I studied Preferred Hotels well in the last couple of years for this blog and through that I’ve learned of some of their most renowned properties.
One Palacio in Lisbon is one of them, and at 27,000 Choice points it is also one of the cheapest Preferred Hotels you can find in Europe. If you pay cash its room sells at roughly $250 in winter and higher in other season.
I couldn’t find many reviews on the internet but it does appeal to me. I was undecided between One Palacio and the Sofitel and in the end decided to try both. I wasn’t wrong.
First of all I love One Palacio’s location. It’s more central than the Sofitel but somehow tucked away in a quiet small alley so you don’t need to worry about any crowd or noise. Just 20 metres away there’s a tram bringing you up the hill.
Like many other vintage European hotels, One Palacio takes great pride in its rich history. It was once a convent in the 16th century, destroyed in an 18th-century earthquake and was then rebuilt as an aristocratic family home. The hotel is now owned by the H10 Hotels group but also uses the Preferred Hotels branding.
Interestingly, there’s an art gallery attached to the hotel lobby, and the artwork is up for sale.
My check-in experience couldn’t have been worse. The front desk gentleman was only able to see a reservation that I had cancelled already, and he suggested he’d let me check in first and follow up with the reservation department afterwards.
Although I mentioned it’s my birthday, he declined my room upgrade request and advised no iPrefer benefit could be honoured due to the rate (point redemption) but he would give me a drink voucher plus some birthday gift as a good will gesture.
Well, it’s the first time I see a hotel discriminate award bookings so bluntly. The iPrefer benefits are pretty slim already and they might as well deflag if they don’t even want to honour that.
Then a phone call arrives shortly after I arrived into my room. Turns out they couldn’t locate my booking and want me to confirm it with Preferred Hotels myself. No way I’m going to waste my time for their mistake and I just give them my booking reference to sort it out instead.
You can imagine how upset I am at this point and I’m ready to leave any moment. Fortunately, the same gentleman comes to my room after 10 minutes saying that they’ve found my booking and as an apology they added breakfast and 2pm late checkout to my stay.
Despite of the frustration, he’s been very polite and apologetic throughout the whole drama and I can see his embarrassment. The resolution does seem acceptable to me.
The room is slightly larger than I had imagined and simple. Although cosy and functional, it doesn’t quite set the standard for a five-star hotel and the style doesn’t spell boutique to me or match the rest of the hotel.
I like how the sockets are tilted at an angle, making plugging rather easy.
The free mineral water is branded Numen which I’m not familiar with but it looks fancy. I got my birthday gift – sparkling wine and cake.
They’ve also put some thoughts in the turndown gift: bath salt and cleanse cream are unusual.
The guest room is unremarkable, but the public areas are much more impressive, and you’ve already seen the gallery. The most photogenic part is its courtyard with a swimming pool, which pops out in the search results if you google the hotel.
Remember that your are in Lisbon’s city centre, and it totally gives you an out-of-character sensation to be immersed in such a peaceful palace, hiding you away from the outside world.
Strangely they’ve folded all chairs and tables so there’s nowhere to sit or relax around the pool. Also, the pool is not heated so would be a daring challenge to take a dip in December!
I used my cocktail voucher at the restaurant here after a stroll.
Let’s stop by the gym and spa next.
Since capacity is very limited, the spa is by reservation only, and each guest is free to use a 40-minute slot daily.
It’s small but I like the intimate ambiance. The whirlpool is nice with a very powerful faucet.
My vote goes to the restaurant if you ask me the most beautiful part of the hotel, which brings a 19th-century palace back to life perfectly.
Somehow it reminds me of Aman Venice, although it’s much smaller and not comparable in terms of luxury levels. Breakfast is fully cook-to-order and it’s a big menu.
The food is simply excellent. Muffin used in the eggs benedict is much softer and moister than the usual ones, making them extra tasty. My biggest surprise is the homemade yogurt, extremely smooth and fragrant, and I’ve never had anything like this before.
I met the same receptionist again at checkout who once again apologised and asked if my stay was all good. Although it went off a wrong start, remediation was quick and the hotel has some true sparkles. Being a frequent visitor to the mainstream chains, I find occasional stays at such boutique hotels very refreshing.
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