MYTHIC SANA Downtown Suites – Review

While many hotels are chasing the latest millennials trend, Mythic SANA Downtown Suites has created classic luxury destination, enhanced by contemporary flair and state-of-the-art technology. This is an all-suite boutique hotel in a restored Pombaline mansion building, close to the waterfront, on the street where Lisbon’s goldsmiths once worked. Expect an impeccably presented suite, your own butler in white gloves, and complimentary guest experiences. The first property in SANA Hotels’ new MYTHIC collection, this extraordinary property raises the bar of what one can expect from a Lisbon luxury boutique hotel. Every detail of your stay, from your pillow to your welcome champagne, has been personalised before you arrive.

Pre-Arrival

The personalisation begins days before check-in with the Golden Prelude, an interactive pre-arrival correspondence that goes far beyond the usual corporate hotel confirmation. You can choose every detail, from your room temperature on arrival, pillow preference, and whether you want your welcome amenities sweet, savoury, healthy, with or without alcohol. You can also pre-check in so that all your details are captured in advance.

The hotel is the first property in the new MYTHIC collection, an intimate boutique collection from the established Portuguese hospitality group SANA Hotels. It occupies a restored 18th-century Pombaline building on Rua Áurea, the old Rua do Ouro, the street of the goldsmiths, in the very centre of Lisbon’s ultra chic Baixa district. Praça do Comércio, the grand harbour-facing plaza and one of the largest in Portugal, is a just two-minute walk away, and the waters of the Tagus glitter just beyond.

Behind the operation is Marie-Hélène Moreira, SANA’s Director of Development of Luxury Projects and Concepts, whose name may already be familiar to readers of The Luxury Editor from her time as general manager of the Auberge du Jeu de Paume in Chantilly. She has impeccable taste, a formidable eye for detail, and a rare talent for assembling the right team. Her talent shows in every corner of this hotel.

The Arrival

I arrived by taxi on a bright Lisbon morning, and as the car drew up, a butler was already at the car door. My luggage was discreetly taken while I was welcomed into the lobby, with its richly textured flagstone floor, and bold feature wall of scarlet roses. Here one also finds the salon and guest lounge, where decadent gold leaf lines the walls, a reference to the goldsmiths who once worked on this street. Even the lifts are lined with gold. The effect is warm, theatrical and quietly decadent.

After a warm welcome and orientation of the hotel facilties, the guest lounge and the Black Moon gastrobar, we went up to the suite for check-in. A glance at my passport, a few words about the suite’s features, and I was ready to enjoy my stay.

The Golden Sleeves Butlers are at the heart of this hotel. Certified by Tourism of Portugal and the first of their kind in the country, they are stationed on every floor, reachable by WhatsApp at any hour, and capable of handling everything from pressing a shirt to booking a restaurant to mixing you a drink. Their responsiveness was extraordinary. A message sent was answered within minutes. Their English was superb, and their manner warm and professional.

The Suite

Our Grand Suite was a generous space of noble materials, including marble, stone, and dark woods. The design is contemporary yet with a timeless elegance.

The welcome amenities were magnificent. A large gold cake stand with a glass cloche protected an arrangement of savoury and sweet canapés including fine ham, salmon, and delicate pastries. Beside it, a fruit bowl, a crystal dish of chocolates, a bottle of red wine and a bottle of French champagne on ice.

The separate salon was elegantly divided in to a seating area with a sofa and a chair, dining area and full bar. There was also a desk, with an ingeniously designed pop-up console for connecting devices and cable free charging of mobile phones.

The full bar included a mini kitchenette discreetly hidden behind cabinet doors, including a microwave, small ceramic hob, half dishwasher and fridge stocked with non-alcoholic refreshments and cocktail mixers. The signature bar featured cut-glass Vista Alegre decanters of complementary port and gin. Every detail was thought of, from the cocktail mixing set, the fresh lime and lemon with a knife, a filled ice bucket, and a complete selection of glassware from highballs to red wine glasses. This is ultra luxury done right.

The bedroom was behind two sliding doors, with an impeccably prepared king bed. The adjacent dressing room was spacious, and featured the safe, soft and hard hangers, a shoe rack, a clothes brush, and shoehorn, etc. The bathroom, accessible from both the dressing room and the salon, was finished in marble, glass and dark wood. Amenities were by Lalique.

A truly elegant and beautiful suite.

