Lisbon’s Fontana Park Hotel comes under the Design Hotels umbrella, so it’s no surprise to find huge white girders in its atrium or vast illuminated panels that show images of gnarled branches. Homely it isn’t. Striking it most certainly is.
In keeping with the largely monochrome colour scheme, members of staff dress either all in white or all in black. Flashes of colour are rare: a pink carpet here, a green carpet there.
The hotel’s corridors are dark and shadowy, the room numbers embossed in metal on the floor, echoing the house numbers you’ll find on the pavements of the city. No prizes for guessing the colour scheme in the concrete and glass bedrooms, of course. Mirrored panels give a sense of space, although there’s no disguising the fact that the bathrooms are small (and dark). And it has to be said that a certain amount of agility is required to enter the shower.
The pricier premium rooms, however, are more spacious, with a balcony, while the top-of-the-range Fontana Suite has a terrace with views of the city and a bath with (whisper it) coloured lights.
The hotel’s Saldanha Mar restaurant is a study in white that extends to the floor, the chairs, the tables and even the ghostly miniature trees that are dotted around. It’s also one of the best fish restaurants in a town that isn’t exactly short of good fish restaurants.
There are nine meeting rooms of various sizes in the basement, and this is the one place where design has unfortunately triumphed over common sense. Does anyone really want to have a meeting in a room with black walls and black furniture? I suspect not and I’m told they’re currently thinking of introducing some brighter colours.
The Fontana Park is smack in the middle of Lisbon’s business district, but it’s a fairly short walk to the more touristy areas, such as Bairro Alto. It’s also handily placed for Galeto, a classic 60s diner just up the road. The food may not be great, but design types will appreciate the cool period styling.
Rua Eng. Vieira da Silva 2, Lisbon
+351 210 410600, fontanaparkhotel.com
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