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by Mary Lussiana, The Daily Telegraph, August 12, 2016
An insider's guide to the Lisbon's top five-star hotels, from palace hotels to modern design pads, including the best for fine dining, rooftop pools, luxurious spas, and stylish bars, in areas near the Avenida de Liberdade, the Bairro Alto and the airport.
Bairro Alto Hotel
Lisbon, Portugal
8 Telegraph expert rating
This grand period building found on the fringes of the nocturnal neighbourhood, Bairro Alto, whose maze of cobbled lanes buzz with lively bars, stands out with its brazen canary yellow exterior. Inside, the bold look takes on a modern design twist with gold and black tones throughout. Staff are efficient and helpful, and rooms feature handsome marble bathrooms with plate-size shower-heads and Molton Brown products. The ground-floor Flores Restaurant serves earnest Portuguese and southern European fare such as roast monkfish or veal steak. Read expert review From£144per person Check Availability Rates provided byBooking.com
Corinthia Hotel Lisbon
Lisbon, Portugal
8 Telegraph expert rating
The soaring tower of the Corinthia Hotel offers memorable views over the impressive 18th century Aquaduct of Águas Livres, one of Lisbon’s most iconic sights. This is a hotel that sets out to deliver luxury, efficiently. Service is genuinely friendly. Rooms have local touches woven into the corporate style, such as the characteristic Lisbon cobblestones captured in black-and-white photographs decorating the walls. The spa offers an indoor swimming pool, steam bath and ice fountains. The huge outdoor terrace is a draw, where the octopus carpaccio and cured presunto are not to be missed. Read expert review From£85per person Check Availability Rates provided byBooking.com
Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon
Lisbon, Portugal
8 Telegraph expert rating
Dictator Salazar built this place in 1959 to prove that Lisbon could do luxury as well as any other European capital. More than half a century later it is still setting the bar. The staff combine the natural friendliness of the Portuguese with the excellent service for which Four Seasons is renowned. The spa includes a 400-metre running track on the roof. Head to the Ritz Bar for sushi and cocktails, or the Varanda Restaurant for its resplendent lunchtime buffets, where politicians mingle with the city’s elite. Expect rooms with 18th-century replica furniture and private terraces. Read expert review From£411per person Check Availability Rates provided byBooking.com
Epic Sana
Lisbon, Portugal
8 Telegraph expert rating
A large recent arrival on the Lisbon hotel scene that bucks the current trend for small boutique properties. Despite its size, the hotel manages to be detail driven and luxurious with minimalist, open-plan interiors. The spa has a sauna and Turkish bath, and there’s a rooftop infinity pool. The Flor-de-Lis Restaurant specialises in seafood and fish, with a tasting menu for gourmands. Rooms are seductively slick with cupboards clad in white leather, Nespresso coffee machines and bathrooms kitted out with Aromatherapy Associates toiletries. Read expert review From£121per person Check AvailabilityRates provided byBooking.com
Altis Avenida
Lisbon, Portugal
9Telegraph expert rating
It’s perfectly located opposite the Rossio train station and exudes Forties modernist glamour. Interiors use marble and mirrors, mixing black, white and gold for the urban chic yet bygone feel. Professional and extremely friendly service genuinely gives a home-from-home feel. Bedrooms have an aura of glamour from the ‘his and hers’ black-and-white dressing gowns to the Art Deco furniture and marble bathrooms. The watermelon gazpacho with feta cheese is not to be missed at the Rossio rooftop restaurant. Read expert review From£130per person Check AvailabilityRates provided byBooking.com
Porto Bay Liberdade
Lisbon, Portugal
8 Telegraph expert rating
