At a glance
Updated 24 August 2026. Lisbon is now Torel Palace instead of the Four Seasons, with real prices from the hotel's own booking engine.
Where it stands
Everything is chosen. Nothing is booked, and nothing can be until the other couple give you their Paris dates. Every price on this page was checked for a test window of 13 to 17 September 2027, so they will shift a little on your real dates.
The route
Four flights, every one of them direct. Two car rides. No trains, no connections, nothing to change.
- Toronto to LisbonTAP TP262, nonstop, 7h20, lie-flat business
- Lisbon · 4 nights
Torel Palace, Imperial SuiteCA$1,249 a night - Lisbon to MálagaTAP, nonstop, 1h20
- Málaga to Marbellaprivate car, 40 minutes
- Marbella · 5 nights
Marbella Club, Deluxe Double Sea Viewabout CA$2,220 a night - Marbella to Málagaprivate car, 40 minutes
- Málaga to Parisnonstop, 2h35
- Paris · 4 nights
Bergerac apartment, sharedabout CA$750 a night, your half - Paris to Torontononstop, daytime, business · larger recliner seats, not lie-flat
Torel Palace, Lisbon
Not one building. Four restored 19th century palace houses on a quiet hill beside the Jardim do Torel.
Swipe the photos sideways.
The pick
Dona Amélia
Imperial Suite · pink palace, upper floor
- 35 sq m
- Queen bed
- Large private balcony
- City and pool view
- Castle of São Jorge to the left
- Sleeps two
Their words: the balcony gives you "a superb view of the castle of São Jorge, the city of Lisbon, and the Torel Gardens." Royal blue walls chosen for Queen Amélia, warm wooden walls, a beautifully detailed ceiling, a spacious seating area with sofas and ample wardrobe space. The hotel calls it one of their favourite honeymoon rooms.
The bathroom is marble, with a large shower and a bathtub set by the window. In the room: Delta coffee machine, minibar, TV, free Wi-Fi, air conditioning, hairdryer, safe, and coffee and water refilled through the whole stay.
Straight from the source: the hotel's own page for this room.
Who Dona Amélia was
The last Queen Consort of Portugal, 1865 to 1951. Born Princess Amélie of Orléans, married King Carlos I, mother of the last reigning monarch. She spent her time as queen on public health, campaigned against tuberculosis and founded hospitals and orphanages, which is what made her genuinely popular.
In 1908 she watched her husband and elder son assassinated in the street in the Lisbon Regicide. The monarchy fell two years later and she went into exile in France, where she died in 1951. Her remains were brought back to Lisbon and she is buried in the Pantheon of the Braganza Dynasty.
The one thing you must do in writing
The booking engine sells the category, not the room. The Imperial Suite category holds two completely different rooms at the same price, and you can be given either one.
So book the Imperial Suite, then email straight after and ask for Dona Amélia by name.
The other Imperial Suite
D. Duarte
Imperial Suite · pale green
More than twice the size, a freestanding tub in the room itself, a cosy living room. But no balcony, and the bed is a twin. Same price as Amélia.
CA$1,249 a night · 80 sq m · twin bed
Dona Amélia
Imperial Suite · navy and wood
Less than half the floor space, but a large balcony over the city and the pool.
CA$1,249 a night · 35 sq m
It is double the room, or a queen bed and a balcony. Not both. Torel lists D. Duarte as a twin, so for the two of you that decides it on its own.
The four rooms you picked out
Dona Amélia
Imperial Suite
Queen. The best balcony in the four, over the city and the pool. Biggest of the rooms with a real view.
CA$1,249 · 35 sq m
Dona Estefânia
Master Royal with View
Queen, private balcony, "captivating views of the city and the hotel pool." The value pick of the four.
CA$790 · 28 sq m
Dom José I
Master with View
The nicest balcony of the lot, table and chairs, city and pool and a glimpse of the Tagus. But it is the smallest, and it is two single beds.
