Palacio Belmonte

I have traveled many different ways in my life. Sometimes on the cheap, staying in bare bones hotels and sometimes, when I was flush, in luxury at five star hotels. Certain hotels have stood out and made the experience the highlight of the trip.

I was searching for hotels in Lisbon a few weeks before I left and came upon the Palacio Belmonte. The website was intriguing with images, music, and text that captivated me. Palacio Belmonte is a converted 15th century palace with only 11 rooms. I emailed them with my dates and I had an instant online rapport with the owner Maria Mendoca. I told her about my blog and she liked it a lot. She generously invited me to stay at the hotel for my last two nights in Lisbon. I was thrilled and now very curious to see Palacio Belmonte in person.

I hailed a taxi from the center of the city. The driver, who claimed he knew the locations of all of the best hotels in Lisbon, was stumped when I told him the name and address of the hotel. He climbed up some steep hills and narrow winding streets and after circling around for a few minutes seeming lost, he got out of the taxi to ask someone in a tourist shop where the street was. Finally we pulled up to a building that resembled a French hotel particulier- it had two red lacquered doors opening up to a cobblestone courtyard with a café/bar inside and two other old buildings. On the right side of the building was a brass plaque with the name of the hotel subtly embossed on it.

Rita the hotel manager, opened the small door to the building on the right and inside was a lovely, serene garden and reflecting pool. Many of the trees, plants, and herbs were still in bloom. She stopped to show me the stunning view of the terracotta rooftops that sprawled all the way out to the river where I could see the tall masts of an old sailboat hovering. Rita took me through a series of doors, a few which I had to duck under as not to hit my head, and stairways to get to my room. She opened the door to my room with an old-fashioned wrought iron key. It wasn’t a room, it was a huge, almost 1100 square foot two-bedroom suite (larger than my Paris apartment) with a kitchen, humungous bathroom (the size of my bedroom), and living room. The décor was fabulous, a mix of modern and old with handcrafts, art, posters, and antiques. I had two window seats that overlooked the garden and when I opened the window I could grab an orange from the orange tree. In fact, on the mahogany writing desk an orange from the tree was waiting for me on a red ceramic plate. A lovely touch. I stayed in the room for a long time, pinching myself for my good fortune. It was like staying a friend’s apartment who had impeccable taste. I didn’t want to leave but alas Lisbon was anxiously waiting for me as I had missed a day from being ill.

I met Maria the owner and we were simpatico straight away. She was warm and wise and took me on a personal tour of the palace. Nothing had prepared me for the magnificence of Palacio Belmonte. Walking down the dark and dramatic hallways and stairwells, room after room was more breathtaking and surprising than the next. The building with the public rooms had a massive dining room with a table for 30 and sitting areas and the numerous were handsome and warm. Some of the rooms had Portuguese blue and white tiles (Azulejo in Portuguese) on the walls. Beautiful Contemporary paintings by famous artists lined the walls. My favorite detail was the aqua blue carpeting in many of the rooms, which was the perfect offset for the dark furniture.







Photos above are of my fab suite

During our tour Maria shared with me in full detail how her and her husband Frederic, who was French, bought and fixed the palace.

Palacio Belmonte is the oldest still standing palace in Lisbon, built in the 1400s, and miraculously survived the great earthquake of 1755. For 500 years it was the home of Earl of Belmonte, Cabral and the Marquis of Atalaia. Parts of the building have Visigoth carved towers dating back to 123BC and there are remnants of Moorish brick ceilings from the 700s. Frederic Coustols, Maria’s husband, bought the palace in 1994 and spearheaded an ambitious and painstaking restoration. It took six years and close to 26,000,000 euros to renovate the 37,0000 square foot structure. To make it completely authentic and to keep the integrity of the original buildings, 15th and 17th century reconstruction methods were used along with the finest Portuguese marble, wooden doors and metalwork. 365 doors and windows were replaced. Not only did Coustols preserve the history of the building, he also made the renovation sustainable, using ecologists to employ cutting edge resource saving techniques. 

After viewing the public rooms, I was shown most of the suites. Again, I was knocked out. One suite on three floors had a pentagon shaped living room with great views. Another had an unbelievable modern black and white marble bathroom suite. One of my favorite suites was the one in a tower with superb white tenting above the bed. The suites are named after famous Portuguese cultural figures and my suite, the Alberto Caeiro, was named for a poet and writer from the late 1800s.

Frederic invited me to have breakfast with him the next morning. We chatted for almost 90 minutes and I was fascinated with his past. He is an ecologist and has lived all over the world. He developed and restored an ancient village in southern France and also developed an artist’s complex in Africa.

On my last day Maria kindly invited me to stay an extra night and I would have in a heartbeat but I had to get back for a tour the next day. I am still in touch with Maria and Frederic and can’t wait to visit them again. In fact, Maria invited me last month to her son’s art opening.

Palacio Belmonte was one of the best travel experiences I have ever had. A very special and unforgettable place.

Palacio Belmonte
Pateo Dom Fradique,14,1100-624
Lisbon, Portugal
Tel. +351 21 881 6600
http://www.palaciobelmonte.com

New Eye Prefer Paris Photos for Sale

I am happy to announce the sale of a new set of prints of my Eye Prefer Paris Photos.  I am offering 20 of my most popular and iconic images for sale including my doors, architectural details, statues, and monuments. They will make great gifts for all your Francophile friends, relatives, and colleagues but don't forget to buy some for yourself.

Click here to see photos and for full details including sizes, prices, and shipping. Here is a sample of some of the photos.

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte's professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday,Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

Tours cost 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
 Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Comments

[Michael]

Comme c'est charmant et belle!

[LYNN]

You have such an eye for interior design photos!!!!! Wow! You had told me about this place but to see it is amazing. You lucky duck, you.

[Cheryl]

WOW, oh, just wow!! Lucky you!

[Louise]

Thanks for the photos of Lisbon.
It looks marvelous.

[arlene]

Every place that you have visited outside of Paris I have on my "some day" list. I am still so enamored with Paris that pulling myself away is difficult. I guess if I lived there I would find it easier to access other places, but for now I dote on your marvelous pictures.