Travel in Style
This 1950s Lisbon Hotel Is Worth The Splurge
Photo by Lisbon Four Seasons Hotel Ritz
Travel in Style
This 1950s Lisbon Hotel Is Worth The Splurge
An iconic 1950s-built modernist structure is thoughtfully redefined as a sophisticated sanctuary.
There is much to praise about the design, comfort, and ticker tape of amenities at Lisbon’s Four Seasons Hotel Ritz. In short, let’s just say it’s got more sumptuousness than you can shake a stick at. But the real star here, for me, is the effortless ease of the place. The staff is so warm and hospitable, the service so flawless, and the surrounds so comfy, I had daydreams on loop about moving in. To be sure, this is an undoubtedly swish hotel, but it’s a charmer without airs.
It opened in 1959, and funnily enough, it isn’t associated with the Paris Ritz. The name, rather, was settled on because it was synonymous with hotel perfection. Four Seasons acquired it in 1997 and began a careful renovation in 2019 that would retain the hotel’s modernist architecture while injecting new life with colour, pattern and furnishings.
Photo by Lisbon Four Seasons Hotel Ritz
When I stayed, the glossy, white marble lobby featured a composition of plinths topped with generous arrangements of fresh Casablanca lilies. The mix of these structured forms and blowsy blooms was a clever nod to the contrast between the hotel exterior’s Brutalist design and the interior’s plush touches. It was also an intimation of the decorative delights to come.
The extra-wide, gold-accented hallways are thickly carpeted, softly lit and panelled with dark wood-framed mirrors that exude a decadent lounge effect. It’s so rich and hushed, it’s easy to forget that there are 282 rooms on offer (41 of which are suites).
Photo by Lisbon Four Seasons Hotel Ritz
All guest accommodations were designed to honour the hotel’s past while imparting modern verve. Furnishings have an Art-Deco vibe, and warm, honey-toned panelling and drapes are enlivened by tactile teal fabrics. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the view, and most rooms have a balcony.
Photo by Lisbon Four Seasons Hotel Ritz
My balcony, on the sixth floor, overlooked the pretty Eduardo VII Park and the imposing Marques de Pombal square atop the leafy Liberdade Avenue. The spacious bathrooms (mostly untouched during the reno, given their timeless design and opulent marble walls and floors) boast the most delicious-smelling lemon verbena unguents from Portugal’s famed Claus Porto. King-size beds invite cocooning and are dressed with embroidered signature linens.
Photo by Lisbon Four Seasons Hotel Ritz
Even just lingering in the hotel’s public spaces is a treat. Enormous chandeliers illuminate one of Lisbon’s largest collections of Portuguese art, a museum-worthy curation of tapestries and oil paintings created by important contemporary artists.
Photo by Lisbon Four Seasons Hotel Ritz
There are four restaurants, including the Michelin-starred Cura and Varanda, which offers the most expansive and crowd-pleasing breakfast and lunch buffets (don’t miss the poached lobster). And then, wow, there are the amenities.
Photography by Hayley Kelsing
An indoor pool and spa (book the candle-lit massage), a seasonal outdoor pool with a dedicated bar and restaurant, a Pilates studio and a fitness centre impress, but the rooftop running track is something else. The 400-metre U-shaped track lets you work up a sweat while taking in the astounding views and colours of Lisbon and the Tagus River.
Photo by Lisbon Four Seasons Hotel Ritz
Lisbon’s Four Seasons Hotel Ritz crafts a getaway that shimmers with chic and unparalleled comfort. And if you can’t splurge on a stay, go for a drink or meal to soak up all the micro luxuries that make this one of the very best hotels in the world.
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