Memmo Principe Real — Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon’s increasingly vibrant Príncipe Real neighbourhood, where sleek concept stores now jostle with buzzy restaurants, is the setting for the latest hotel in the Portuguese Memmo group.
Designed once again by architect Samuel Torres de Carvalho, the Lisbon iteration is decidedly 21st century. Approached via a narrow passageway between the faded 19th century palaces typical of the area, it stands brazenly in a clearing behind the street, its four stark white storeys geometric in shape giving views over the city’s characteristic red roof tops.
Interiors mix moss green fabrics with warm oak floors, while huge chandeliers from Santa & Cole cast their light on contemporary art from a hand carved stucco wall – a nod to the regal heritage of the neighbourhood – by stucco sculptress Iva Viana, to a cheeky take on Winterhalter’s original portrait of the Eternal Royal Prince by Portuguese artist Barahona Possolo.
41 bedrooms and suites are softly lit with hand blown glass from Marinha Grande, and bathrooms are clad in warm local limestone, cleverly designed to maximise the space with sliding screens. The Café Colonial dazzles with sharp green velvet sofas and glossy black marble tables from where you can enjoy slow cooked pork cheek with rosemary and caramelised vegetables whilst soaking up a local wine and the tempting view of the long, green swimming pool sparkling before you.
ADDRESS
Rua D. Pedro V, 56J
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Mary Lussiana is a passionate hotel-lover and freelance travel writer contributing to many of the UK’s best magazines and newspapers. A mother of three, she has lived in Portugal's sunny south since this century began, and continues to live there with her husband, their yellow Labrador, Bellini and returning children.
-
Could reimagining play reshape childhood? 21st Europe argues for playgrounds as infrastructure
A new blueprint by think tank 21st Europe and Spacon calls for playgrounds to be treated as vital civic infrastructure – on par with museums, stations and energy grids
-
In Vietnam, Amanoi’s most indulgent residence yet is almost hidden on an East Sea clifftop
Aman’s ‘place of peace’ in Vietnam introduces the Amanoi Ocean Pool Residence, an architectural feat complete with its own private beach and spa
-
Yinka Ilori just teamed up with M.A.D. Editions on a trio of ultra-colourful watches
But hurry – you'll need to enter a raffle to score one for yourself
-
Two new villas extend Christian Louboutin’s exuberant Portuguese hotel
A pink, kasbah-inspired residence and a whitewashed boathouse join the French shoe designer’s Vermelho Hotel in Melides, Alentejo
-
Do luxury hotels need a farmer-in-residence?
From Ibiza to Indonesia, hospitality brands are cultivating a new travel experience, where wellness begins in the soil and ends at the table
-
Wallpaper* checks into Quinta do Pinheiro, an easy-breezy farmhouse in the Algarve
In this private five-casa quinta by the Ria Formosa, it’s all about blending rustic charm with modern comfort
-
Wallpaper* checks in at MACAM Hotel: a night at the museum
Portugal’s first hotel-museum is home to 600 pieces of modern and contemporary art and 64 rooms for the ultimate artistic immersion
-
Sun-soaked European destinations to visit in spring
Dreaming of Florentine palazzos and Greek islands now that the weather is starting to turn? Check into one of these beautiful European hotels and holiday homes
-
The world's most heavenly destinations for astrotourism in 2025
We're in for a big year for celestial events. These are the world's best hotels to see the cosmos as you've never seen it before
-
Wallpaper* Design Awards 2025: meet the travel winners transcending destinations
Discover the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2025 travel winners – the year’s places to stay, dine, drink and join – and watch our video to find out why they won
-
2025 getaways: where Wallpaper* editors will be travelling to this year
From the Japanese art islands of Naoshima and Teshima to the Malaysian tropical paradise of Langkawi, here’s where Wallpaper* editors plan to travel to in 2025