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Lisbon......Four Seasons or Lapa Palace

PittsburghJack

By PittsburghJack,
in Seabourn Cruise Line

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cryscruiser

cryscruiser

Posted
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Jane,

Thanks so much for the information. My Protugese is a little rusty so hopefully I'll be able to order "Pork and Clams" at one of these fine establishments.:cool: Jack

Jack, what did you bring that up for???? Those clams are not available in the US, and I love them. The dish is from the Alentejo region and is called Porco a' Alentejana. The restaurants listed will probably have the dish, but, try to find an Alentejano restaurant that will be a small local place. They will bring plenty and very cheap. Let's Go!!!!!!

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Martita B.

Martita B.

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For those visiting Lisboa for a few days before the Crossing, in Nov., do plan on trekking over to Cascias and have lunch at the gorgeous Albatroz Hotel. The coastal village of Cascias is truly worth a trip from Lisbon~~and the hotel unforgettable! Food delicious~~view "picture-postcard" perfect!

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PittsburghJack

PittsburghJack

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Thank you all. So.............what will it be? Four Seasons or Lapa Palace? Me thinks Mrs. Jack is leaning toward the Palace from a historical viewpoint but prefers the Four Seasons for the reported excellent service. Me? As long as the sheets are clean and the coffee is hot.;) Jack

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PeaSea8ch

PeaSea8ch

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Jack,

 

I haved booked the Lapa Palace for 3 nights before this November's Legend crossing and looking forward to staying there. My TA highly recommended it based on the feed back from several clients who stayed there. In another thread here, "dmb707" and "lorneross"gave me a thumbs up review! The following is a link my TA sent me on the Lapa.

 

http://www.nxtbook.fr/newpress/lapapalace/lapapassions/index.php

 

You can't go wrong with either the Lapa Palace or the Four Seasons!

 

Pinkie,

 

I was planning to go back to Sintra and see the signature 19th century "Palacio Nacional da Villa" But now Cascias is also on my list! Thanks for the tip!!:D

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Martita B.

Martita B.

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Peachy

If you would like to have my driver's name and phone # in Lisbon I'll be happy to send it to you~~~Miguel has driven for JB and me for 6 years and he is THE best! Very reasonable, as well. First time we drove over to the Albatroz for lunch we met a wonderful lady

named Luz~~she is the hotel's Public Relations and we are still in e-mail contact. Please say "hi" to her. Last March Miguel drove JB and me to a quaint "chocolate fondue" place in Sintra. It was heavenly! (he knows all the neat interesting places in Portugal)

Have a nice Sunday

Pinkie

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Martita B.

Martita B.

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Must do's while in Lisbon:

Go to Cafe Pasteis de Belem (Tower of Belem area) and have coffee and their world famous custard tarts called "nata's" A tart master makes these each morning. Truly worth a stop! Best nata's in the world! I always stop and buy a dozen and take back to the ship~~of course, when I walk up the gangway, Felipe' is waiting for me with his hand out!

Cafe a Brasileira, coffee house in the Baxia Chiado area. (address is 120 Rue Garrett) It's a beautiful, historic building~~opened in 1905. Also, there is an sidewalk cafe directly in front for "people watching." Great place to run into Seabournites!

Do not miss Lisboa's famous market, Mercado de Ribeira (downtown, close to the Tagus River) Flowers are breathtaking!

Also alot of fun on Tues. and Sat. is The Thieves Market, "Feira de Ladra." Once I found and purchased a small plate once belonging to the Queen of Portgual~~had her gold Crown stamp on the bottom. Migual said it was probably stolen from a Lisbon Museum.

Have fun!:p

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deerhouse

deerhouse

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First time in Lisbon and will need to make reservations. All opinions are appreciated. Thank you.

 

we've stayed at both. while the lapa is fine, the rooms and service at the four seasons are superb. one of the best hotels.

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cryscruiser

cryscruiser

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Deerhouse,

Thanks so much for the information as Mrs. Jack's idea of "roughing it" is the Ritz Carlton with slow room service.:D Jack

 

PS We still have yet to make up "our" minds!;)

You will love either Hoteis. (Actually this is a Four Seasons Hotel and not a Ritz Carlton property. Either way, enjoy roughing it!!!;)

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  • 5 months later...
PeaSea8ch

PeaSea8ch

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Bumping this thread as I promised CruisinMatt and PittsburgJack (hope I am not too late) I would post some pics and give a brief review of the Lapa Palace after my stay there.

 

The Lapa Palace is a beautiful property and impeccibly maintained with knowledgeable and friendly service staff. It is a lot like Seabourn in that there are only 109 rooms and they seem to cater to their guest's needs. I had one dinner in the restaurant where a visiting guest chef from Germany was offereing either a 7 or 12 course tasting menu. After hearing the Maitre 'd address me by name, all the attentive waiters did the same. I opted for the 7 course version but had 10 courses delivered and consumed. It was a wonderful meal and definitely put me into the Seabourn mood!!!

