Lisbon
Portugal


The Experience

Although it did not begin life as a Four Seasons, Lisbon's venerable Ritz adjusted quickly to its new affiliation after joining the luxe chain in 1998. Commissioned by Portugal's infamous dictator Antonio Salazar in 1953 to house his capital's visiting elite, the hotel overflows with a mix of top-quality traditional art and sculpture with Art Deco and French empire furniture. Proud and proudly confident, the Ritz has maintained its landmark status despite the arrival of numerous chic-boutique competitors. True, the hotel's Park Eduardo VII location is a bit of a stroll from the über-trendy restaurants and shopping of the Bairro Alto. But Lisbon's famed Gulbenkian and Tiles museums are moments away by foot, as is the prime shopping along the Avenida da Liberdade.

The Rooms

The Ritz's 262 rooms and suites betray both their original '50s-era boxy layout as well as their late-'90s Four Seasons face-lift. Spread over 10 floors, the rooms are among the City's largest, starting at some 450 square feet and nearly all -- except the lower-level Moderate Rooms -- include balconies for spying on Lisbon's old town and the Park below, while enjoying breakfast during warmer months. Despite their grand bathrooms, pricey makeover and unquestionably luxe appointments, the Ritz's room can feel a bit dated and uninspired by Four Seasons standards.

The Service

Along with introducing the new spa and room upgrades, the Four Seasons also made major improvements with the Ritz's service -- and it shows. Need a kid's-sized robe for your little one? Consider it done. Staffers are unfailingly friendly and intelligently helpful, a commodity in traditionally shy Portugal.

The Highlights

It took almost five years for the Four Seasons to introduce the Ritz's most impressive addition -- a 16,000-square-feet spa and swimming pool, the former with Lisbon's most tranquil treatment rooms. Housed in the hotel's basement, the spa has become a favorite of wealthy locals, as has Varanda, the Ritz's formal restaurant, where industrialists and their chic entourages enjoy its modern Portuguese menu -- such as Prawns and Clams Cataplana with Coriander -- and an endless lunch buffet. The restaurant's new French chef, Sebastien Grospellier, comes from a heavily Michelined background -- training he is clearly unafraid to display. Work off those calories at the 7,500-square-feet rooftop fitness center (complete with Pilates lessons), where walls of glass provide some of the city's best views, as does the circular running track just outside its doors.

-- David Kaufman

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