansion
Location
The beautiful Lapa Palace Hotel is set in its own grounds with stunning views of the city and Tagus River. Located in the city’s diplomatic quarter, central Lisbon is just a short drive away. The sights of old Lisbon include St George’s Castle, the Cathedral, the National Theatre and many galleries and museums. The historic architecture is a delight to stroll around and enjoy, along with the local shops and attractions.
Highlights and Features
The Lapa Palace is one of the most magnificent luxury hotels in Lisbon, if not the world! The sumptuous mansion was built as a palace in the 19th century. With some of the best views over Lisbon to the Tagus River, a stay at this luxury hotel will ensure an unforgettable visit to Lisbon.
Each of the 109 guestrooms and suites in this decadent, luxury hotel has traditional décor in keeping with the fine architectural features, chandeliers and stucco moldings from the former era. The marble bathrooms are a sumptuous pleasure to linger in with beautiful tiles and marble fixtures, or relax and enjoy the view from the privacy of your balcony. With Portuguese fabrics and quality furnishings, there is different decoration on every floor of this luxury hotel with styles ranging from Art Deco and Colonial to neo-Classic. Some of the furniture was once part of the original palace, including the newly restored gold leaf walls in the Count of Valencas Suite and the coveted Portuguese porcelain, Vista Alagre.
Sunbathe by the delightful pool in the manicured gardens or spend time in the Spa with hours of relaxation and pampering to look forward to. Sip cocktails or iced tea at the Poolside Le Pavilion which offers 42 different types of tea. The superb restaurant offers the very best in Mediterranean cuisine while the Rio Tejo Bar is considered one of the most beautiful retreats to enjoy a drink on the terrace with stunning river views. Deservedly one of the ‘Leading Hotels of the World’ the Lapa Palace is the ultimate luxury hotel in Lisbon.
Metro Station
Cais do Sodré – Verde (Green)
Buses
Santos 0 1, 2 15E, 25E, 28, 60, 74, 201, 706, 714, 727, 732, 794
Detailed Review
The hotel is well equipped with a renowned restaurant, Ristorante Hotel Cipriani serving superb Italian & Venetian cuisine, and the poolside Pavilhão restaurant and bar and the Rio Tejo bar with indoor and outdoor seating. There are outdoor and indoor heated swimming pools, a fitness center with sauna, steam room, gym, and massage on request. Golf Tennis and Horse riding are available nearby.
Independent Reviews
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"Swanky home from home for those used to living in the lapa luxury"
This is an elegant, refined grande dame in a 19th-century palace. Rooms are of variable size, and better in the old building. The gardens are beautiful.
Lapa Palace
By Sue Carpenter
Set amid the quiet cobbled streets of the residential embassy district, this resplendent 1870 mansion was bought by the Orient-Express group in 1998 and revamped with the kind of glitz and gleam that appeals to European royalty, Rod Stewart, Sting, Cher, Bono, John Malkovich and Catherine Deneuve and Paul McCartney and family (who felt so at home that they stayed on an extra couple of nights).
There’s a buzz about the public spaces, which appeal to both residents and outside guests who like to feel in with the in crowd – the Cipriani has been voted by Zagat as best restaurant in Lisbon for its contemporary Italian and Portuguese cuisine, Bar Rio Tejo is akin to an English tea room specialising in 50 varieties of tea and summer tea cocktails, and there’s a reading room with blackamoors and sofas for you to sink into with your glossy mag.
The hotel’s appeal spreads from businessmen and politicos to well groomed tourists and their kids, who like the chic resort feel within a city setting. The lush gardens, complete with pond, waterfall and swimming pool, mean you can flop on a sun-lounger after a hard day’s sightseeing – or alternatively head into the swanky new Wellness Centre for a massage, work-out, steam bath, sauna or beauty treatment with La Prairie products.
The rooms
The 109 rooms include 22 individually decorated rooms and suites in the original palace, 14 rooms in the Italianate villa (formerly the stables), some with their own mini gardens, and standard rooms in the 1992 garden wing. Basic rooms are, as you would expect, very comfortable and well appointed with terraces or balconies, while the deluxe rooms and suites are more romantic, many with restored antiques from the original palace. The Tower Room is the one honeymooners go for, with its pop-up TV at the end of the bed, Jacuzzi for two, and a private turret, where you can dine al fresco with a panorama of the city. The Royal Suite is the prettiest, in pastel rococo style.
All rooms have safes, two telephone lines, high-speed internet et al, while the marble bathrooms have double sinks, separate shower and bath and either Helleboro or La Prairie toiletries.
A Travel + Leisure 2006 World's Best - Top 100 hotels Europe