Lisbon Four Seasons Hotel Ritz
LISBON’S MOST ICONIC
Located in the heart of Lisbon, just minutes away from the most important activities, the historic Hotel wears the cultural heart and soul of Portugal on its sleeve. Inside, art-deco sensibilities mingle with an updated Louis XVI style, and a collection of important contemporary local artwork fills the halls. Outside, views of the city’s rolling hills and brightly tiled exteriors spread out before you. After spending the day exploring the city sights, many just steps from the Hotel, we invite you for a seasonally inspired, Michelin-starred gastronomic experience at CURA restaurant.
This landmark hotel was built in 1959 by the Dictator Salazar 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, managed by the Four Seasons Group with its inimitable service and impressive spa and fitness facilities. With Lisbon’s narrow streets making traffic a problem, the hotel’s location near the main Avenida de Liberdade means easy access around the capital and to Art Museums such as the Gulbenkian nearby. Rooms overlook Eduardo VII Park, the hotel’s gardens and the Jacaranda lined street alongside it.
Style and Character
This was a hotel built for show and its stark, modernist exterior opens onto opulent interiors that reflect this. A huge marble lobby leads into a very formal dining room. Décor is grand, think chandeliers and huge flower displays on gilded furniture. A good collection of modern Portuguese art, from tapestries to sculptures and paintings, hang throughout the hotel. Renovated bedrooms have been brought into the 21st century with serious panache.
▪️Service and Facilities
Combine the natural friendliness of the Portuguese with the efficient service that the Four Seasons Group delivers and you have an impressive result. Nothing is too much trouble from that elusive restaurant table to a heel on a shoe being fixed in minutes. Whilst so long a business hotel, the wonderful spa and fitness facilities, which include a 400-meter running track on the roof of the hotel, are bringing in the leisure travelers in droves. A range of ‘experiences’ from urban art tours to photographing Lisbon from a vintage moto sidecar is also attracting a younger crowd. An elegant addition is the outside swimming pool, which, unusually for Portugal, comes heated. It also has underwater music.
▪️Rooms
Of the 244 rooms and 38 luxury suites, all but 10 have private terraces with far-reaching views over Lisbon. The renovated rooms courtesy of Portuguese designers Oitoemponto have drawn on the heritage of the hotel. The carpets for example are woven with waves inspired by the tapestry, part of their impressive Portuguese art collection, which hangs by the Bar.
Much of the furniture from headboards to tables is bespoke, mid-century in style and furnishings come in a rich teal. The Fifties-style chaise longue sets the tone. Bathrooms remain elegantly clad in marble offering either shower only or showers with separate bathtubs. Amenities are Bulgari. Sheets are luxuriously soft and the famous Four Season beds guarantee a restorative sleep.
Facilities:
* Parking
* Restaurant
* Room service
* Bar
* Laundry
* Pool
* Sauna
* Spa
* Wi-Fi Fitness centre
* Steam room/hammam
Restaurants:
▪️ ALMADA NEGREIROS LOUNGE
A favorite meeting place for locals and guests alike to sip Afternoon Tea, relax with a book and admire the namesake artist’s bold tapestries decorating the walls.
▪️Сura
Skillful curatorship – “curadoria” in Portuguese – lies at the heart of CURA, where Michelin-starred chef and head culinary curator Pedro Pena Bastos selects his ingredients as meticulously as an artist chooses his paints, drawing from Lisbon’s rich regional palette of seasonal ingredients to create artisanal dishes of great depth, taste, and meaning. The highly acclaimed Cura with chef Pedro Pena Bastos at the helm is the place to go for a seriously gourmet dinner. Designed by Miguel Câncio Martins, it has its own entrance from the street, bringing you into a dimly lit, intimate restaurant with a glamorous 1950’s Ritz vibe. Do order the texturally rich, signature dish of squid with hazelnut, bergamot, roasted seaweed butter, and Oscietra, and don’t miss the figs with beetroot, figs, lime and reindeer moss.
▪️ O JAPONÊS
The restaurant serves freshly prepared sushi. Breakfast is an impressively diverse buffet with an à la carte menu for eggs and more to order.
Dine on fresh sushi and sashimi as well as Nikkei-inspired dishes in an intimate and authentic Japanese atmosphere.
▪️ VARANDA RESTAURANT
See and be seen at our timeless restaurant, known for its lavish brunch, a premier view of Eduardo VII Park, and a diverse menu that highlights local specialties and ingredients. The Varanda Restaurant spills out onto the pretty terrace in summer, overlooking the Jacaranda trees, and is renowned for its sumptuous lunchtime buffets, where politicians mingle with the city elite.
▪️ RITZ BAR
Alternatively, the beef tartare at the Ritz Bar, is the best in town. With an extensive wine list and a selection of ports and cocktails, our chic-yet-casual bar is an ideal spot to meet for drinks or a quick bite.
