Squirrelled away down a steep, cobbled side street in Lisbon’s cosmopolitan Príncipe Real neighbourhood, this perfectly pink palácio sits in meticulously manicured gardens complete with a sun terrace and saltwater pool.
Planes
Lisbon Airport is around 25 minutes’ drive from the hotel, give or take a few minutes depending on traffic and the time of day. The hotel can book transfers at a cost of €45 for up to four passengers and €70 for more than that. The supplement also applies if your party’s luggage is substantial enough to require a second vehicle; worth bearing in mind if you’re the kind of person who likes to travel with several suitcases, a donkey and the kitchen sink.
Trains
At less than €2 one-way, the Lisbon Metro is the cheapest way to get from the airport to the hotel. Switch to the yellow line at Saldanha and get off at Rato station at the end of the line; it’s a five- to 10-minute stroll to Palácio Príncipe Real from there. For trips to Sintra’s fairytale palaces and other major hubs around Portugal, the grandly gothic Rossio train station – a tourist attraction in its own right – is about 20 minutes’ walk from the hotel, or 10 in a cab.
Automobiles
The Metro and various funiculars are by far the best ways to negotiate Lisbon’s notoriously narrow streets and steep hills, short of hoofing it up and down them yourself. However, drivers who enjoy a challenge can rent cars at the airport. There’s limited free parking behind the hotel’s garden and a valet service means you won’t have to risk the paintwork by braving the exceptionally narrow entrance yourself.
Worth getting out of bed for
A pair of ancient wooden doors leads out of the palace garden and into the steep lanes and cobbled squares of Príncipe Real, where characterful old townhouses rub shoulders with indie boutiques and cute cafés, and locals catch up over espressos and pastéis de nata beneath the swaying fronds of towering palm trees. It’s just a few steps to the Jardim do Príncipe Real, the district’s tranquil focal point, where a 150-year-old cypress provides shade from the midday sun. Drop by the nearby organic farmers’ market on Saturday mornings and tuck into your spoils – fresh bread rolls dunked in silky olive oils and creamy Serra da Estrela cheese – beneath the tree’s outspread branches.
Those iconic canary-yellow Remodelado trams that rumble and screech their way through the city’s historic streets provide the quintessential Lisbon sightseeing experience, and will save you a fortune in blister plasters. The E24 route that shakes, rattles and rolls its way through Príncipe Real is way less oversubscribed than its more famous E28 sibling, but no less charming. Once you’ve ticked off the ancient cypress, hop aboard to hit the lofty heights of the Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara, where your uphill trundle is rewarded with expansive views across the city’s distinctive red rooftops to mediaeval São Jorge Castle.
Príncipe Real is also something of a shoppers’ paradise, thanks in no small part to the Embaixada, a 19th-century palace turned department store, with original interiors – all graceful Moorish arches, imposing bronze statues and biblical frescoes – that are every bit as jawdropping as the prices. Beg, borrow or steal to nab yourself one of the luxury handbags, artisan jewellery pieces or one-off artworks on sale here. Or head east to Avenida da Liberdade, the city’s main shopping thoroughfare, where the shiny designer objects in the windows may be marginally less likely to send your bank manager spiralling into despair. But only marginally.
Beach bums rejoice… It’s just a 30-minute drive south of the city to the epic stretch of golden sand that is Costa da Caparica. Meanwhile, sunkissed Ericeira – the first (and so far only) designated World Surfing Reserve in Europe – is around 45 minutes north along the wild Atlantic Coast.
Local restaurants
A five-minute stroll through the tranquil Jardim do Príncipe Real brings you to A Cevicheria. This small but perfectly formed Peruvian restaurant doesn’t take bookings, and you may have to queue outside (with an apéritif, natch). But it’s worth the wait for the decor alone, which features azulejo-style blue-and-white floor tiles, duck-motif doors and a spectacular, tentacular giant octopus that dangles from the ceiling. The food’s pretty special, too. We’re talking zingy ceviche, fish tacos and more as well as, of course, the best pisco sours in town.
Over on bustling Avenida da Liberdade, JNcQUOI is one of the district’s hippest addresses and also comes with – what is it with Lisbon? – its own beastly centrepiece. A towering resident velociraptor dominates the smart dining room, where shopaholics take a break for lunch and diners people-watch over decadent lobster gratin, tender Iberico pork and the aptly-monikered ‘dinosaur’s drool’ dessert, a calorie-laden treat packed with chocolate mousse, cookies, caramel and whipped cream that just begs to be devoured.
Local cafés
A trip to Lisbon wouldn’t be a trip to Lisbon without scoffing at least five – heck, maybe even 10 – pastéis de nata while you’re in town. Make the pilgrimage to the Pastéis de Bélem café to sample these crumbly, oozy custard tarts in the place they were originally dreamt up by 19th-century monks with exceptionally good taste. The recipe here is exactly the same as it always was: enjoy your sweet treat (or treats) fresh from the oven and still warm, with a light dusting of cinnamon.
When staying in Principe Réal, it would be an equally unforgivable oversight to miss the frankly life-changing Italian-style gelato at Nannarella on Rua Nova da Piedade. The delicious azulejo-tiled façade is a mere amuse bouche for the dozens of flavours that await inside, from classic chocolate-laced stracciatella to limited seasonal selections like pomegranate and pumpkin.
Local bars
Militaria museum? Old curiosity shop? Achingly hip cocktail bar? Pavilhão Chinês (on Rua Dom Pedro V) is all of these and more, a maze of five palatial rooms that are crammed full of antiques, trinkets and memorabilia from the 18th to 20th centuries. Ring the bell to gain entry through an unimposing red door and, once inside, try to convince yourself you’re not hallucinating as you sip that fourth cocktail from the almost comically long menu, surrounded by miniature toy soldiers, model aeroplanes and grinning Toby jugs. And, Imprensa Cocktail and Oyster Bar (46 Rua da Imprensa Nacional) brings a little Brooklyn-style – and the intrguing pairing of seafood and cocktails – to Lisbon. Order up its namesake dish, to be washed down with a highball or natural wine, then leave a note on the Olivetti typewriter that doubles as a sort of guest book.
