The Palácio has watched over the gardens of Estoril since 1930, and at the far end of those gardens sits the Casino Estoril, a vast modern gaming house with a full sweep of tables, a poker room and one of the biggest slot halls in Europe. Few hotel-and-casino pairings are this close, or this well matched.
Rooms and suites
The Palácio opened in 1930 as part of the grand plan to turn Estoril into a Portuguese Riviera, and its cream façade, balconies and rooftop lettering still announce that ambition. Inside, the rooms follow a classic scheme of pale wood, soft yellows and blues and traditional furniture. They are comfortable and well kept rather than fashionable, and some bathrooms show their age more than the public rooms do.
Ask for a room facing the gardens and the sea: the view down the Parque do Estoril to the casino and the Atlantic beyond is the best thing about the house. Suites are generous and a sensible choice for longer stays. Upper floors are quieter than the lower ones, which pick up some noise from the road and the terraces on warm evenings.
Dining and bars
The hotel’s formal grill room serves polished Portuguese and international cooking, with excellent fish and a cellar strong on the Douro and Alentejo. Afternoon tea is a small institution, served with a dose of British ceremony that fits the building’s history. Up at the golf course, the Varanda do Estoril terrace looks over the fairways to the ocean and is the best lunch spot within walking distance.
The bar is where the hotel’s wartime story is kept alive. During the Second World War, neutral Portugal made Estoril a crossroads for exiled royals, refugees and intelligence officers, and the Palácio is often described as one of their meeting places. Photographs in the corridors tell the story without overplaying it.
Spa and wellness
The Banyan Tree spa is the hotel’s strongest modern asset: an Asian-inspired sequence of treatment rooms, an indoor pool, a hot tub and a Turkish bath. There is also an outdoor pool in the gardens. Note that parts of the spa are restricted for younger guests. Golfers get privileged access to the Estoril Golf course, an 18-hole layout that rewards accuracy over power, and the seafront promenade to Cascais is a flat, beautiful walk.
Service
Service is the Palácio’s great strength. Many staff have been here for years, remember returning guests and handle requests with old-school grace. The concierge can arrange guest registration at the casino and explain the entry process, which is useful because Portuguese casinos require identification and registration on the first visit. Pace is unhurried, which suits the setting.
The town
Estoril is a quiet, affluent resort on the Lisbon coast, half an hour from the capital by train. Its gardens, beaches and golf courses flow into Cascais, a livelier town with a fishing harbour, restaurants and museums. The casino and its park are the town’s centre of gravity, and a short walk from the hotel door takes you past palms and fountains to the casino entrance.
