Top 5 things to do in Lisbon

Just a 2 and a half hour flight from London, Lisbon is an unbelievably underrated yet very accessible city full of sunshine, culture, panoramic views (as it is built on 7 hills), romantic cobbled streets and amazing food. It is perfect for a weekend break and there is so much to do and see.

I particularly loved the vibrant colours all over the city contrasted with its historical charm. With castles, colour and custard tarts to look forward to, I very much hope my post encourages you to visit Lisbon if you haven’t already!

When I visited Lisbon, I had low expectations prior to my arrival but I immediately fell in love with the city and am already planning my return. We visited in late November and it was surprisingly 23 degrees celsius with sunny spells!

Here are the highlights of my trip and what I consider the top 5 things to do.

Eat Custard Tarts at Pasteis de Belem 

Literally I cannot explain how good these custard tarts are, which are known as Pastel De Nata. This shop has the best ones in Portugal and there is always a long queue. Good things come to those who wait and I recommend eating one or two fresh whilst at the shop, either with a coffee or tea, and taking some as takeaway as trust me you will be craving them before you know it!

Pretend to be royalty at Castelo de Sao Jorge

This castle, which is located in Lisbon’s old town district of Alfama, sits on a hilltop with a panoramic view of the entire city. The views are spectacular and it is great fun exploring the castle and its grounds.

You will definitely spot a peacock or two too!

Stroll along Belem Harbourfront

Take a walk by the waterside and eat at one of the cafes or restaurants in the area. It is a different ambience to the centre of Lisbon and I loved its tranquility. Close by is also  Torre de Belem, which is a  world-heritage listed fortress that was cleverly built in the shape of a battleship to deter attackers from invading the city. You can also get amazing views of the city from this tower.

Historical sites always leave me in awe, especially the genius thoughts behind their construction.

People watch and eat alfesco at Praça do Comércio

The main square is called Praça do Comércio and it is really lively with restaurants on both sides. It is the perfect place to have lunch alfresco while watching the tourists and locals pass by.

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We enjoyed eating Portuguese food and sipping on wine whilst we watched the world go by.

Have a drink with a panoramic view of the city 

There are many vantage points for a view of Lisbon, but one of my favourites in the evening was from the Panorama bar at the top of the Sheraton Lisboa.

With luxurious and plush interiors and comfortable seats, it was the perfect spot to relax and unwind after a day of sightseeing.

Have you been to Lisbon? What were your highlights? I would love to know in the comments section below.

The Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and Spa

Located within close proximity to the airport and also to downtown, The Sheraton Lisbon Hotel and Spa boasts the most beautiful views of Lisbon from Saldhana. This is part of the reason I chose to stay here. The other reason is I am a SPG member and regularly stay at the Starwood group of hotels on my travels both in Europe and in long haul destinations.

The Sheraton Lisboa is a trendy hotel packed with lots of facilities whether you are a business travel or looking for a perfect hotel for a vacation. It has 24 hour fitness facilities, wifi, an outdoor pool and a spa. Its best feature is its rooftop restaurant from which the views are epic.

Its location means it is so convenient for sightseeing. We wandered into downtown and enjoyed touring around by foot, as well as on the hop on hop off buses in the city. We took recommendations from the lovely staff and got really great tips of must sees and must do’s.

We had a fabulous view from our room (thank you Sheraton Lisbon) and I have shared some photos of the room below. It has the famous Sheraton Sweet Sleeper Bed which is the MOST comfortable bed ever.

The room

We were upgraded to the Deluxe room and we had the following:

• Sheraton Sweet Sleeper™ Bed
• Ample glassed-walled bathroom with marble Saint Laurent
• Bang & Olufsen LCD TV with in-room movies, interactive menu to check messages and Pay TV
• Spacious working desk, direct telephone line, voicemail service, High Speed Internet access
• Complimentary 24 hour access to Sheraton Fitness
• Complimentary access to the Spirito Spa

  

  
  

Hallway

  Lobby Bar

The Lobby Bar has comfortable and luxurious seating, serves amazing cocktails and other drinks as well as food. As we had arrived in Lisbon quite late in the evening, we chose to have a drink and dine here.

  

Dinner in the Lobby bar

The food was delicious and the menu had a fabulous variety.

Curry yogurt marinated chicken kebabs with a mustard sauce

Cod fish fritters

  

View from our room

This was the amazing view from our room!

Breakfast in the Lobby Bistro Restaurant

Before a packed day of sightseeing, we had our breakfast in the Lobby Bistro Bar which had laid on a massive buffet spread. I tried to capture as much of it as I could. It was a fantastic spread which catered for health conscious eaters or the full monty.

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

The outdoor swimming pool

The Sheraton Lisboa has a gorgeous pool outdoors which is pictured below. We visited it at night to have a look at it. On my next visit am definitely going to spend some time in the pool!

Spa

The hotel has a spa which I didn’t get a chance to try but which we did have a nosy at. It is state of the aft and spacious and definitely looks like the perfect pampering spot.

  

Panorama Restaurant

The highlight is the Panorama rooftop restaurant which has the best views  from the hotel, has fine dining and a very trendy and cool bar. The cuisine is modern Portuguese.

