One celebrates a decade of service, while the other has been around four times longer. Let’s raise a glass to the 10 years of Pousada de Lisboa - Praça do Comércio, and the 40 years of Pousada Mosteiro de Guimarães.
These buildings are brimming with both history and memories. This year, we celebrate the anniversaries of two Portuguese pousadas: the elegant Pousada de Lisboa, which opened in 2015, and the impressive Pousada Mosteiro de Guimarães, which opened its doors in 1985. Both are part of the Pousadas de Portugal network and share a common mission: to breathe new life into historical, cultural and architectural heritage, honouring the past while planning for the future. It’s time to celebrate centuries of history that continue to inspire tomorrow.
An architectural icon returns to the city
The pombaline-style building that houses the Pousada de Lisboa was once home to the Home Office and even a police station. After painstaking renovation, it opened as a Pousada de Portugal in June 2015, restoring the Praça do Comércio square’s original nobility.
A member of the prestigious Small Luxury Hotels of the World collection, this historic hotel in downton Lisbon has 58 rooms, the RIB Beef & Wine restaurant, as well as amenities such as an indoor pool and massage rooms.
The pousada’s interior design and decoration project was crafted by the architect Jaime Morais, who combined contemporary aspects with bold and valuable artworks, some of which have been loaned by the Museu de Lisboa and Nadir Afonso Foundation. Everything has been designed so that each guest enjoys staying in an authentic Lisbon building with centuries of history – a living museum in the heart of the city.
The monastery that became a Pousada
Originally founded in the 12th century as the Santa Marinha da Costa Monastery by the canons regular of St. Augustine, the building was expanded considerably, changing hands often over the next eight centuries. Left to wrack and ruin after April 25th, 1974, it was eventually restored by the architect Fernando Távora, re-opening its doors as the Pousada Mosteiro de Guimarães in 1985. Now, it celebrates 40 years of hospitality in a building that’s 900 years old.
The hotel in the historic centre of Guimarães has 51 rooms and suites, spread over the three wings of the old monastery. Every room is a discovery, offering guests the chance to appreciate impressive works of art and furniture, which are on loan from the Convent of Mafra and Ajuda Palace.
The fascinating cloisters, corridors and staircases invite contemplation, while the tile-covered terrace tells the story of the monastery.
Another part worth a visit is the surrounding garden, which has over nine hectares of land divided between woods, formal gardens and orchards. Home to a variety of botanical species, there are watercourses that supply a variety of fountains and water features.
