Review of Pestana Palace Hotel & National Monument, by Sue Carpenter

While on tour in Lisbon, Madonna defected to the luxury hotel Pestana Palace Hotel & National Monument at the eleventh hour, on hearing that it was even more beautiful than the Lapa. Indeed it is - the joyous sunshine-yellow 1904 building with white stucco work and wrought iron balconies, amid semi-tropical gardens, puts one in mind of the French Riviera in its heyday. It also feels more authentic than its rival, in that the rooms have more the patina of history, less the uniform polish of a deluxe hotel. The lounges and dining rooms in the luxury hotel are immensely pretty, with parquet floors, pastel walls, white stucco decorative mouldings and painted rococo ceilings in the Tiepolo style.

For me, travelling to the luxury hotel with my young daughter, was ideal - she loved the outdoor pool in a grotto setting with fountain; the kids' club was a boon, offering all-day care and creativity at no extra charge; and she could run around the extensive gardens. Judging by the amount of people by the pool - Europeans and Americans of the Footballers' (or perhaps Golfers') Wives variety - the relaxed resort-in-town style suits many others too.

Breakfast at the luxury hotel is served in the light, airy Restaurant Valle Flor, is one of the best in Lisbon, offering a vast array of cereals, yogurts, juices, hams, cheeses, pain chocolates and croissants, crispy bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs and more. At lunch and dinner, guests dine a la carte on Portuguese cuisine, or eat lighter fare at the attractive Casa do Lago, an art nouveau garden folly with ceiling fans, overlooking the pool. Plans are underway to upgrade the rudimentary health club to a full-blown spa. A fitness center, Jacuzzi, sauna, Turkish bath, and a near-by 18-hole golf course make this luxury hotel a perfect place to relax.

The palace contains just four elaborate suites with a riot of gilding and painted furniture (Madonna took the lot - witness the massive widescreen TVs put in at her behest), while the three-storey wings have 173 rooms and 13 suites, either with city or garden aspect (go for the garden ones, with their own verandahs). Standard rooms within the luxury hotel are perfectly comfortable; similarly bathrooms are compact but contain all you need.