Aethos Lisbon

At its centre is Villa Helena, a Casa Portuguesa well-known locally, restored with its classical and Beaux-Arts details preserved. Two new buildings sit on either side of it, almost framing the villa, and together they bring Aethos’s blend of indoor and outdoor living to the city. The result has none of the formality of a traditional five-star, instead it feels closer to a friend’s villa, which is the idea behind the membership concept: a community built on belonging. 

Duality is at the core of Aethos, the retreat and the party, the detox and the retox, and Aethos Lisbon holds both in one place. A day can start with a spa treatment or a sound bath and end at a long-table dinner with a DJ playing, with members and guests moving easily between the two.

DESIGN: LOCAL HERITAGE, CONTEMPORARY SPIRIT 

The restoration of Villa Helena, the design of the two new buildings and all interiors are by Barcelona-based Astet Studio, founded by architects Ala Zreigat and Óscar Engroba. 

A Lisbon landmark with the rules rewritten, the two halves of the project work differently but together. The villa is restored and reinterpreted for a fresh contemporary chapter, with its original architecture retained and its character carried through. The two new buildings are designed in conversation with it. The curves and lightness of the new, alongside the symmetry and classic lines of the old. Throughout, light fills the spaces and greenery is always in view. 

A neutral backdrop is overlaid with a mix of warm and cool materials, wood and steel alongside richer stones and fabrics. The palette comes from the setting: greens echo the villa’s roof tiles and vegetation, and pinks and reds are drawn from Brecha da Arrábida, a Portuguese limestone. The villa’s garden stays: its mature plants and trees are being relocated for the duration of construction and will be replanted. 

COMMUNITY: A HYBRID HOTEL AND MEMBERS’ CLUB 

The 60 rooms and suites range from 28 sqm Deluxe Rooms to a 70 sqm Master Suite, and each has its own outdoor space, whether a patio, balcony or terrace. Wellness facilities include a spa with sauna, hammam and cold plunge, a state-of-the-art fitness studio and an outdoor pool. 

The villa is home to the reception and a series of lounges across two floors, with the first floor dedicated to members, designed to adapt to different events and programming. On the ground floor, the restaurant opens onto a winter garden overlooking the garden and pool, and two bars complete the food and drink offering. 

Programming is built around Aethos’ four pillars: Wellbeing, Culture, Connection and Experiences. The calendar covers both sides of the duality, from run clubs and guided sauna rituals to listening sessions with resident DJs and members’ long-table dinners, alongside talks, exhibitions and collaborations with local producers, artists and galleries. Aethos aims for it to be one of Portugal’s most culturally curious communities, allowing members a place to find themselves and their people, and travellers the chance to arrive as a guest and leave as a local. 

Together with Aethos Ericeira, Lisbon creates a city-and-escape pairing, the model Aethos already operates in Italy with Milan and Monterosa. Ericeira is under an hour’s drive from Estefânia, so members and guests can spend a few days in the city and continue to the Atlantic coast, or the reverse, within one community and across one membership. The two properties together make up a full Portuguese stay: Lisbon’s neighbourhood life and late evenings, then Ericeira’s surf, cliffs and open Atlantic. 

From the coast to the city, Aethos Lisbon opens in June 2027.