InterContinental Lisbon and Views from Lisbon
Located adjacent to Parque Eduardo VII, the InterContinental Lisbon started life in 1984 as the Le Meridien, before becoming the Tiara Park Atlantic in 2008. IHG took over the property in 2014, and soon embarked on a multi-year full refurbishment that completed in 2019; indeed, much of the property still had a new smell at the time of our stay in late September.
As we were arriving after midnight, it was unsurprising that the Ambassador check-in lounge (located in an elevated recess to the right of reception) was closed, but it appeared to be an impressive space nonetheless – much more than a simple dedicated desk. A similar space to the left of reception is home to the concierge desk.
The airy walnut wood-clad lobby, open to the banqueting floor above, is smartly decorated with blue and brass accents, and includes several Portuguese-tiled occasional tables.
Directly opposite reception, lifts take guests up to the bedroom floors. To the left of the lifts, the hotel’s only restaurant, Akla, sits in a recess along with the UpTown Bar, whilst to the right of the lifts a small business centre can be found. Small gift and patisserie shops are also available off the lobby, either side of the entrance to the Club InterContinental lounge.
We were checked in promptly and were soon heading upstairs to our 10th floor Junior Suite, a one category upgrade from our booked Club room and the lowest of no fewer than seven different suite types the property offers. The lift lobbies and room corridors have been as smartly refurbished as the rest of the property, with floor and room numbers both sporting Portuguese tiling accents.
At the end of the corridor, our Junior Suite was a spacious 43 square metres in size. Unusually, there was no hall to the suite, with the entrance door opening directly into the room, revealing a super king size bed, two-seater sofa, expansive desk and large minibar console (including Nespresso machine) below a wall-mounted TV.
The floor plan on the rear of the entrance door showed the layout of our suite before refurbishment, which seemingly included partitions separating the bedroom from the living area – this would’ve perhaps offered more privacy than the current layout, albeit with a reduced sense of space.
The suite continued the interior design styling of the rest of the hotel, with walnut wood furniture and features, brown marble-topped tables and blue accents. I appreciated the reading lights integrated into the bed’s headboard and the full height and width mirrors above the (albeit dimly lit) desk, although found the mirrors surrounding the TV to be a little unnecessary – and somewhat disconcerting! The bedside lamps were both on the small side given the proportions of the room, although the blue shades added a welcome pop of colour to the room.
Whilst fruit plates are no longer a published benefit of Ambassador membership at properties outside of China, I was pleased that the IC Lisbon chose to offer one, alongside complimentary still and sparkling water and a small gift of a Lisbon tram fridge magnet. Quite how many InterContinental guests pop magnets on their fridge is questionable, but the thought is well intended.
In another nice gesture, the IC had agreed on request to provide two beautifully presented Portuguese custard tarts in our suite in lieu of access to the Club lounge that evening (our arrival time being so late).
The port in the minibar represented a good use of the EUR15 food and beverage credit granted to Ambassador members (per stay – not per night).
Our suite offered a not terribly inspiring view of Parque Eduardo VII, through somewhat dirty windows.
As is so often the case with refurbished properties, the bathroom of our suite (accessed via a small wardrobe hall) had not been majorly altered in recent years, but despite this it was in good condition, save for a shower door that didn’t fully close. With dual sinks (complete with awkward taps), separate bath tub and shower stall, this was a decently-sized bathroom, complemented by local premium Portus Cale amenities that made a welcome change from the usual Agraria products found in IC rooms in most properties.
The following morning, we headed downstairs for breakfast to the Club InterContinental lounge, located through a semi-private skylight-topped lobby off the main hotel lobby. That the entrance to the lounge should be so sun-bathed is somewhat ironic given the lounge itself is entirely window-less – a major oversight by the designers who chose to site the lounge in this location in the building.
Whilst the lounge may be dark and fairly small, the space has been decorated to the same high standard as the rest of the property. The majority of the lounge is set on a raised podium, with around half of the banquette and table seating, including one table nook, located on a small lower level.
A selection of armchairs, banquette and standalone sofa seating takes up a third of the raised portion of the lounge, the rest being occupied by further banquette and table seating and the buffet area. The lounge never got terribly full during our stay, but given the lounge’s small size and open design, I would be concerned about lack of privacy during busier times.
There are no washrooms in the lounge, although facilities are available a few steps away off the main lobby.
In addition to a reasonably extensive buffet offering a selection of cereals, yogurts, whole and cut fruit, salad, cold cuts, cheese, homemade pastries, bread and a handful of hot items, a small à la carte menu is available offering a choice of egg dishes and porridge.
We opted for a tomato and mushroom omelette and the Portuguese baked eggs with chorizo and fresh cheese, both of which were nicely flavoured albeit simply presented. The friendly waiting staff were happy to provide some custard tarts in takeaway packaging for consumption later in the day.
Our first of three days exploring Lisbon started at the Sé Cathedral in the Alfama district.
From here, we walked up to the Castelo de São Jorge, offering sweeping views across the city to the Tagus beyond.
The walk down through the Castelo neighbourhood, ending at Praça do Comércio in the Baixa district, was a relaxing way to spend the afternoon.
Afternoon tea in the Club lounge at the InterContinental Lisbon is a mid-tier offering, comprising of a small but more than adequate buffet of sandwiches, nuts and patisserie items (with scones being notably absent), and waiter-service drinks. Alcohol is available at an extra charge. I appreciated the teapots in the lounge which featured designs by local schoolchildren.
In the evening, a slightly more expanded service is offered, with a selection of hot and cold canapés available from the buffet alongside nuts, cheese and accompaniments, fruit, chilled desserts and the same patisserie selection as available during afternoon tea. Whilst there are no waiter-served canapés, drinks are offered seat-side, with Perrier-Jouet being the champagne on offer during our stay.
We dined that evening at Momento HB, a charming local restaurant in the Barro Alto district, an easy 8-minute Uber ride from the hotel and pleasant half-hour stroll on the return.
The following morning, breakfast in the Club lounge suffered from fairly slow service from the à la carte menu, although the staff were quick to apologise. We sampled the eggs Benedict and porridge prepared with milk and topped with caramelised apple; once again, these dishes were simply presented but tasted pretty good.
The Versailles-like Palácio Nacional de Queluz was our destination for today, a swift 11-minute Uber trip (or much more complicated 50 minutes by metro and train) from the InterContinental. This being a Monday, despite arriving at midday, we had the beautiful Rococo palace and its expansive grounds almost entirely to ourselves. The Portuguese School of Equestrian Art maintains some of its horses at the palace and gives visitors to the grounds an opportunity to enter the working stables.
Returning to the IC, we enjoyed a leisurely afternoon tea and a few canapés before heading out on foot for dinner to a hastily forgotten and entirely unnoteworthy restaurant (one of the few that we could find open on this Monday evening) somewhere in the Barro Alto district.
Our final day in Portugal’s capital saw us head to Belém, with visits to the famous Torre de Belém (including traffic light one way system on the narrow spiral staircase) and the Mosterio dos Jerónimos.
Back at the IC, checkout in the Club lounge was handled efficiently giving us plenty of time to indulge in one final afternoon tea before jumping into an Uber for the 12-minute drive to the airport.