SkiAdcock

Cat 5. Hotel website:

https://www.marriott.com/hotels/trav...design-hotels/

"Through a narrow street and a small tunnel sits Memmo Príncipe Real—home to a secret spot with breathtaking city views and a gateway to the heart of one of the most charming neighborhoods in Lisbon. Almost levitating at the top of the hill, the 41-room property is the first five-star luxury boutique hotel in what is now the trendiest neighborhood in Lisbon. Here, one finds the same limestone flooring used in historical buildings and royal palaces throughout the city. The hotel also showcases a mix of contemporary and classic styles in a cosmopolitan ambience of tranquility and impeccable service that provides the visitor with a Lisbon experience that feels both timeless and authentically local."

ohmark

Thanks for posting, Sharon. A number of posts on FT about the Autograph Fontecruz and other options in Lisbon. But virtually nothing about this property. I've booked it for next year, but would love to hear comments from anybody who's stayed at, or knowledgeable about, the property.

arlflyer

Looks like a fantastic location and a very nice boutique property. To be clear, it's an existing property, and there is plenty of information out there on all of the brand-agnostic channels - TA, Time Out, Fodor's, etc.

ohmark

I should have been clearer. Not a new property, but virtually nothing here about it. Design hotel, so not expecting breakfast on award, but it appears all non-award rates include breakfast. Award rates say nothing about breakfast. Would also like to know, in addition to website description, what various types of rooms are like? Does hotel usually upgrade? Convenient to tourist attractions? General descriptions of some of this in tripadvisor, etc. but would like to hear from an FT perspective.

MD/DC Flyer

To settle the breakfast question - directly from the hotel:

As I only have one short night, the Sheraton will do.

dan9124

Trying to book this hotel with points, but it's not showing any availability for the whole calendar - even when searching for one night. Anyone else seeing the same thing or know how to resolve?

daisydog123

I see availability for next year for most dates. I booked 5 nights in May just last week. Are you searching for a room for more than 2 people? If so, that is the problem.

dan9124

Nope, just two people. Did you book with points? I see prepaid rates on my end but nothing else. But now I see a new banner at the top saying " We’re sorry. This property is not taking redemption bookings at this time. You can either book a cash reservation or search for another property. " That's a new one for me...

daisydog123

I booked with points. It was for May of 2020.

cyanchan15

The description from the website wasn't exaggerating. It's a wonderful property that creates a "old money", luxury feeling. Wooden floor with (seemingly) high quality carpet here and there, very comfy bed with fur blanket on top, a good-sized balcony with a real fireplace (which the staff comes and sets it up for you on request) and full set of toiletries from Hermes.

I do not believe any upgrades are done here; neither there is much Marriott footprint. Stayed a few times with last time in May 2018.

To me, it has always been ~300 euros well spent but YMMV.

ohmark

I was successful booking with points, for May 2020. But I did this 5-6 weeks ago. Alas, I'm going to have to cancel. The reason is connected to the Yellow Fever outbreak in Brazil. It's a convoluted story. Disappointed in having to cancel. Looks like a great choice in Lisbon.

ctbarron

We had a 4 night stay here two weeks ago. I booked on points (35k per night) back in Dec 2018, which turned out to be a pretty good redemption!

The points stay booked into an “Exclusive Room.” The room was on the side of the hotel, with a large balcony. See the pic of the hotel map below with the blue X. The rooms along the bottom of the pic are the city view ones – nice views of the city, small standing room balcony, similar room size from what I can tell. I was on the 4th floor and the 3rd floor had an identical layout. The 2nd floor has the lobby, pool, & restaurant, while the 1st floor has rooms (Terrace rooms) that open onto a large open patio.

Beyond that the room looked a lot like the pics on the website (the Design Hotels website has the best room pics IHMO, skip the Marriott ones). See a few more below.

We took the new IAD-LIS flight over and after a half hour through immigration and a stop for coffee, arrived at the hotel around 1 PM. Our room was not ready but they stored our luggage and we went out to explore for a couple of hours. By the time we got back to the hotel our luggage was already in the room and they walked us up to check in.

The room itself was fine. Not huge by any means, but in excellent condition with nice appointments – wood floors, nice carpet, etc. We really liked the balcony – it was large and we spent time hanging out there with a drink or two. If you looked around the corner you could see the city, but it was mainly just trees. There was a fire place we didn’t use. Housekeeping was fine except one night it looked they did nothing but make the bed (other 3 nights fine). I’d recommend getting the turn down service – they drop off extra water, chocolate, and card with tips on less-well-known things to do in the city. A nice touch. They also provide a complimentary small bottle of white port with instructions on how to make a drink with it – again a nice touch. We didn’t interact with the hotel staff much. When we did the service was fine – not over the top, but sufficient.

