Lisbon · Portugal

The story

Naila had decided to fly out a day ahead of the rest of us. Jet lag, she said. She needed the extra day to recover. She arrived. Her luggage did not. By the time the rest of us landed, she had sourced Armani heels, a black skirt, and a hot pink sweater, and declared the situation resolved. The jet lag, as far as anyone could tell, had also sorted itself out.

We arrived from four different directions and converged on two connecting suites, upgraded by either the hotel's generosity or something Naila arranged during her extra day of recovery — history does not record.

Breakfast trolleys stripped of papaya four mornings running, a café shushing that escalated into colorful French, the Alfama unfolding uphill in glimpses of terracotta and sudden views across the Tagus. Warm pastéis de nata, Parna and a low medieval ceiling at Torre de Belém, Pena Palace with its vibrant, contrasting colors and eclectic, whimsical architecture, the Atlantic making its feelings known at Cabo da Roca and again at Boca do Inferno. A vodka-lemongrass-ginger drink at Bistro 100 Maneiras, and Lisbon dancefloors that refused to end until Balada Boa had played at least a hundred times.

We came home each morning at an hour that required real composure from the Four Seasons staff. They provided it without fail.

The Itinerary

Lisbon · 4 nights

Where we stayed

Four Seasons Hotel Ritz, Lisbon