Fours Seasons Hotel Ritz – Grandeur & Grace in Lisbon

The Four Seasons Hotel Ritz in Lisbon is considered to be one of grandest hotels in the city. In fact it was recently named in the Top 100 Best Hotels in the World, in a Travel + Leisure magazine readers’ survey. No doubt this honor is a reflection of the quality service and attention to detail provided by the Four Season Ritz.

The hotel was built in 1959 by then dictator Salazar. The 10-floor mid-century design structure sits atop one of Lisbon’s seven hills. It enjoys views of Eduardo VII Park, St. George’s Moorish castle, the Old Town and the Tagus River. Four Seasons took over management in 1998.

As with any Four Seasons hotel, expect pure elegance. The lobby and common areas throughout the hotel are extravagantly decorated. 20th century modern tapestries and a marble engraved wall by Almada Negreiros (at top) are featured in the lounge bearing his name. Afternoon tea is served in a lavish lobby lounge, next to the grand piano, surrounded by marble columns, with iron chandeliers hanging above and beautiful carpets below.

The Varanda Restaurant offers haute cuisine with spectacular views of the city. Executive Chef Pascal Meynard prepares regional Portuguese dishes such as suckling pig and fresh fish from the coast. Savory signature dishes are seafood cataplana with prawns, clams and coriander, and traditional Portuguese lobster rice casserole.  After dinner, scoot over to the Ritz Bar after the meal to enjoy a fine selection of the rarest Ports.

There are 282 fabulous rooms in the hotel. 40 are suites, extravagantly decorated with mahogany canopied beds with fringed swags, marquetry desks, satinwood dressing tables, and plush carpeting. Each have marble bathrooms and most have terraces overlooking the park. Even the standard rooms are quite grand, with 452 square feet/42 square meters space.

Also onsite are health and fitness facilities that are the envy of Lisbon. The rooftop gym has floor-to-ceiling glass walls with amazing views of city. In fact, you can go for a run on the rooftop track circling the gym. After the workout, relax at the Buddhist-inspired Zen design Spa. A myriad of massages and treatments are available, in addition to an indoor lap pool, sauna and steam room.

Hint: Odd-numbered rooms have the best views overlooking the Eduardo VII Park.