The Rituals

Another element that distinguishes this hotel is the layering of complimentary experiences. In the early evening, my butler arrived at the suite with the Lalique fragrance experience. He presented a selection of Lalique perfumes for gentlemen, guiding me through the scents and helping me choose one suited to the mood and the evening ahead.

Between six and seven, there is also the Dusk Mix ritual, where one’s butler will prepare a bespoke mocktail, a different creation for each day of the week.

At turndown, housekeeping leave a tea tray, set on the table with a dish of cookies and a complimentary bookmark, each one telling a historic tale from Lisbon. On each nightstand was left a crystal carafe of water with a glass. Thankfully no plastic water bottles here. On the floor beside the bed, linen mats with slippers were placed out. Again, small details that show that the hotel has thought about every moment.

Black Moon

The hotel’s gastrobar, Black Moon, occupies an intimate ground-floor space with just 32 seats. There’s a long marble bar, low tables, and windows onto the street.

The team wear crisp white shirts and elegant uniforms during breakfast service, and the spread is impressive. On the champagne bar, an elegant buffet of fine cold cuts, Portuguese and French cheeses, superb bakery goods with superb croissants, pain au chocolat, Danish pastries and a fresh cake of the day. There are signature juices too, including a subtle pineapple with fresh mint. The hot a la carte menu runs from eggs Benedict in three styles, traditional, royal and Florentine, with sides of rösti potato, chourico, smoked salmon and avocado, to Mythic pancakes and açaí bowls.

From midday, the room transforms. The linen table cloths are removed to reveal the polished wood tables, now set with fine silverware resting on small brass plaques. The menu is the work of Executive Chef Luis Ortiz, born in Guadalajara, Mexico, who made his name in Lisbon as head chef at Carnal.

Afternoon tea is also available in the guest lounge or your suite between three and six, with a selection from Companhia Portuguesa do Chá.

In the evening Rafael, the bartender, welcomed us with a bespoke citrus cocktail, the Cocktail Lys, made with Citadelle Jardin d’Été gin, Lillet Blanc, ginseng cordial and dry sparkling wine. Then Jorge, our head waiter and sommelier for the evening, guided us through dinner. The amuse-bouche was a Black Moon sphere that opened to reveal butter in the upper half, for the artsian bread, and house-smoked beef jerky in the lower half.

The first course was amberjack preserved in onion ash with macadamia leche de tigre, cucumber and avocado cured in coriander salt, black recado oil and ceremonial toast, a dish of real precision with edible flowers adding colour against the exquisite, dark ceramic dish. The main dish was red mullet with Italian sausage, onion purée with black recado, burnt onion, beurre blanc and gremolata, paired with the bartender’s Astro cocktail (Don Julio Blanco tequila, dry curaçao, toasted dried fig cordial, nori seaweed air) garnished with an exquisite fresh fig flower. Dessert was Palo Santo ice cream. A delicate creation of rosewood ice cream, almond praline, coconut candy, marzipan and amarguinha liquor with caramelised almonds, served theatrically with a bowl of smouldering palo santo wood, its gentle, distinctive aroma filling the table.

The Location

The hotel sits on Rua Áurea, historically the street of Lisbon’s master goldsmiths, in the heart of the Baixa Pombalina. This is the noble grid of streets rebuilt after the devastating 1755 earthquake, and the 18th-century Pombaline façade of the hotel is part of that legacy. Step outside and you are in Lisbon’s centre, with the Praça do Comércio and the Tagus waterfront a two-minute walk south. Rossio, Chiado, the Elevador de Santa Justa, and the Teatro Nacional D. Maria II are all within easy walking distance.

The location is exceptional for walking, and the butlers will be happy to make suggestions for your day. They will arrange restaurant bookings, suggest routes through the neighbourhoods, and organise anything from private transfers to concert tickets. The hotel also partners with SANA’s wider restaurant network in Lisbon, including the riverside SUD Lisboa, a fashionable venue for a memorable night out.

Final Thought

Mythic SANA Downtown Suites is a hotel built on the principle that luxury is about service and anticipating guests’ needs. The Golden Sleeves Butlers are the shining example of this, respecting privacy while offering highly personalised and attentive service. From the pre-arrival personalisation to the Lalique fragrance ritual, to the Lisbon storytelling bookmark at turndown, the experience is layered with small, considered moments. Chef Ortiz’s creativity at Black Moon is set to add a new destination in Lisbon’s dynamic dining scene. And Marie-Hélène Moreira’s instinct for the right team, and the right detail runs through every part of the hotel. This is a very strong opening, and the MYTHIC collection has set its standard high.