Olissippo Lapa Palace, Lisbon
More photosThe Olissippo Lapa Palace is a true urban oasis tucked away in Lisbon’s most exclusive diplomatic district. Built in 1870 as a grand private residence for the Count of Valenças, this stunning property was later transformed into a luxury hotel in 1992. It retains much of its original aristocratic charm, offering guests a glimpse into 19th-century Portuguese elegance.
What makes the hotel truly special is its unique split between architectural styles. The “Palace Wing” is steeped in traditional Portuguese history, featuring antique furniture and classic decor that pays homage to the eras of King D. João V and Queen D. Maria I. In contrast, the newer Garden Wing and private villas offer a more contemporary feel, all surrounded by lush, sub-tropical gardens that feel worlds away from the city bustle.
The hotel is a paradise for relaxation, boasting both indoor and outdoor pools alongside a full-service spa. Guests often spend their afternoons wandering the serene gardens or enjoying Mediterranean cuisine on the terrace, which offers sweeping, elevated views of the Tagus River.
While the setting is incredibly private, you are well-positioned to explore Lisbon’s treasures. The historic Belém district—home to the iconic Jerónimos Monastery and Belém Tower—is just a short journey away. Whether you are looking to dive into the city’s rich maritime history or simply enjoy a quiet retreat, this palatial estate serves as an unforgettable base.
Expert reviews
“The 109 rooms are all individually decorated in keeping with the building’s heritage, with themes ranging from rococo to Art Deco. The palace is located among the embassies and mansions of the upscale Lapa district on a hillside with broad views across the city and the River Tagus.”
Featured as Frommer’s Exceptional Choice in Lisbon.
“Housed in an elegant 19th-century manor house, the aptly-named Lapa Palace simply oozes historic charm. From the fountains and fish ponds in the extensive grounds to the ornate decor and the walls hung with portraits of grand former occupants.”
Featured as Fodor’s Choice in Lisbon.
“Originally built as the private residence of a count, Olissippo Lapa Palace sits proudly atop Lapa Hill in Lisbon’s most elegant and exclusive neighborhood. The hotel’s hilltop position affords stunning views of the city and the Tagus River, which is just minutes away.”
“One of the Grand Dames of the Lisbon hotel scene, this elegant 19th-century palace sits amongst the embassies in chic Lapa. Italianate interiors with hand-painted ceilings and Murano glass date from its time as an Orient Express hotel. Luxurious bedrooms look onto lush gardens inset with a pool.”
What guests liked
- Friendly staff
- Beautiful gardens
- Pool area
- Excellent Wifi
- Top location
- Comfortable beds
Location
Recent guest reviews
29 March 2025
Beautiful neighborhood! Beautiful property! Lovely hotel staff!
The warmth and attention from the professional staff perfectly complement the beautiful property! We can’t imagine a better place to stay while in Lisbon!
19 March 2025
Amazing stay in Lisbon
Excellent staff. Premiere property.
3 March 2025
Good stay for a family with a baby
Great staff and breakfast.
n/a
4 February 2025
Wonderful hotel, excellent staff. I felt like I was the only guest, due to low season ?
The breakfast buffet during the weekend was very good . Yesterday (Monday) you could only order a la carte , I suppose that made sense considering there were so few guests
5 November 2024
Elegant setting with outstanding hospitality for our stay in Lisbon!
This was a beautiful home base for our visit to Lisbon. The hotel interior is stunningly designed with gorgeous marble and tile. The grounds are beautiful as well offering an oasis of serene beauty. We used the indoor sauna and pool every night after a day of sightseeing! The breakfast buffet was amazing as well. But the best things by far are the kind, friendly and helpful staff. We enjoyed everything about our stay!
There is nothing we didn’t like. It is a long walk or short Uber ride to the most popular historic areas but we liked the peace and quiet.
2 November 2024
Fantastic hotel we will definitely stay at again.
The room was beautiful and had a wonderful view of the pool area and the bay. Breakfast was fantastic. The hotel itself is very pretty.
The hotel location is rather strange - it’s very urban but there are not many restaurants around. However, the city is small and it is a very cheap taxi/uber ride (5-7€) to any tourist sight or restaurant you would like.
23 October 2024
A comfy Victorian style surprise in Lisbon
The room was a very nice surprise, comfortable and spacious. The dinner we had during our short 1 night stay was delicious and the staff very helpful indeed.
Nothing really, we enjoyed our stay immensely.
20 October 2024
Really relaxing and super comfortable
Superb service and staff and extremely comfortable stay in good central location with lovely garden and pool.
The spa facilities were a little bit tired compared to the exceptional high standard of decor and finesse throughout the rest of the hotel
4 October 2024
Everything was done exactly as it should be, with taste
The sense of serenity of the whole hotel space, the view and the sunrises, and the friendly effectiveness of the staff.
It is a little far from transport or the centre - but that is also a quality to be in a more 'real' neighbourhood.
21 September 2024
Close to most popular sites.
Location, beautiful property, excellent service and food.
Nothing
10 September 2024
Great place to stay and relax
Beautiful and super clean room and facilities
Far from town center. Need a taxi which is EUR10 each time
26 July 2024
So good we are back with two of our sons tomorrow.
Breakfast was excellent.
All very calm and relaxing.
24 July 2024
breathtaking views, top-notch culinary experience/service, and a superb staff that was competent, courteous, and app
The location is perfect, peaceful yet close to everything in Lisbon. The pool is gorgeous. The palace was breathtaking, but most importantly the staff was phenomenal. They helped us with absolutely everything and anything that we asked for. A++++and-The pianist was outstanding!
21 July 2024
A lovely luxurious and comfortable stay for a few days in the city.