CA$738 · 23 sq m
Catarina de Bragança
Master
The largest of the standard rooms and the cheapest here, redecorated into white and grey. Has a balcony, but it looks into the grounds, not the city.
CA$676 · 32 sq m
On beds
There is no king bed anywhere in this hotel. All 28 rooms are a queen, a double, a twin or two singles. Queen is the best you can get here.
Every room type, for 13 to 17 September 2027
- Classic Room$638
- Master Room$676
- Master Room with View$738
- Royal Room with View$763
- Master Royal with View$790
- Royal Suite$840
- Royal Room with Jacuzzi$882
- Royal Suite with View$1,050
- Imperial Suite$1,249
Canadian dollars, per night, taxes in. Every room type in the hotel came back available for September 2027, and every day of the month is open on their calendar. A few categories already show "last one" for some dates, thirteen months out.
What the rate includes
- Taxes included
- Breakfast included
- Free cancellation to 2 days before
- Pay on arrival, nothing down
- Welcome drink
- Coffee and water in the room
- Upgrade if available at check in
That is the direct rate, which carries a 15 percent Torel Club discount. The same four nights list at CA$6,532 elsewhere, so booking direct saves about CA$1,535.
Free cancellation is the part worth using. Thirteen months out, with nothing paid, holding the room is a free option.
The hotel itself
Four restored 19th century palace houses on Colina de Sant'Ana, beside the Jardim do Torel. The pink palace holds the Queens' rooms, the blue one the Kings, Casa do Lavra the Infantes, and a white building the apartments. 33 rooms and suites plus a villa.
Gardens, two outdoor saltwater pools, a small spa with a hammam and a gym.
2Monkeys, the Michelin starred restaurant, is in the hotel. So is Black Pavilion, which does city views and Mediterranean cooking, and Duke's Bar.
What the reviews say
4.7 out of 5 from 1,194 reviews on TripAdvisor. Number 30 of 372 hotels in Lisbon. Travellers' Choice 2026. Location 4.7, Rooms 4.7, Cleanliness 4.8, Service 4.8. Read on the page itself, not second hand.
Two complaints come up again and again, and they are the two to ask about.
The pools are not heated
They are seasonal saltwater pools sitting at whatever temperature the air is. When a guest raised it, the hotel answered that "all facilities are maintained to high standards and comply fully with our quality guidelines." That is not a denial.
The outdoor areas were looking tired in 2026
A June 2026 guest wrote about cracked sidewalks, dead plants and torn outdoor furniture. The hotel did not dispute a word of it. Their manager, 8 July 2026:
"Your comments regarding the condition of our outdoor areas, including the sidewalks, landscaping, and outdoor furnishings, are appreciated and have been shared with our team for review."
That matters because they will fight a review they think is unfair. On the lost luggage one they came back with specifics: the bag was misplaced for under 20 minutes, they offered a complimentary night which the guest declined, and similar reviews by the same person had appeared under multiple accounts. They pushed back hard there. They did not push back on the gardens.
Email them these two questions before you book
- Have the outdoor areas and the pool furniture been redone since mid 2026?
- Is the pool heated at any point in the season?
And ask for Dona Amélia by name, in the palace buildings. Not an apartment, not an attic room.
Reservations: reservas@torelpalacelisbon.com or +351 254 249 388. They answer their reviews personally within a day or two, so they will answer this.
The hotel itself is Rua Câmara Pestana 45, 1150-082 Lisboa · info@torelpalacelisbon.com · +351 22 600 0815.
Getting into town
You are on a quiet hill above Avenida da Liberdade, in a residential pocket beside a small park. Quiet hotel, shopping nearby, not shopping around you.
Rossio and Baixa are about 10 to 15 minutes on foot, downhill. The walk back up is a real hill, or a short taxi.
The funicular is closed
The Elevador do Lavra, 100 metres from the door, has been shut since September 2025, after the Glória funicular derailed and killed 16 people. All three of Lisbon's old funiculars went down for safety review and none has reopened. Do not count on it.
