MARCH 2019 globaltravelerusa.com 73
LODGING
FOUR SEASONS HOTEL RITZ LISBON
Built at the urging of dictator Antonio
Salazar to demonstrate Lisbon could
deliver luxury, the hotel proved his
point. Luxury endures under Four
Seasons with a fabulous art collection.Rua Rodrigo da Fonseca 88
$$$$$HOTEL VALVERDE LISBOA
This boutique 25-room hotel is com-
fortable and stylish with vintage and
contemporary furnishings and vividartwork in a townhouse-style building
in one of Lisbon’s best neighborhoods.Ave. da Liberdade 164
$$$$TIVOLI AVENIDA LIBERDADE LISBOA
The location of this grande dame
couldn’t be better, along Lisbon’s finest
boulevard. Its light-filled, extravagant
lobby is elegant and welcoming, just
like the staff.Ave. da Liberdade 185
$$$$tree-lined promenades, sidewalk cafés dotting the park-like space and
tiny streets heading out and upwards at every imaginable angle.
Lisbon has become a traveler magnet, bringing it a lot of energy.
But it also means tourists need to pack their patience and plan ahead
to avoid crowds and grab the restaurant reservations of the coveted
fine-dining establishments in town. In fact, the burgeoning foodie scene
means you might need to book months in advance for tables at some of
the hottest places like Alma and Belcanto, among the city’s top dining
spots, both of which display two Michelin stars.
Why doesn’t Lisbon rank alongside London, Paris or Madrid in the
world’s imagination? Perhaps because Portugal’s golden age lies half a
millennium in the past. In the 1500s, Portugal wrestled with Spain for
control of the Americas, and Portuguese explorers such as Ferdinand
Magellan and Vasco de Gama sailed to Africa and Asia, establishing
trading outposts at Goa in what is now India, at Macau in China, and
elsewhere.
But an invasion by Spain in 1580 sent Portugal into decline, and
in 1755 a devastating earthquake leveled Lisbon. As many as 50,000
people perished in the quake and subsequent fires and tsunami.
However, the disaster also laid the foundation of the Lisbon visitors see
LISBON TREATS:
(Left to right) Ajuda National Palace, pasteis de nata, azulejos, and city center tram
PHOTOS: © TURISMO DE LISBOA, © TURISMO DE LISBOA, © BOGGY - DREAMSTIME.COM, © TURISMO DE LISBOA