Torel Palace Lisbon

Lisbon is built on seven hills, and Colina Sant'Ana is the most central of them. It is also, oddly, one of the least visited. The square below is Campo Mártires da Pátria, named for eleven soldiers hanged after a failed rising against João VI, and the streets around it stay residential in a way that most of central Lisbon no longer does.

Torel Palace opened here in 2013 in two mansions built next door to each other in 1902 and 1904. One had been a private family home, the other a guesthouse belonging to the Bishop of Lisbon. A courtyard was cut between them with a pool in it, which is what makes the place work: you get a garden and open water in the middle of a capital city.

It has grown since. An apartment building was added in 2019, and more recently Lavra House, a classified national monument, brought further rooms, a second garden and a second pool. There are now 33 rooms and suites across the buildings, plus a villa and five apartments for longer stays. The two pools give you a choice between the terrace, which is open to the view, and the Lavra garden, which is enclosed and quieter.

Rooms run to a theme of Portuguese royalty, which sounds heavier than it looks. High ceilings, dark wooden floors, chandeliers in even the entry categories, tall windows. Many have balconies. Some suites have private terraces and a jacuzzi or a freestanding tub. There are ten room categories across a small property, so it is worth reading the descriptions rather than booking the cheapest and hoping.

The food is a genuine draw. 2Monkeys holds a Michelin star and works from a U-shaped counter and a tasting menu. Black Pavilion is the informal alternative, à la carte. The Calla Wellness and Spa has treatment rooms, a hammam, a gym and a small courtyard of its own.

The location cuts both ways. You are above the noise, with views down over the centre to the castle and the river, in a pocket of the city that stays calm. You are also at the top of a steep hill. The Elevador do Lavra, opened in 1884 and the oldest funicular in Lisbon, runs 100 metres from the door down to Avenida da Liberdade, and it makes the difference between an easy stay and a tiring one. Jardim do Torel, a small park with a café and a long view, is a couple of minutes away.