Global Celebrations: Portuguese Glamour

The pool and garden of Lisbon's Lapa Palace hotel.

Photo: Courtesy Lapa Palace

Jamee Gregory, coauthor of New York Apartments: Private Views, traveled to Lisbon to celebrate both the finals of the triannual Vendôme Prize competition and the seventieth birthday of her brother-in-law Alexis. Alexis Gregory, the founder of this competition for young pianists, organized a long, extravagant weekend of dinners, parties and concerts that culminated with an evening at a château. Many guests stayed at the lavish LAPA PALACE hotel. "In summertime, Lisbon is a great place for a party," says Jamee. "It's close enough to the resorts that the Lisboans don't leave town."

Rare Treasures Alexis organized a visit to the national palace in Queluz, about six miles outside Lisbon. "It's like a mini Versailles, with mirrored halls," says Jamee. "Later that night, the four semi-finalists played at the palace."

Local Connections It helps if you know an aristocrat or two. "One night, we had a marvelous dinner at the house of the Marquess of Fronteira and Alorna, out in the parterre gardens, where we ate on a terrace and listened to fado singers," says Jamee. "The final dinner took place at the home of the Duchess of Cadaval. Then at the Olga Cadaval Cultural Center, in Sintra, we heard the Gulbenkian Orchestra. The Russian and American finalists performed, and the American won the prize!"

Seating Plan "It's much more fun to mix it up rather than just let guests sit with people they already know," says Jamee. "As a guest, you feel cared for when a host takes the time to make sure you're sitting next to someone new and interesting."

Time to Explore When there wasn't a concert scheduled, Jamee and her husband, Peter, visited the National Coach Museum and the National Tile Museum and dropped in on some of the city's culinary gems. "We lunched at Bica do Sapato, a modern brasserie on the Tagus River," recalls Jamee. "One day the tall ships were in port, and the hotel told us to book lunch at the riverfront Café In."

Smart Packing "Bring a big hat to ward off the sun and, most important, rubber-soled shoes for the cobblestoned streets," she advises.

Best Souvenirs Lisbon is a center for superbly crafted tiles. "My favorite tile store is Sant'Anna, in the old district—I bought tons of yellow-and-blue–painted tiles there," Jamee says.

Lapa Palace: Rooms from $455. 011-351-21-394-94-94, 800-237-1236; lapapalace.com.