The table we were sat at had magnificent views of Lisbon.

The dessert is worth a mention as it is a modern twist to the famous Pastel Del Nata. Worth ordering two of these if you dine there!

I have written a separate post about my experience at the Panorama restaurant which you can access here: http://binnyskitchen.com/2015/12/10/sheraton-lisboa-panorama-restaurant-and-bar/

I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at the Sheraton Lisbon Hotel and Spa. The room, service and hotel itself was of a very high standard. If I return to Lisbon this will definitely be where I stay again.

It is perfect due to its location and amenities. It is part of the Starwood group and it has the same amazing qualities as other hotels from the Starwood group. Everything is of a very modern and high spec and the hotel is super clean.

Check in time is 2:00pm and check out is 12:00pm.

Wifi is available in the hotel which is a massive plus point for a blogger!

If you are into fitness,  facilities are available 24 hours. My husband sneaked in a gym session.

The staff are so lovely and welcoming, polite and always willing to help.

The hotel is located on:

Rua Latino Coelho, 1 · Lisbon, 1069 · Portugal

Lisbon is a fantastic city, especially for some winter sun and the Sheraton has amazing views of the city and is blessed with its location. I would really recommend staying here.

For more information visit:

http://www.sheratonlisboa.com

 

Sheraton Lisboa – Panorama Restaurant and Bar

Have you ever had a meal which is so magical it stays on your mind for days on end? I had such a meal in November this year which blew my mind and it happened to be at the Panorama Restaurant and Bar, located at the Sheraton Lisboa on the very top floor. The cuisine was modern Portuguese and it was truly a delight.

The best part was the  food was accompanied with an amazing view. What can I say except it beats every top floor restaurant I have been to so far. It is so romantic and breath-taking and pretty much has you in a daze with its splendour.

We started off the evening in the cocktail bar which is a perfect place to chill and enjoy the skyline of Lisbon as you are lucky enough to have the highest view from here. It is also perfect for client meetings if you want to seriously impress, or even win over a date.

We went for cocktails, mine was a Mojito of course, and it was pretty special. The buzz and atmosphere in the bar was fabulous and we even delayed our dinner by half an hour just so we could spend some more time there.

After we finished our drinks we were whisked away to a table with an amazing view. I have dined at restaurants with views before but this was remarkable.

The attention to detail, the décor inside the restaurant and the table setting were lovely.

To start with we were brought an assortment of different butters. My butter crazy husband was over the moon and my favourite from all the different choices was the coffee butter. My dream combination.

The butter was served with a fantastic variety of breads, pictured below. They were warm, soft and in danger of filling us up as we devoured them.

Then started the different courses. First  up was the Sea Scallops laquered with Sichuan pepper, vodka and strawberry “morangoska,”corn polenta, whelk, goose barnacle and tobiko roe. This was so pretty and vibrant. It tasted fresh and the textures were on point.

Next up was such a clever dish. Sea urchin ceviche, red tiger prawn, fresh algae, tobiko roe, shrimp hosts, sweet potato soufflé and cucumber. This was presented in a way to mimic the natural environment of the sea urchins and prawns.

Next up was traditional chicken soup served with a modern twist. By this point I was in love with the food.

We were served a different wine for each course which complimented each dish perfectly.

 

The next dish was Venison loin, pear puree, green pistachio and mushrooms. The chef is truly a genius with this choice of flavour combinations and they really marry each other well.

You are probably thinking by now it must be the end of the meal right? Wrong. Amazing dishes just kept coming. Codfish confit on cauliflower puree, stewed cod belly, onions, olive powder, mayonnaise and vegetable chips was the next to delight us.

By now I was convinced that this chef was truly talented and he is pictured below on the far right. Marco, pictured in the middle, was amazing too. He described each dish to us so enthusiastically.

The final savoury dish was Sea bass nestled on lemonade purple potato puree, caramelised scallions and mushrooms. Seriously good food and so tasty. My mouth had all sorts of explosions of flavour with each dish. I was amazed by the modern flavours with traditional Portuguese dishes.

After a short break we bravely took on dessert. The first one we had was so refreshing. It was described as a harmony of the Granny Smith Apple, almonds and vanilla. I noticed in Lisbon that Granny Smith Apples featured in lots of dishes which I was over the moon about as I adore them.

Here we are suitably stuffed with all that amazing food.

Still we manned up and took on one more dessert. This was the best dessert I have had in a long long time. If you know about Pastel de Nata, this is the modern twist to it. This was custard pastry on coffee crème, caramel ice cream and cinnamon nuances. That flavour combination was just wow. I would go back for this over and over again.

 

To end our meal we were served petit fours which I could only manage one of as my stomach was about to explode at this point. Amit managed to try them all and was very impressed.

I would seriously go back to Lisbon for this meal. The restaurant is so beautiful and the ambience is fantastic. It is the perfect venue to have a special meal, whether it is a celebration, date, business meeting or a treat.

The menu has such an amazing choice and the dessert is just wow. The service is top notch, the staff are super friendly and lovely and the view is one to seriously check out.

For more information, visit:

http://www.panorama-restaurante.com/en

I was a guest at the Sheraton Lisboa and I was invited to sample the menu. All views and photos are my own.