Worth Traveling For
Lisbon is awash in hotel openings, with the impending arrival of the Standard, Nobu Hotels, and Six Senses, as well as the first hotel from the homegrown JNcQUOI lifestyle group. But for now, it’s Andaz Lisbon that’s the sexy new kid in town. Spanning a full city block inside an old bank, the hotel features stylish interiors by Patricia Urquiola, signature suites that deftly pair tradition and modernity, and what is easily the most colorful rooftop restaurant in Portugal.
With its location amid the orderly blocks of the Baixa district — the goldenrod Praça do Comércio and the glimmering Tagus River— Andaz Lisbon is an ideal base for first-time visitors. It’s a short walk to monuments like St. George Castle and famous neighborhoods such as Alfama and Chiado. The hotel is phase one of an “urban resort” project that will include a serious wellness center, but for now, it’s best suited to cultural explorers who want a launching pad in the heart of it all.
Hotel Highlights
“Lisboa é uma aldeia,” which translated means “Lisbon is a village” is a motto that shows up throughout the hotel. Even though Lisbon is, in fact, an increasingly dynamic European capital, the sentiment makes sense. The hotel’s developers and management have made considerable efforts to tie the place to the city’s culture, from its historic streets to its contemporary creative scene.
A who’s who of Portuguese artists contributed to the project, including textile artist Luisa Ramires and painters Rosarinho Andrade and Studio Krus. Some works were painted on cork, while others interpret Portugal’s famous azulejo tiles and Arraiolos carpets. Fashion designer Carla Pontes came up with the staff uniforms, drawing on folkloric Figurado de Barcelos imagery.
The ground-floor lobby lounge has a central bar that’s modeled on Lisbon’s beloved street kiosks, where locals stop for a strong espresso and pastel de nata, or a small croquette and a glass of wine. The twist here is that all the wines served by the glass come from female winemakers from the Lisbon or nearby Setúbal wine regions.
But the showstopper is upstairs, in the exuberantly designed Luzzi rooftop bar and restaurant. (The name is a play on Lusitania, the old name for the Iberian Peninsula, but it also works as a riff on luz, or Lisbon’s famous light, which wafts through the wide, slanted window as the afternoon turns to evening.) The menu, overseen by Brazilian chef Bruno Alves, draws heavily on Portugal’s historic adventures overseas, incorporating flavors from Goa, Mozambique, Cabo Verde, and especially Brazil. The house beer is a custom collaboration with Lisbon’s craft beer pioneer, Musa.
Rooms & Experience
The hotel’s first phase, which is fully open now, consists of 158 rooms and 12 suites in an old-school layout with four long hallways and an open courtyard in the center. The exterior-facing rooms have lovely views over the stately buildings — lots of banks and hotels — of Baixa. Some rooms on the upper floors have glimpses of the Tagus River, but the best vistas are at Luzzi, where one of the alcoves has the best view of the Rua Augusta Arch in town.
The courtyard-facing rooms have less external interest, but all 170 accommodations have a handsome design inside including dark wood paneling — a welcome change from today’s play-it-safe beige — playful pops of color, and large bathrooms clad in Portuguese stone. Strategic design and soundproofing have resulted in silence and privacy (and the doors to the WCs are properly opaque). The bath amenities are by the suddenly everywhere Byredo — in this case, Eleventh Hour, an earthy scent with base notes of tonka bean and cashmere woods.
What to Know Before You Book
The top-tier suites are worth the splurge. They aren’t only big — although they certainly are spacious (ranging from almost 800 square feet to more than 1,000) — but they have a style all their own that elevates the stay. They’re on the second (European first) floor, historically the home of a building’s wealthiest residents. They have high ceilings, dramatic arched windows, and contemporary furnishings that play quite nicely with the traditional architectural elements that were preserved during the building’s years-long renovation.
Address: Rua do Comércio 136, Lisbon, Portugal
Closest airport: Lisbon (20 minutes by car)
Feature image courtesy of Andaz Lisbon. Travel Curator may earn a commission from product or booking links on this page.
