The word Palace derives from the Latin word palatium, from Mount Palatino, where Augustus had his magnificent house built. Right after the earthquake from 1755, the first Baron of Porto Covo, Jacinto Fernandes Bandeira, built his house in S. Domingos Street starting the creation of the Lapa district. Approximately 115 years later, in 1870, the succeeding Viscount built for one of his sons a beautiful house in the Lapa District. The house was later sold to the Counts of Valenças, who in 1883 decided to transform it into a Palace. Some of the famous artists who participated in the decoration of the Palace were Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro and Columbano.  Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro was one of the greatest Portuguese ceramists of the 19th century.  At the Count's request, he created for the Palace pieces of furniture and tiles.  Columbano, the greatest portrait painter of his time, called by some the 'painter of broken souls', has painted the walls and ceilings of the original ballroom (today the Columbano Room) with the theme Dancing through Times.  Many of the characters portrayed in the wall paintings are aristocrats of the Lisbon high life, like the Count of Arnoso, the Viscount of Sacavém or the oldest son of the Count.


The Louis XV room used to be the ladies' boudoir, where the ladies would socialize modestly, following the philosophy of the Louis XV style.  The first floor of the Palace (today the 5th floor of Lapa Palace) was the noble floor, where the dining room, living room and ballroom used to be.  Today it is still the noble floor, where the Suite Count of Valenças is located.  The Tower (now part of the Tower Room) was the dressing room of the Count, who loved to watch the beautiful views while he was dressing.

The Palace remained a family house until 1992, when the family of the Count sold it to the family Simões de Almeida, who turned it into a hotel, Hotel da Lapa.  Orient-Express Hotels has acquired the hotel in 1998 and inaugurated the Villa (a new wing) in 2002, with 2 suites, 4 junior suites and 8 rooms, all with balcony and beautiful views over the gardens.

The rooms and suites of the new wing have been redecorated with Portuguese fabrics and furniture and the decoration is different in every floor.

The 21 rooms and the Suite Count of Valenças of the original Palace built in 1870, were all redecorated too in 2003, with Portuguese furniture made in the North of Portugal, in Paços de Ferreira, where excellent craftsmen have recreated the furniture in the styles D. João V, D. Maria I and D. José.

The Suite Count of Valenças and five other deluxe rooms are located on the 5th floor of the Palace, the noble floor.  These have been carefully redecorated with lamps, mirrors and furniture recovered from the original Palace's furniture.  The gold leaves of the walls of the Suite Count of Valenças (originally part of the ballroom) have been restored as well as two big mirrors, placed in the living room.

Our outdoor pool, amidst beautiful and tranquil gardens dotted with ornamental fountains and streams, is heated all year round at a temperature of 28º Celsius (82º Fahrenheit) in summer and 30º Celsius (91º Fahrenheit) in winter.  A small children pool as well as a playground are also available close to the main pool. From beginning of April to the end of September the pool is fully serviced and Le Pavilion snack bar offer the possibility of having a light snack or a drink by the pool.

Our indoor pool offers a quiet setting with natural daylight and is heated at a temperature of 28º Celsius (82º Fahrenheit) the full year. It is located in our spa on the 3rd floor of our Garden Wing and is easily accessible by all the rooms. A changing room is available, opening hours are from 8:00 to 20:00.

Our spa offers the possibility of exercise in our fully and recently re-equipped gymnasium featuring modern equipment including cardio fitness control.  The Gymnasium is open from 06:00 until 22:00, assistance with the exercise machines and equipment is available from 8:00 until 20:00.

Our sauna is located by the indoor pool and is available from 8:00 until 20:00. Aromatic oils and natural essences are used in our sauna to enhance and revitalize your sauna.

Our Turkish steam bath is located by the indoor pool, easily accessible from the changing room and is available from 8:00 until 20:00. Revitalizing eucalyptus natural essences are used in our steam room.

Lapa Palace is a place where business and pleasure are no longer mutually exclusive. Here you can take better care of your business taking at the same time better care of yourself. We cater for the corporate traveler who knows that a relaxing, invigorating trip make perfect business sense.
Staying with us you will realize that the quality of your business meeting is directly related to how relaxed and comfortable you feel. Our hotel provides the following business services:
- High-speed broadband connection in all rooms and suites.
- Business center opened 24 hours a day free of charge
- Secretarial and translation services on request
- Fully equipped meeting office including PC with fast internet access and high capacity printer and photocopy machine for your business meeting (up to 10 persons)
- Additional 6 meeting rooms all providing high speed broadband access (up to 15 Mbs)
- Fully equipped Auditorium with the capacity up to 100 people is the perfect location for your conferences
- Multimedia and presentation equipment available on request