Forbes: World-Class Travellers Love The World-Class Corinthia Hotel Lisbon

It’s one thing to travel on a five-star luxury cruise ship – which I did, on Regent Seven Seas Explorer. But it’s another thing to leave the ship for a day, to travel to another five-star destination. I did just that when I recently visited the Corinthia Hotel Lisbon, an award-winning property with many offerings to delight every traveler.

For starters, the hotel, last year, was awarded as the World’s Leading City Hotel at the 2018 World Travel Awards.

So, in other words, if you’re in Lisbon and wish to stay at one of the world’s best hotels, the Corinthia is for you. It features 518 guest rooms and suites, 76 of which are Executive Club rooms on the top floors. These offer guests exclusive privileges, including access to the Executive Club Sky Lounge.

Corinthia, for the record, is a collection of luxury five-star hotels founded in 1962 by the Pisani family of Malta. The company’s focus is on ensuring honest, discreet service in the hospitality world. And it delivers just that. Why not put it on your radar screen? When you find yourself in Lisbon, the Corinthia is a serious contender for your discretionary luxury dollars. This year, as it celebrates its 15th year, it is offering 15% savings and benefits – from spa discounts to airport transfers – until December of this year. By the end of this year, there will also be completion of a redesign of the Executive Suites, and all of the rooms in the hotel.

This Lisbon hotel is a stunner, from the moment you enter the well-appointed lobby. It recently unveiled the first phase of a $17.6 Million guest bedroom and suite makeover. As a result, the rooms are cloaked in a relaxing color palette of light blues, grays and beiges. The new Deluxe Junior Suites, for example,include bespoke furniture and walk-in wardrobes from local Portuguese cabinetmakers, marble bathrooms, and tropical rainshowers.

The spa is also a beauty. In fact, last year, also at the World Luxury Spa Awards, the hotel’s spa was named Portugal’s “Best Wellness Retreat” and the country’s “Best Luxury Urban Escape Spa” and Europe’s “Best Luxury Fitness Spa.”

The heated pool at the Corinthia Hotel Lisbon is a superb sanctuary.

I was there to experience the “Luxurious Hammam Spa Treatment,” and it was a pleasure from start to finish. It started with a cup of tea, and then I went onto the hot stone bed. It begins with a gentle scrub and foam bath from hand-crafted soaps made by the renowned local Portuguese brand Claus Porto. (More on this European luxury brand, and its terrific shave for men, in a minute.) Then it included an exquisite four-hand massage from two therapists who worked on my tired body simultaneously. It was a serious treat.

Spa Director Claudia Santos told me: "We are delighted to introduce a Hammam treatment inspired by the Moorish influences in the Portuguese culture, beautifully performed with hand-crafted, traditional products. Our collaboration with the exquisite Claus Porto brand allows us to offer an innovative and delightful experience to our guests, with a local flavor and scent.”

Spread over more than 37,000 square feet, the spa also presents an exclusive collection from the renowned skincare brand ESPA. In fact, I heartily recommend the ESPA anti-aging facial, especially as it features a lovely fragranced rose-geranium toner. Of course, the scalp massage was also divine. I finished with a pedicure in the spa, and it was much enjoyed.

Recently revamped, the spa features 13 treatment rooms including two spa-capsule rooms, two couple’s suites with Jacuzzi, steam bath and bathtub, Vichy shower room, indoor heated swimming pool, natural solarium, plus extensive Aqua Therapy facilities. This one-of-a-kind sanctuary is dedicated to well-being and rejuvenation with exceptional heat and sensory experiences such as sensory showers, Jacuzzi, sauna, steam bath, bucket shower, cold plunge, and ice fountain.

Later, I had a fabulous lunch at the hotel’s brand new restaurant, Erva, which means “herb.” My meal featured a sensational lemonade made with ginger beer, mint and cinnamon syrup as well as a soup with crabmeat and strawberries. Here, freshly prepared, locally sourced cuisine is always on the menu. What a Portuguese journey! One wall of the restaurant features a fridge showcasing hanging meat supplied by local suppliers, while a grill bar allows guests to watch their meat, fish and root vegetables being prepared and cooked.