Sublime Lisboa

Sublime Lisboa

The Amoreiras neighbourhood sits just north of the Príncipe Real and west of the Avenida da Liberdade, a quietly residential district of wide streets, aristocratic gardens and the enormous Águas Livres aqueduct that runs directly through it, one of the great pieces of 18th-century engineering in Portugal, its 35 arches striding across the Alcântara valley at a height of up to 65 metres. The neighbourhood is slightly off the tourist circuit in the way that all the best parts of Lisbon tend to be, close enough to the Bairro Alto and the Chiado that both are a short walk or taxi ride, but with a character shaped by the law firms and galleries and gardens that actually use it rather than the cafés and viewpoints that visitors tend to seek. The Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, one of the finest private collections in the world, is nearby, its substantial grounds one of the better places in Lisbon to spend a morning. The building at the centre of Sublime Lisboa has a history that reads like a compressed version of Lisbon's own 20th century. Built in the early 1900s, it housed a Japanese community club in the 1940s. By the late 1960s it had become one of the venues for Lisbon's jet-set social circuit, the walls of its salons witnessing gatherings of Audrey Hepburn, the Aga Khan and Diane von Fürstenberg among others. The building witnessed regime changes, revolution and the particular social upheaval of Portuguese 20th-century history. It opened as Sublime Lisboa in 2022, the urban sibling of Sublime Comporta, the celebrated coastal retreat an hour south of the city whose organic garden supplies much of both properties' kitchens. Fifteen rooms and suites, no two the same, each individually designed around a palette of natural fibres, bold colours and eclectic furniture, the building's original staircase with its Portuguese pavement-inspired mosaic patterns connecting the floors and setting the decorative tone throughout. High ceilings, massive windows, original architectural details held in dialogue with contemporary art and furniture. Sculptures by Rui Chaves and photography by Manuel Correia in the common spaces. The Sublime Suite, on the upper floors, has a private terrace with Lisbon rooftop views. A few rooms are compact, as historic floor plans tend to produce, but the suites reach 56 square metres. The restaurant Davvero is run by chef Isaac Kumi, a veteran of the Cipriani network, whose kitchen produces Italian-Portuguese cooking with the confidence and precision of someone who has spent years in that particular tradition: beef carpaccio with parmesan cream, cuttlefish risotto, whipped salt cod with crispy polenta, navy velvet banquettes and polished hanging flutes in a room that would not look out of place in New York. Breakfast is served at whatever time guests choose to emerge. There is no spa or pool on site, but the hotel provides discounted access to the nearby Sayanna Spa and Club VII, which has a full gym, pool, tennis and padel courts. The guests are those who have done Lisbon before and are choosing their address with more precision this time, who find a building with Audrey Hepburn's footprint and an organic garden connection and an Italian kitchen considerably more interesting than another boutique on the Avenida. It is for people who know the difference between Amoreiras and the Alfama and understand why the quieter neighbourhood is often the better choice. The short version: A 15-room luxury boutique hotel in a century-old Amoreiras townhouse that housed a Japanese club in the 1940s and Lisbon's most glamorous social gatherings in the 1960s. Individually designed rooms, an original mosaic staircase, contemporary art throughout, and restaurant Davvero by Cipriani-trained chef Isaac Kumi. Produce from the sister property's organic Comporta garden. Breakfast at any hour, no pool or spa but discounted access to a full club next door. The Lisbon address for those choosing with precision.