Apartment block on the outside – palace on the inside: Appearances can be deceiving at the Four Seasons Ritz in Lisbon… a rowdy exterior hides a luxurious, marble-smothered hotel fantasyland

Think at the next level. Then one more of those.

And that is where Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon finds itself in the world of hospitality.

In Lisbon it is physically located a few levels higher than the city center, on a hill overlooking the Parque Eduardo VII.

Seen from the outside, with your eyes closed, it could be an apartment block, but this modernist building, built in 1959 as a property ‘to make Portugal proud’ by dictator António de Oliveira Salazar (and run by Four Seasons since 1997), is actually covered in over 40,000 square meters of marble.

As you step through the glass doors held open by the impeccably polite squadron of doormen, you enter a hotel fantasyland.

My partner, daughter and I stayed in a junior suite on the fifth floor, which was opulent beyond belief.

Our quarters had a small balcony overlooking the Tagus River, a breathtaking, largely marble bathroom with double sinks, rain shower and bath; a separate toilet at the front door (also largely marble); a king-size bed that was, quite frankly, a dream – and furnishings stylish enough for a Vogue cover shoot, including a sublime gray chaise longue.

There was also a walk-in closet. And tension straps made of luxurious polished wood.

Then there was peace. With the balcony door closed, our suite was an oasis of peace.

Also worthy of special mention is the space outside the elevator on the fifth floor – which Four Seasons had transformed into a fashionable little living room area, complete with a pair of dazzling fluffy white armchairs (see video).

Press the button in the elevators for the top floor and you’ll find yourself on one of the most unique hotel rooftops in the world: a bright blue running track, which loops around a huge “Ritz” sign and complements a top-floor gym.

All in all an exciting setup for a fitness session. Although we visited, as I suspect many do, purely to enjoy the stunning views.

Meanwhile, descend to the lower floor to discover a beautiful indoor pool, governed by striking Adonis and swordfish sculptures and peppered with luxurious loungers.

There is also a large outdoor swimming pool. It was not in use during our visit in October, but when the weather is nice it is certainly one of the most attractive places in the city.

For foodies, the lobby level will be the biggest hit. Here the hotel serves a magnificent breakfast buffet in the Varanda restaurant and a Michelin-starred dinner in ‘Cura’ – both left by the spectacular, retina-gnawing orchid show.

At Cura we enjoyed a 13-course ‘Origens’ tasting menu for 185 euros, with bread as one of the main courses.

Pedro Pena Bastos, the chef, serves rustic wheat bread and a milk bread for course No. 7.

Leading up to the loaves were half a dozen dishes that showed Pedro’s stall as a chef of considerable talent.

The brigade, wearing Peaky Blinders-style flat caps, kicked off by sending out an appetizer with mushroom tart from the open kitchen. “Baffling,” I wrote in my notes.

Then came dishes of delicate strips of mackerel with a small dome of the sweetest sweet potato; a perfectly formed ball of tuna tartare with smoked stock and green beans; and squid with roasted seaweed butter and Ossietra caviar.

After the bread came Atlantic wreck fish, cubes of delicious Iberian port and perfectly cooked pigeon with broccoli and beetroot.

Every table seemed to be as thoroughly mesmerized by the Cura experience as we were, except for the table of gentlemen next to us, who seemed more interested in watching music videos on their phones.

Sacrilege in a temple of the best gourmet food.

The service in Cura was impeccable, as was everywhere else on site.

It is a hotel staffed by consummate professionals, who provided several memorable little moments, from ordering popcorn to handing over the room for my daughter because she exclaimed excitedly about the size of the TV to cutting the eggs for our ‘eggs and soldiers’ for breakfast.

When we weren’t wrapped in the palatial surroundings of Four Seasons Hotel Ritz, we were eating cereal in the Pop Cereal Caférode the gloriously thrilling tram 28 through the winding cobbled streets of Lisbon, wandered the ramparts of the epic Castelo de Sao Jorge and ran around the beautiful square – the Praca do Comércio.

Then we enjoyed taking the metro to the closest station to the hotel – Marqués de Pombal. From there it was an uphill walk to the glass entrance of the Four Seasons, but the thought of the lush surroundings that awaited us made us jump a little despite the incline. I would drag myself up the cliff for such a good hotel.

Four Seasons – it still makes Portugal proud.