 

I have not stayed at the Four Seasons but they have fine properties and a good name. As others have posted, I think any discriminating traveler would be happy at either hotel. The link below takes you to my Lapa Palace slideshow:

 

http://web.mac.com/deckwalker/iWeb/Hotels/Lapa%20Palace.html

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PittsburghJack

PittsburghJack

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Thanks Paul! The slideshow was great.

My TA has already made reservations for our pre-cruise stay and has informed me the hotel is sold out.

The property looks lovely and will please Mrs. Jack as her interests run more toward history and architecture. My interests run more toward food and "waters of life." I'm sure we'll have a grand time. Jack

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PeaSea8ch

PeaSea8ch

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Matt: Yes, this was the room I stayed in, a BIG upgrade arranged by my TA, who happens to know the Lapa Palace's General Manager personally.

 

Pittsburgh and Mrs. Jack: Glad you were able to get in! I hope you will be ariving a day or so before your cruise as Lisbon and Portugal are wonderful to explore! Since Mrs. Jack is interested in architecture and history, I reccommend you consider at least going to Sintra and seeing the Pena and Sintra National Palaces. This can be done in half a day or tack on lunch, Cabo da Roca and Cascais and make it a full day excursion as I did. I posted some "teaser" photos from this excursion in my onboard updates. Now, I have to edit, title and upload my crossing photos to the internet for sharing, post haste.

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  • 4 months later...
PeaSea8ch

PeaSea8ch

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Bumping this thread again as I promised Pittsburgh and Mrs. Jack to update my Lapa Palace slideshow with photos of my standard pool view room to compare with my deluxe room last November and a review of the highly Zagat rated Italian Restaurant.

 

After completion of disembarkation formalities I asked my driver to take me straight to the Lapa Palace to check my rollaboard and laptop bag. Upon arrival at the Lapa, check in was a breeze since they had all my personal information form last year as well as my passport details. All I did was proofread and sign the form. Since my room was occupied the bellman took my luggage for safekeeping and off touring Lisbon I went.

 

When I arrived, I was handed my room key and escorted to my room by a member of the reception staff and when I arrived, my bags were there and she gave me a tour of the room showing me how all the light switches worked. I then set the alarm and took a power nap. After getting cleaned up I was ready for diner and my reservation was at the restaurant’s opening time of 7:30 pm (it would be an early night for me as I had to be up and out of the hotel by 5:45 am for my 7:45 am flight home). I was greeted by name by the Mater d’ and anyone else who approached my table.

 

The menu was fairly comprehensive with appetizers, antipasto, chicken, beef, pasta, fish, soups and salads. The restaurant is a la carte and each food grouping was priced form 18 to 23 Euros. The wine list was long but, since I do not imbibe, I am not qualified to make an assessment. There was a portion of the menu with three items directly from the Ristorante Hotel Cipriani in Venice Italy, its namesake. The first item did not interest me so I forgot what it was, the second item was Veal Chop Milano with salad and the third item was a five-course tasting menu that looked real good but was for a minimum of 2 persons for 70 Euros. I ordered the veal chop Milano with salad and it was 30 Euros.

 

Soon a waiter arrived with a complimentary hors d’oeuvre of a small pastry cup with minced mussels and potato foam. It was very tasty. Next they came around with the breadbasket and I was impressed. They offered 7 different types of bread rolls: white bread brown bread, baguette, focaccia, sourdough and 2 Italian breads I cannot pronounce. The bread was real good and is baked daily on the premises.

 

My entree arrived and I learned what a veal chop Milano really was. It is a veal chop, breaded, pounded flat and thin and then baked. It was dry and lacking flavor. I ate most of it but did not really enjoy it. I had visions of a tender juicy veal chop smothered with a tomato, basil and cheese sauce to enhance the taste. I have no one but myself to blame as I did not know what I was really ordering. There were plenty of other items that would have pleased my palette much more. Anyway, this gives me an excuse to stay there again and make a more informed menu selection. I ordered tiramisu for desert and that was very nice. The waiter brought me some petit fours and a mint to complete the meal.

 

Aside from my ignorance, it was a wonderful meal. The service in the restaurant as well as the Lapa Palace as a whole is the traditional European old-fashioned service and it is just like Seabourn. Even the wine steward came over throughout the meal and poured my still mineral water as if it was a bottle of Dom Perignon. Staying at the Lapa Palace is a service oriented experience and would recommend it to anyone.

 

Click on the link below my countdown clock in my signature block to see my revised Lapa Palace slideshow. Feel free to view my other slideshows. I have been having trouble uploading the medium resolution movie of this slideshow. Higher resolution versions of this slideshow are available on My Downloads page. Enjoy the armchair voyage!

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PittsburghJack

PittsburghJack

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Paul,

 

Many, many thanks for the excellent views and informative critique of the Lapa.

 

I too, am sometimes a compulsive diner ordering something from the menu without knowing what it really is............

 

Sorry your veal was somewhat disapointing.

 

Mrs. Jack and I will dine at the Nariz Vinho Tinto. I will, of course, order the pork and clams. Mrs. Jack.............probably some sort of lamb dish.

 

We're looking forward to the cruise in a couple of weeks. Thanks again for taking your valuable time to post. Jack

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