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Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace St Petersburg, Russia

Lucy Land finds Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace St Petersburg lives up to the dazzling grandeur of its many neighbouring palaces

The credentials:

Originally home to Princess Cleopatra Lobanov-Rostovsky, this mansion spent most of the 20th century as a hostel, school and state offices with numerous renovations causing significant damage to the once stunning palace.

It took eight years to complete restoration of Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace St Petersburg. Sculptor Paulo Triscorni’s stone lions – enshrined in Russian literature thanks to Pushkin’s reference to them in The Bronze Horseman – guarding entrance for almost two centuries, were restored at the impressive neoclassical entrance while the public areas were also painstakingly restored to their former 1820s glory – once again boasting a fabulous confection of bronze, gilt, silk damask walls inset with marble, walnut paneling and decorative moulding.

Dine:

The main courtyard has been transformed into a winter garden where breakfast and light meals are served. There are plenty of indulgent options among the extensive, international breakfast menu and buffet options. We enjoyed a couple of firsts: syrniki (quark pancakes) served with sour cream and fresh berries for me; and pike caviar from nearby Lagoda Lake for my friend.

With such different but equally bling rooms, we struggled to decide between the pan-Asian restaurant, Sintoho, or the Italian, Percorso, so let the staff decide for us. We weren’t disappointed with our window table at Percorso.

A homemade tomato sauce made the minestrone soup (510 RUB). The tonno (yellow fin tuna tartare, marinated artichokes, artichoke cream, toasted pistachio and chives; 1200 RUB) was pronounced, ‘As good as anything you find in Italy.’ The branzino (pan-fried sea bass; 1200 RUB) wasn’t quite as good due to the pickled artichokes in the accompanying panzanella. I couldn’t fault my ravioli with ricotta and spinach, spring peas, candied tomatoes and cured cacio cheese (860 RUB) or our side of sweet grilled vegetables (380 RUB). We loved chef Valerio Andrisani’s Alice in Wonderland-style take on the generous serving of classic tiramisu, which was presented as if it had spilt out of a little espresso cup.

Percorso is arguably home to St Petersburg’s best wine cellar. We chose a lively bottle of Müller-Thurgau (a reisling-gewürztraminer). It’s also worth checking out the clubby-style hotel bar – its redesign was inspired by Tsar Peter the Great’s interest in the sea and shipbuilding.

Sleep:

Given the triangular shape of the building, many of the guest rooms have unique floor plans. Consequentially, the rooms by Cheryl Rowley Design are uniquely styled to complement the original features and high ceilings – think neoclassical-style furniture in mahogany, hazelnut and cherry, with gildings, black lacquer and chinoiserie.

Our fifth-floor Four Seasons Room overlooked the stunning St Isaac’s Cathedral (it shares the same architect, Auguste de Montferrand, as the Lion Palace). A palette of yellow and light blue complemented the pastels of the city’s historic buildings. Our spacious full marble bathroom was stocked with Lorenzo Villoresi toiletries. All the mod cons were there – an LCD screen and speakers were embedded within the bathroom mirror; there was also a plasma screen TV, MP3 station and DVD player in the bedroom; and a Nespresso machine among the facilities. We particularly loved the walk-in wardrobe space. The only thing missing was a second bathroom sink.

Who goes there?

Monied Moscovites, Chinese and Saudis.

Out & about:

Climb up the steps of the upper colonnade of St Isaac’s Cathedral for views of the city before heading inside to check out its obscenely lavish interior. Give yourself at least a day for the Hermitage (book your ticket in advance and head to the side entrance on Shuvalovsky Proezd to avoid the queues for the main building); a morning for some of the main palace’s vast collection (only a fraction of which is on display in around 360 rooms) and an afternoon in the General Staff Building for impressionist, post-impressionist and contemporary art. You’ll also need at least a day for the Peterhof Palace and gardens, known as the Russian Versailles.

The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood is the city’s most ornate church, boasting five domes and an interior adorned with some 7000 sq m of mosaics. There are more sumptuous interiors to be found at Yusupov Palace where we were fortunate enough to hear a choral concert in its rococo theatre. Notoriously, the palace is where Grigory Rasputin’s murder began in 1916 (he was poisoned and shot to no avail before finally succumbing to drowning). The Fabergé Museum is housed in the magnificent Shuvalovsky Palace.

In a city not known for its restaurant scene, our best find was Clean Plates Society (fun atmosphere, affordable wholesome dishes and mostly friendly service).

The worst thing:

Service was a bit hit and miss. It was probably due to miscommunication but a confirmation slip would have avoided me missing my massage appointment (though my friend enjoyed her treatment) while the turndown service didn’t live up to Four Seasons’ usual exacting standards.

The best thing:

The Lion Palace lives up to the dazzling grandeur of its many neighbouring palaces that were on our must-visit list. However, we could enjoy our temporary home at leisure rather than compete for a viewing among hordes of tourists.

The details:

Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace St Petersburg, 1 Voznesensky Prospekt, 190000 St. Petersburg, Russia, 109012; www.fourseasons.com/stpetersburg +7  812 339 80 00

Note: You will need to apply for a visa to visit Russia.

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