The upside of that walk: the Sintra train leaves from Rossio, which is the bottom of your hill.
The Lisbon days
Four nights. One day goes to Sintra, one to Belém, one to Alfama and the castle. The arrival afternoon stays easy.
- Day 1 · Toronto, late eveningTP262 leaves around 11pm. Sleep on the plane.
- Day 2 · Lisbon, late morningLand around 11am to noon. Car to the hotel. Easy afternoon, walk down through the gardens, early dinner.
- One day · BelémThe Jerónimos Monastery, and the rest of Belém around it.
- One day · SintraA whole day. Not the arrival day, not the departure day.
- One day · Alfama and the castleThe miradouros at Senhora do Monte and Santa Luzia, and fado that evening.
- Any gapsChiado and the Avenida da Liberdade.
Sintra
A hill town of palaces about 40 minutes from central Lisbon. Pena Palace is the one on every postcard, colour and turrets on a ridge in the trees. Quinta da Regaleira is the other one worth the time, a garden estate full of tunnels and a spiral well you walk down.
Take the train from Rossio, at the bottom of your hill. Roughly 40 minutes and a few euros, running every 15 to 30 minutes. Driving is 30 to 45 minutes, but the parking up there is genuinely miserable.
Go on a weekday and go early. Sintra on a September weekend is heaving.
Book Pena ahead
Pena needs a timed ticket: a specific date and a 30 minute slot, bought in advance at parquesdesintra.pt. In season the good slots go weeks out.
Marbella Club
Five nights, and the one hotel here you walk out of straight onto the sand.
About CA$2,220 a night, so roughly CA$11,100 for the five. That is a 2026 rate for the Deluxe Double with Sea Views, an estimate rather than a quote.
Book this the day your dates are fixed
Only fourteen rooms in the entire hotel have a real sea view. Eleven Double Beach rooms and three Grand Suites. Everything else faces gardens, the pool, or the resort. Fourteen rooms is nothing.
Ask for a named sea view room, not just the category.
Book the Deluxe Double with Sea Views. About 45 square metres, 484 square feet, sitting just above the Beach Club, private terrace, the Mediterranean in front of you.
The Garden Suite costs more and has no sea view. Never trade sea for square footage here. If you want to go up a level, take a Junior Suite Beachfront, not any Garden category.
What is around you
- Marbella old town10 minutes
- Puerto Banús15 minutes
- Benahávís20 minutes
- Mijas Pueblo and Esteponaunder 30 minutes
- Málaga45 minutes
Why Marbella won
Calm Mediterranean water, a hotel you walk out of onto the sand, a pretty old town and a glossy marina both within reach. Sardinia has a better beach and costs two extra flights. Portugal's coast is Atlantic, colder, and the hotels sit back from the water.
Paris
Four nights in the 7th with the other couple. Three full days, plus the afternoon you land and the morning you fly.
About CA$1,500 a night for the whole apartment, so roughly CA$750 a night and CA$3,000 for the four once you split it.
Three bedrooms in the 7th arrondissement. Two genuine queen beds, not two singles pushed together, which is rare in Paris. Eiffel Tower view, air conditioning, no minimum stay.
This is the thing holding everything up
The other couple have given you a length, four nights, but not dates. Nothing else can be booked until those exist.
Money
All in Canadian dollars. Only the Lisbon line is a real quote. Everything else is a 2026 estimate converted at 1.37, because nobody has published September 2027 rates yet. Add five to ten percent for the extra year.
- Torel Palace Lisbon, 4 nightsReal quote. Imperial Suite, taxes and breakfast in$4,997
- Marbella Club sea view, 5 nightsEstimate$11,100
- Paris apartment, your half, 4 nightsEstimate$3,000
- FlightsBusiness out on Aeroplan points. Business recliner home, in cash$3,850
- Cars and transfersEstimate$1,370
- Eating and drinking, two weeksEstimate$5,500
- Totalabout CA$29,800
Roughly US$21,800.