We did not eat breakfast at the hotel. As noted above the free breakfast is not included with points stays, and neither the spread nor the menu looked impressive enough to pay for. We did order coffee up to the room a couple of times and that was a good idea. We ate at the hotel one night for dinner and enjoyed it – had seafood, veal, and pasta. A little pricier than most in the area though, and there are plenty of good places in the area. Also have a drink at the bar – it’s outside on a deck and the bartenders provide good service.

The hotel is located at the top of one of the many hills. There a lot of nice views around but you walk down to get to most of the main tourist areas, trains/metro, waterside, etc. This means you walk up after a day of sightseeing – not trivial! We also got to riding one of the funiculars (Gloria, get a reloadable card, don’t pay cash). There were plenty of good restaurants in the area – a definite plus. Most are off the main roads, and we had a lot of good choices and ate well.

A couple of minor items. First, the rooms are advertised as either two twins or queen. For queen, they do the push the two twins together. They did a good, albeit not perfect job of this. I know this annoys some people. Second, the closet where you can store luggage in the room is not huge. It was fine for our carryon size luggage, but if you have larger checked bags or a lot of stuff they will be tight.

Overall a good stay, and I would use the hotel again if in Lisbon.

plankton

I had a one night stay here this past weekend after stays at the Sheraton Lisbon and the Altis Belem Design Hotel. I booked the Junior Suite and was assigned the one on the 3rd floor. I think the Jr Suite is one of the largest rooms in the main building (in ctbarron's post from August 24th, my room was the one in the top left corner of the floor plan). It had a spacious bedroom, separate living room, and two full baths. The photos on the hotel's (not Marriott's) website are accurate and do it justice. The Bang and Olufsen televisions were really nice (audio and visual quality). The balcony overlooked the steep cobblestone driveway, and past that, you could see the sweeping city views. I think the views from the City Rooms would be preferable since the driveway wouldn't be in the foreground.

I arrived around 3:30pm (they advertised a 3pm check-in time) and my room wasn't quite ready so they offered me a complementary cocktail at the outdoor bar. The cocktail list was creative and I really enjoyed the one I chose. While I was sipping, they informed me that my room was ready. There was also a complementary half bottle of white port on the minibar in the room along with a recipe card to make a port, tonic, and lime cocktail, which I also enjoyed.

I ate at Coyo Tacos across the street from the hotel for dinner. Service was slow (typically European) but I enjoyed the margaritas and tacos -- I had been traveling around Lisbon for a week so I decided to take a break from Portuguese food.

I did have breakfast at the hotel the following morning. There was a small buffet with pastries, fruit, juices, and sparkling wine, and I was able to order anything a la carte from a one page menu. I had poached eggs with a side of avocado. I happened to book with a third party agency so I wasn't eligible for free breakfast that would have normally been an option with my Titanium status. The charge for breakfast was 30 euros.

The small pool is directly in front of the dining room and adjacent to the outdoor dining terrace. I never saw anyone in it during my stay.

The approach to this hotel is very breathtaking. You enter down a small covered archway from a narrow road in the Bairro Alto neighbourhood, and that opens to a beautiful 180 degree view of old Lisbon and the adjacent hills. The hotel itself is very modern and minimal architecturally, and they have used a mash-up of eclectic styles in the interior design and furnishings in the common areas that made it quite unique. The styling in the rooms was very Scandinavian minimalist, with a lot of wood and fur. The room design and furnishings were reminiscent of the Edition Hotel in London.

It was a quick one night stay but I'd consider staying there again if I return to Lisbon.

tbrein

I am thinking of booking this hotel for three nights prior to a cruise. My one concern is someone mentioning it being at the top of a hill. How difficult is this to manage? Especially for someone with a bad knee and minor breathing problems? I currently have a reservation at the Fontecruz and am considering this hotel because of the wonderful reviews but don't want to find myself unable to do any sightseeing because of its location.

Is there a funicular or will I be able to get a taxi to get back up the hill after a day of sightseeing? Thanks for any help you may be able to provide.

ctbarron

I found all of Lisbon to be hilly to be honest. So there is a lot of walking up and down overall, with the exception being along the waterfront area. But, I found Uber to be cheap and plentiful (didn’t try a taxi but they are there) and there are a handful of funiculars. There also a lot of pedi-cabs, especially in the more touristy areas.

The one thing I’d note on the Memmo is the hotel is below street level, with a bit of a drop down a steepish driveway. Maybe a hundred yards? Just something to consider. Overall I enjoyed the Memmo quite a bit. I don’t know about the levels of hills around the Fontecruz.