“This 19th-century palace was built by the Marquis of Valle Flor on the riches from his cocoa farms in São Tomé. He created a magnificent garden of botanical specimens and both palace and gardens are now classified as National Monuments. Beautifully restored and converted into a five-star hotel in the 1990s by the Pestana Group, it has since proved popular with celebrities. One for romantic revivalists rather than minimalists.”
