Built in 1870 as a private home and in 1887
converted to a Palace by the Count of Valenças, who called on some of the most
renowned artists of the day to help with the decorating, Lisbon’s Lapa Palace
remained a family home until 1988 and is now one of the city’s most beautiful
hotels. It retains a number of original features such as stained glass windows,
tiles by ceramicist Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, and frescoes by Columbano, the
greatest portrait painter of the time, as well as furnishings and carpets. Ceramics feature strongly, marble, beautiful
fabrics, rich colours, magnificent woodwork and enormous gilded mirrors all
help the original palace to blend seamlessly with the two newer wings and the
views over the Tagus River are among the finest in the city.
With a heated pool set in
the magnificent gardens near a beautiful man-made waterfall splashing over
Portuguese ceramics tiles, a well equipped day-spa and fitness centre and
regular cooking classes led by the hotel’s Executive Chef, it’s tempting not to
leave the hotel grounds. But Lisbon, like Rome, is a city built on seven hills,
with the two most distinct being the one on which the nobility and gentry chose
to build their homes and form the Lapa District, and the one opposite where Saint
Jorge’s Castle is magnificently floodlit at night. The Lapa District today is
home to foreign embassies and consulates and the smart residences of Lisbon’s
wealthy, while the nearby district of Chiado is an area of charming
old-fashioned cafés and elegant stores, where wealthy Lisboetas go to shop;
both regions are well worth exploring.
Many of the most
interesting historical and cultural areas of Lisbon, such as the old Moorish
quarter of Alfama and the picturesque Bairro Alto and Estrela with its huge domed
basilica and gardens are very near the hotel. Narrow cobbled streets housing
bars dedicated to Fado (the blues music of Portugal) and cafés selling
Portuguese tarts and excellent coffee; the docklands area of Belém at the mouth
of the river, with its magnificent Jerónimos Monastery and the imposing 52
metre high Monument to the Discoveries built to commemorate the key players in
Portugals discoveries of the 15th and 16th centuries, are
all a short car or tram ride away.
The Ristorante Cipriani
(named after one of the Orient-Express chains most famous hotels) features
Venetian cuisine, Venetian glass and a rich colour scheme of red and gold,
while the plush Rio Tejo Bar and adjoining Terrace with beautiful garden views
is perfect for a light meal, traditional afternoon tea (offering 50 different
teas and tisanes), and the chance to witness the ancient tradition of port
opening.
A guest once said that the
Lapa Palace staff ‘delivers service that feels like kindness’, this is true
hospitality.
Lapa Palace
Rua do Pau de Bandeira 4
1249-021 Lisbon, Portugal
Tel.: +351 21 394 9494