Palácio Príncipe Real is a boutique Lisbon hotel with a backstory – tied to Portugal's aristocracy and the changing tides of the capital – and is infused with a sense of historic hedonism. Constructed in 1877 as a mansion for Diario de Noticias, co-founder of a Lisbon newspaper, the private residence was soon passed to the Teixeira da Mota family, who made it a centrepiece of Lisbon’s high society – famed for extravagant, decadent parties hosted in its lavish rooms – and would own it for more than a century.
Palácio Príncipe Real
The grand building is right at home in the surrounding Príncipe Real neighbourhood, an area established in the mid-19th century as a leafy residential haven for Lisbon’s aristocracy, and named in honour of King Dom Pedro V (Príncipe Real meaning ‘Royal Prince’), who reigned from 1853 to 1861.
After the Teixeira da Mota family moved out in 1980, the building slowly began to fall into disrepair. That was until retired British couple Miles and Gail Curley discovered the derelict building in 2015. Over the course of several years, working with the British architecture and design firm FAT – Future Architecture Thinking, they restored the classical architecture and ornate stucco, down to the hand-painted arabesque ceilings and azulejos (Portuguese tiles). Their attention to detail helped make the property into an award-winning boutique hotel, where historic glamour and contemporary craftsmanship meet.
Amid the grandeur, an unlikely, recurring motif throughout the hotel is the Indian runner duck – a nod to the small ecological farming business in Mallorca that the Curleys owned more than 20 years ago. Two Indian runner ducks, gifted by a friend, captivated the owners at the time, and are now suitably honoured.
At the heart of the hotel is a cascading stairway. Sunlight streams through a skylight, illuminating the pink walls. Up these stairs, are 25 restored rooms and suites. You might choose to sleep in the former family ballroom, or perhaps to soak up the views of a jacaranda tree from a window-side Drummonds roll-top bath.
Outside, the hotel opens up to a soothing oasis with a pool. The 1,400 sq m garden includes wisteria that climbs up the outside staircase, while deep-pink bougainvillea tumbles down the walls, and jasmine and lemon blossom add fragrance.
The residence’s Gatsby-esque grandeur nods to high-society parties past, but in its latest incarnation, this former palace has transitioned into a calming retreat where a more restrained elegance is the relaxing order of the day. Sip a glass of rosé in the grounds, peruse the neighbourhood shops (there are hilly, cobblestoned streets – pack comfortable shoes), or daydream beneath a jacaranda tree about the wild parties once hosted in the ballroom.