The place to stay in Lisbon.

For anyone seeking a tranquil oasis in the city, then this is 'The' place. This hotel is absolutely beautiful. The lush gardens, pools and tropical birds plus the beautifully restored palace will make for a memorable stay in this contrasting, interesting and vibrant city.

The staff were very helpful and the food in the smart restuarant was very good. Our room was right by the pool on the ground floor with our own small patio. I would feed the peacocks nuts most days and it became quite routine...they would appear most eve's for some tasty snack!

The hotel is only about 5-10 mins taxi ride from the main sights and downtown and as the taxis are cheap this was not a problem. I would recommend this hotel to anyone. I booked through Expedia very early on on in the year so we got a real bargain. Closer to the time of our departure I checked out the prices which had almost doubled, so booking early through a recommended tour operator could save you hundreds. Unforgettable. I will definately go back one day hopefully. Hope you enjoy your stay there, should you be going too.

Wonderful, Luxury, fantastic staff. We will return

We stayed at the Pestana Palace 26 - 28 FEB 2005. It is not often you get to stay at a hotel in Europe of this Calibre from the staff to the grounds and the facilities. We had a suite which was a great size. If ever you want a decadent weekend stay here. It is wonderful hotel and a great find.

Fantastic Hotel

€205,00 offer for twin room with breakfast and evening meal. Wow - 5 Star ! Beautifully restored palace, with ultra modern bedroom wings added The staff were very attentive and polite. Loved the Hotel - not so sure about the City. This hotel is currently in second place, behind the Lapa Palace. Big mistake. Huge mistake. The Lapa Palace is very ordinary, in a backstreet, with uninterested staff, using Catherine Deneuve's name to try and maintain interest. The Pestana is a far superior hotel

Live like royalty!

The staff at the Pestana Palace will spoil you rotten! The rooms are beautiful, and the palace is everything you would expect. The grounds are gorgeous, and the location provides a nice walk to Belem or an easy trolley to all the sites. The restaurant is exceptional. Although pricey, it's worth the splurge for the experience!

Lives up to its rating

I loved this hotel. It's everything as advertised. The common rooms are found in the palace (original and restored areas) and the guest rooms in the added wings (the new areas). The common areas are like a museum with the frescos, the marble, the antique furniture, the sumptuous draperies, the carved ceilings and the rich paneling. The guest rooms are large, bath was well appointed. Other reviewers noted the firm beds - yes, the bed was uncommonly firm, but not uncomfortable to me. Concierge answered all my questions. The wait staff was very responsive - when I asked for dill in my omelet, they got out a dictionary to find the Portuguese word for the chef. Location is outside the main downtown area but taxis are not expensive and the layout of Lisbon is such that the sights are so spread out, no one location is more cental than another. There is an epidemic of graffitti in Lisbon, but the immediate area around the palace was OK. At the end of the day I would lounge back in the bar with a martini and the english newspapers ..... oh, the life.

Stunning setting

The hotel has taken 10 years to restore and they have really ensured that they have taken small details into account. It has every modern convenience but without ruining the setting.

There is the main palace itself with two modern wings coming from each side - although they are new buildings, it really has been taken care of that it fits in with the original building. In fact, this won an award!

The staff were BEYOND helpful - they are absolutely brilliant - very helpful and friendly.

The pool area is lovely but perhaps a little crowded at times.

I would not stay anywhere else if visiting Lisbon again - and I would highly recommend it to anyone!

Almost perfect

We stayed at the Pestana Palace over Easter break and the hotel is absolutely lovely. The dining room and the common rooms were stunning and the service was excellent. An evening meal in the restaurant should not be missed - food was beautifully presented, innovative and delicious! My only hesitation in returning would be the beds, which were rock hard and the pillows extremely thin (about an inch thick).

Housekeeping will provide fluffier feather pillows if requested. This is such a great hotel, but PLEASE do something with your beds!

Amazing. Superb. Spectacular

This must be one of Europe's best hotels. It is simply amazing. An old palace that has been renovated, with all the modern amenities, but without losing its class. The hotel has unbelievable gardens, awesome pool, great spa with sauna, jacuzzi, turkish bath and indoor pool.

Great rooms.

Dont go anywhere else in Lisbon. I am sure Lapa Palace must be good, but I doubt that it is as good as Pestana Palace, and has the same good rates.

Wonderful in every respect

Date of stay: June 2003. We only stayed here because my wife was invited to speak at a conference held at the nearby Congressos, and this was one of the hotels for the speakers. This meeting obviously treats its speakers well. The hotel truly is in a palace, although our room was in one of 2 modern wings that extend off from the palace. The room was tastefully appointed and spacious, with a window that opened onto the exquisite gardens of the palace grounds. Each morning we were awakened by birdsong from the canaries in the garden aviary.

Breakfast (European plan) was sumptious and held in the huge dining room, with marble fireplaces, columns, and views of the garden. In addition to the expected pastries, a wide variety of meats, cheeses, smoked salmon, fresh fruit, cereals, eggs, grilled tomato, and different yogurt/soy preparations were available.

We ate one dinner in the restaurant, which proved to be the best meal we had in Lisbon. Food preparation and presentation were first rate.

140 Euros for 3, with wine.

The gardens have a lovely outdoor pool with fountain, that is unheated.

There is also an indoor heated pool, hot tub, and sauna that are adjacent to the exercise room.

One of the charms of the hotel is its location in a relatively quiet residential neighborhood about 3 miles west of downtown. There is a lovely little park about 1 block east of the hotel and adjacent to a bus stop (routes 42 and 20). One can walk a little further (5 or 10 minutes) to catch one of 2 electric tram lines (#15 and #18) that can take one downtown or out to the museums in Belem about 1.5 miles west (#15).

The staff are extremely helpful and English is readily spoken. They were very kind to our 10 year-old daughter, who accompanied us.

The Palace was the focal point of our stay in Lisbon. Indeed, it would have been a wonderful trip even if we had never left the palace grounds and had simply spent the warm days soaking up the sun poolside.

Expensive (350 Euro/night), but worth it.

The Carlton Palace Lisbon has Royal Pedigree

The Carlton Palace isn't just one more luxury hotel.

It stands on the grounds of an original niteenth century sumptous palace belonging to a traditional courtesan family. The original palace and the adjacent large gardens were beautiffly preserved to give guest the living impression they are experiencing a fairytail stay.

Don't fear, the hotel boasts all the modern facilities one could expect of any traditional luxury establishment, plus its own coat-of-arms.

The site is even classified as a national monument!