Located in one of Lisbon’s most vibrant neighbourhoods, Palácio Ludovice Wine Hotel is a luxurious juxtaposition between the capital’s rich culture and its contemporary edge.
Situated in Bairro Alto, a precinct popular with intellectuals, artists and bon vivants, and a stone’s throw from the Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara viewpoint, Livraria Bertrand, the world’s oldest operating bookstore, and the emblematic Glória Tram, Palácio Ludovice is the former private residence of João Frederico Ludovice, architect to King João V in the 18th century. The building was one of the few to survive the Great Earthquake of 1755 and opened as a luxury boutique hotel in 2022.
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The intimate hotel looks like a luxury residential block from the outside, but stepping in, guests will discover welcoming staff and lovingly preserved interiors, including a large central door with decorated pilasters, windows framed in stone, walls covered with 18th-century white-and-blue tiles, a chapel with Masonic symbols and a Hebraic inscription, and a majestic staircase, up which I climb to my Deluxe Room.
Individually designed, the 61 guest rooms and suites at Palácio Ludovice are nothing short of sublime. My Deluxe Room has double-height ceilings, a king-size bed, plush armchairs, a beautifully appointed bathroom in white tiles, and French windows that open to spectacular views (some rooms look into the hotel’s central courtyard).
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Conceived by architect and interior designer Miguel Câncio Martins, the decor is both modern and a homage to the building’s history, with original 18th-century elements such as beautifully restored hand painted tiles and ornate carved stucco ceilings contrasted by walls with contemporary touches, all in soft and soothing colours.
At the heart of the hotel, within its central courtyard and verdant hanging gardens, is the meeting place for food and wine lovers, and creative minds. The sophisticated atmosphere of the Federico restaurant, with its objet-filled bookshelves, deep-set banquettes and warm-toned pendant lights, is the perfect way to start the day with luxurious breakfasts showcasing local produce (and laced with Portuguese sparkling wines no less) or the ideal setting to celebrate all you’ve discovered as evening descends.
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Here, the menus by Lisbon-native chef Ricardo Simões exhibit a back-to-basics approach that showcase Portuguese and French classics – think Coimbra goat stew with mashed potatoes; monkfish carpaccio with passionfruit and lime; and panna cotta with ice cream made from late harvest wine – and, as the hotel’s name suggests, plenty of great wine pairings thanks to a list that plays tribute to classic Portuguese blends.
You can further explore boutique Portuguese producers in the brick-wreathed bar, once the mansion’s wine cellar and later the Solar do Vinho do Porto, a bar managed by the Port and Douro Wines Institute, where nearly 200 Port wines were showcased.
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To help ease those legs after climbing your way up Lisbon’s iconic hills, treat yourself to a treatment at the hotel’s spa, managed by French vinotherapy brand Caudalie. A retreat from the hustle and bustle of urban life, the intimate spa has two treatment rooms offering body treatments and facials inspired by the brand’s signature protocols, including the contouring Crushed Cabernet Scrub & Treatment and the exceptional Beauty Elixir facial. Leave room for a Caudalie Organic Herbal Tea, a custom blend of cinnamon, blueberry, red vine, sweet orange peel and blackcurrant.