This five-star hotel sits on a leafy street just off Avenida da Liberdade, Lisbon’s main avenue. Although it has a corporate feel overall, there are some quirks: Aviator6 bar has chairs that mimic vintage aircraft, so guests can pretend they are Biggles. Facilities include a 15-metre indoor pool, fitness centre, spa and rooftop bar. Bistro4 restaurant is devised by Michelin-starred chef Benoit Sinthon. Start with limpets sizzling in the pan, served with bolo do caco – like a hot English muffin with garlic butter. Read expert review From£111per person Check AvailabilityRates provided byBooking.com
Pestana Palace Lisboa
Lisbon, Portugal
7 Telegraph expert rating
This grand palace was built in 1904 by a cocoa baron, who surrounded it with a garden of subtropical trees. Service is old fashioned, discreet and respectful. There is a spa with a Turkish bath, hairdresser, fitness centre, an outdoor pool converted from the original lake in the garden, and the family chapel, which, although not consecrated, can hold marriage blessings. Rooms are classically decorated, with carpets, patterned bed heads, French-style furniture and heavy drapes. The restaurant serves traditional Portuguese dishes, inspired by the terroir of the country, allowing you a culinary journey from north to south. Read expert review From£186per person Check Availability Rates provided byBooking.com
Olissippo Lapa Palace
Lisbon, Portugal
9 Telegraph expert rating
An imposing, 19th-century palace turned luxury hotel set on a hillside, overlooking one of Lisbon’s smartest neighbourhoods. A hushed regal charm echoes around the antique and marble lavished interiors. The dazzling blue of the sky and river fill up the floor-to-ceiling windows from the best of the standard rooms, which have plump beds, marble bathrooms and private balconies. There is a spa and pool, and the Restaurante Lapa serves excellent Italian food. Tea-lovers should visit the Rio Tejo Bar, which has some 40-odd Asian varieties. Read expert review From£220per person Check Availability Rates provided byBooking.com
Eurostars Das Letras Hotel
Lisbon, Portugal
8 Telegraph expert rating
A literary theme runs throughout the hotel with every room named after an author, from Virgil to Virginia Woolf, and a fragment of their work in its original language above the bed. The celebration of literature is also writ large in the public areas, with many titles in different languages on the bookshelves and quotes lining the walls. The restaurant has a good Portuguese wine list, and their speciality of slow-cooked, dried cod (bacalhau) in olive oil is a star dish. It's on a quiet, leafy street just behind the main Avenida da Liberdade, but within easy walking distance of the city’s main historical sites. Read expert review From£81per person Check Availability Rates provided byBooking.com
InterContinental Lisbon
Lisbon, Portugal
9 Telegraph expert rating
The InterContinental surpasses all expectations, rising high above the heart of Lisbon, opposite the leafy, Eduardo VII Park. Public areas glimmer in blue marine with gold trim and dark woods. Rooms themselves offer every comfort: Nespresso machines, oversized beds with soft linen, and small but elegant bathrooms clad in marble. The food at Akla is exceptional with a menu of sharing plates, a strong Josper Grill section (try the octopus) and favourites such as the perfectly seasoned steak tartare, with quail eggs. Service is exemplary. Read expert reviewFrom£90per personCheck AvailabilityRates provided byBooking.comThe best hotels in Lisbon View all
Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon
Lisbon, Portugal
8 Telegraph expert rating
Built in 1959 by the Dictator Salazar to prove that Lisbon could do luxury as well as any other E... Read expert review From£411per person Check Availability Rates provided byBooking.com
Valverde Hotel
Lisbon, Portugal
9 Telegraph expert rating
On Lisbon’s grandest boulevard, this charming boutique hotel's 25 rooms and suites overlook the c... Read expert review From£237per person Check Availability Rates provided byBooking.com
Grande Real Villa Itália
Cascais, Lisbon, Portugal
8 Telegraph expert rating
A converted palace built for the exiled King of Italy in the 1960s. Highly-acclaimed Portuguese d... Read expert review From£229per person Check Availability Rates provided byBooking.com
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This article was written by Mary Lussiana from The Daily Telegraph and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.