Two ways that moves
The old version of this plan, with the Four Seasons, came to about CA$31,000. The hotel change takes roughly a thousand off.
Drop to Dona Estefânia at $790 a night and the Lisbon line becomes $3,161, which brings the whole trip to about CA$28,000.
If the business seats come out of Aeroplan rather than cash, those totals hold. If you pay cash for them, add eight to twelve thousand.
Points, and the flight home
Toronto to Lisbon, business, on Aeroplan: roughly 60,000 to 100,000 points each, one way. Star Alliance partner awards price better than Air Canada's own dynamic pricing. That is the lie-flat one, and it is on the overnight, which is the leg worth sleeping through.
Paris to Toronto is business with larger recliner seats, not a flat bed. On that route, that product is Air Transat's Club Class: a small dedicated cabin, about 38 inches of legroom, footrest, deep recline. Sensible for a daytime flight, where you would be sitting up watching films either way.
One consequence worth knowing
Air Transat is not an Aeroplan or Star Alliance partner, so that seat cannot be bought with points. The flight home is a cash ticket.
In September, Club Class from Paris to Toronto runs roughly CA$800 to CA$1,500 each, so call it CA$1,600 to CA$3,000 for the two of you. That is about what premium economy would have cost, so the budget on this page does not really move.
The upside: you only need points for one leg now, not two.
If you would rather lie flat on the way home too
Air Canada's business class on Paris to Toronto is lie-flat pods, and it can be booked on Aeroplan at roughly the same 60,000 to 100,000 points each. So the real choice is cash for the Transat recliner, or points for the Air Canada bed. Both are perfectly good on a daytime flight. Your call.
The only genuinely time-critical thing in the whole plan
Award seats open eleven to twelve months ahead. For mid-September 2027 that means mid-September 2026, which is a few weeks away. Business class to Europe in September goes in days.
This is the Toronto to Lisbon leg. Reminder already set for the 15th.
Eating in Lisbon
High end, and none of it stiff.
- 2MonkeysMichelin starred, in a former wine cellar, relaxed and inventive.In your hotel
- Black PavilionCity views, Mediterranean cooking, and a terrace.In your hotel
- AlmaTwo stars, Henrique Sá Pessoa. Warm and buzzing. The best fit for high end without formal.
- BelcantoTwo stars, Chiado, José Avillez. The special occasion one.
- CURAOne Michelin star five years running, in the Four Seasons Ritz, about 28 seats.
- PradoNo star, farm to table, natural wine, completely informal.
- Cervejaria RamiroNot fine dining at all, and possibly the best meal you will have.
Book anything starred before you fly. That includes 2Monkeys, even though you are sleeping upstairs.
What to do, in order
Nothing here is urgent except the last one, and that one really is.
- Decide who books TorelLeanne at Extra Mile Vacations was going to book both hotels. Torel's direct rate is 15 percent off, saves about $1,535 on the four nights, has free cancellation to two days out and takes nothing up front. Ask her whether she can match that before handing it over. Either way, ask for the TICO registration number, pay by credit card, and ask what the cancellation terms are on Marbella for a 2027 stay booked in 2026.
- Get the other couple's Paris datesEverything anchors on those and nothing is bookable until they exist.
- Email Torel the two questionsThe outdoor areas, and the pool. Before you commit.
- Mid-September, start checking Aeroplan dailyReminder already set for the 15th. This is the one thing that cannot wait.
- Book Marbella Club the moment dates are fixedAsk for a named sea view room, not a category. Fourteen rooms.
- Book TorelImperial Suite category, then email to request Dona Amélia by name. Free cancellation means you can hold it now and change your mind later.
- Book Pena Palace at SintraTimed entry, thirty minute slots, sold out weeks ahead in season.
- Book the starred restaurantsOnce dates are settled.