Customer service very good, beautiful breakfast, pool and gym and great local staff knowledge and recommendations for sightseeing and eating out.
The only thing that disappointed us was being billed for the airport transfer which we asked concierge to book for us. When we checked out there was an 80 euros charge. When we booked with Booking.com complimentary airport transfers were listed in the hotel description. This was extremely misleading and clearly not the case. We discussed this with concierge who informed that a number of other guests, who had booked with Booking.com, had also been led to believe the same and were equally disappointed. The hotel advised us to address this with Booking.com when we arrived home. I have written to customer service but have not yet had a response. We have noticed that the previously stated- “free airport transfers” has now been removed from the description on the Booking.com website for this hotel. We feel disappointed that our complaint has yet to be addressed and sincerely hope Booking.com will get in contact with us and other customers who may have been similarly misled.
16 July 2024
A perfect retreat , right in the heart of Lisbon
Everything about this place is fabulous
From the welcome , to the reception ,to the room , the food , the location , the luxury ,the swimming pool, the spa , the reflexology , the cocktails, the location .
We stayed 4 nights and didn’t want to leave
We will be back again and again
Thankyou
n/A
27 June 2024
Didn't want to leave and hope to come back.
Great room, we had connecting rooms as we were with our young kids and the lay out was perfect for us. Bathrooms were beautiful and large, bed was very comfortable. They handled all our requests perfectly and timely.
21 May 2024
Pool amazing, room very comfortable, staff amazing location good, meals and drinks a little expensiv
The Pool was amazing, the room large and very comfortable. The hotel was over all was very comfortable and the staff amazing from when we arrived to when we left. Would highly recommend this hotel.
11 May 2024
It was exceptional.
The service was impecable. They went far beyond our expectations.
Nothing
8 May 2024
A brilliant stay in a fabulous hotel
We loved this beautiful hotel.All the staff were so friendly, courteous and helpful. Our room was great with a lovely marble bathroom, all spotlessly clean. An amazing array at the breakfast buffet and delicious food in the bar. The outdoor swimming pool was brilliant and the grandchildren loved it. I can't stress enough how exceptional all the staff were - outstanding service!
Nothing!
7 May 2024
I’m very pleased and happy!
Breakfast, the location, members of staff!
Everything! Positive people and amazing hotel.
30 April 2024
Comfort and good hospitality
Room, Breakfast and hospitality
A little far from nearest bus station.
28 April 2024
i would recommend.
historical, beautiful, very very helpful staff
expensive
18 April 2024
Lovely property in Diplomatic enclave
Elegance and service
Nothing really was a problem
18 March 2024
A beautiful hotel set in lovely grounds with friendly and helpful staff who make your stay memorable
A beautiful hotel and grounds, friendly and helpful staff who went the extra mile to ensure our stay was perfect.
Nothing
17 March 2024
If you want to have a great experience staying at the high end hotel Lapa is the place to stay at.
Everything went well. The hotel, accommodation and the staff were superb. I travel a few times a year and usually stay at the best 5 stars hotels. The stay at this one greatly exceeded my expectation. This was our first trip to Lisbon, Portugal and I have to say that my wife and I had a great stay. We do plan to visit Portugal again and do plan to stay at Lapa Palace hotel again.
Nothing comes to mind. Although it did rain for several days during our stay, even the weather was not something anybody could complain about.
Hotel facilities
Food & Drink
- - Restaurant
- - Bar
- - Breakfast in the room
- - Special diet menus (on request)
- - Kids' meals (additional charge)
- - Kid-friendly buffet
- - Wine/champagne (additional charge)
- - Fruits (additional charge)
- - Coffee house on site
General
- - Room service
- - Non-smoking rooms
- - Facilities for disabled guests
- - Barber/beauty shop
- - Family rooms
- - Lift
- - Safety deposit box
- - Soundproof rooms
- - Car hire
- - Heating
- - Non-smoking throughout
- - Air conditioning
- - Designated smoking area
- - Shuttle service (additional charge)
Business facilities
- - Meeting/banquet facilities (additional charge)
- - Business centre (additional charge)
- - Fax/photocopying (additional charge)
Reception services
- - 24-hour front desk
- - Currency exchange
- - Luggage storage
- - Concierge service
- - Private check-in/check-out
- - Invoice provided
Activities
- - Sauna
- - Fitness centre
- - Solarium
- - Spa & wellness centre (additional charge)
- - Massage (additional charge)
- - Hammam
- - Indoor pool
- - Indoor pool (all year)
- - Beauty services
- - Facial treatments
- - Body treatments
- - Light therapy
- - Spa facilities
- - Steam room
- - Spa lounge/relaxation area
- - Spa/wellness packages
- - Massage chair
- - Fitness
- - Fitness/spa locker rooms
- - Live music/performance
Outdoors
- - Garden
- - Terrace
- - Outdoor pool
- - Sun terrace
- - Outdoor pool (seasonal)
- - Outdoor furniture
Entertainment & family services
- - Babysitting/child services (additional charge)
- - Kids' outdoor play equipment
Cleaning services
- - Laundry (additional charge)
- - Dry cleaning (additional charge)
- - Ironing service (additional charge)
- - Trouser press
- - Daily housekeeping
Parking
- - Parking garage
- - Electric vehicle charging station
- - Accessible parking
Pool and wellness
- - Heated pool
- - Shallow end
- - Sun loungers or beach chairs
- - Sun umbrellas
- - Swimming pool
Miscellaneous
- - Key card access
- - Security alarm
- - Smoke alarms
- - CCTV in common areas
- - CCTV outside property
- - Fire extinguishers
- - Breakfast takeaway containers
- - Delivered food is securely covered
- - Access to health care professionals
- - Face masks for guests available
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