Paula Bobone is best known for her books on etiquette and social protocol, but at 79, the author has ventured into a new genre, conducting research to write about the history of the iconic Palácio Estoril Hotel. The result is Palácio no Estoril: O Hotel Inspirador, published by the Cascais City Council, with its launch set for 20th of September at the hotel itself, starting at 6.00PM.
For over 20 years, Paula Bobone has spent her holidays in the Estoril area, where her daughter now lives. Over the past decades, the author and consultant has become a regular at Casino Estoril events and the elite parties of Cascais, describing it as a "glamorous time of many invitations." Despite her familiarity with the region, she had never considered exploring it in a book - until now.
It all happened by chance, exactly a year ago, Bobone explains. "My husband and I had just gone for a coffee and to buy something. Out of curiosity, we walked into the hotel. My husband was intrigued by the number of photographs of celebrities and historical figures who had passed through", she recalls. The Palácio Estoril Hotel is known to have hosted various monarchs and political and economic personalities and was even one of the settings for the film On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), featuring George Lazenby as the famous secret agent James Bond.
"I sat there, and the concierge, who knew me, came over and asked, 'Dona Paula, would you like some tea?' I thanked him and said it wasn’t necessary, as my husband was just looking at the pictures. Then, the man told me he knew everything because he had worked at the hotel for over 60 years. He knew the whole history and had even appeared in the James Bond film. I found it extraordinary".
The stories shared by José Diogo Vieira, who has worked at the hotel since 1964, starting at just 14 years old, inspired Paula Bobone to consider writing a book. "I asked him if there was any book about it. He told me there were some recent novels inspired by the setting, which is very beautiful and chic, but there weren’t any descriptive books about the hotel’s history. That’s when I decided to write this book".
Inspired by the luxury of Biarritz, and as he accumulated governmental responsibilities in the region (having served as vice-president and president of the Cascais City Council), he envisioned a new Estoril that would include housing, the casino, the shopping galleries with their famous arcades, gardens, thermal baths, and the Palácio Estoril Hotel. He acquired the former Quinta do Viana, and between 1918 and 1930, all these facilities were inaugurated. "He worked with French architects, but the construction was Portuguese", explains Paula Bobone. Another key element was the railway line, which had direct connections not only to Lisbon and Cascais but also to Paris, with the Sud-Express having its terminal station there.
A peaceful and refined refuge
In a time of great upheaval in Europe, particularly from the 1940s onward - with World War II and the Nazi invasion of France - many elites sought refuge in the western tip of the continent, in a neutral country that was not directly affected by the conflict, where a lifestyle of refinement and a sense of tranquility had been established.
"The hotel, inaugurated in 1930, was grandiose and became a venue for many parties. From then on, the entire region was influenced: various kings and important figures built their villas in the Estoril area". This includes Humberto II, the last king of Italy, and Bolivian magnate Antenor Patino, who constructed what would become one of the country’s most luxurious condominiums.
The story is detailed in the book Palácio no Estoril: O Hotel Inspirador, a bilingual work that, after its launch in Cascais, is expected to have a presentation event in Lisbon. Paula Bobone reveals that she is already working on other books related to the Cascais region and will publish a book next year detailing her own life story.
Palácio no Estoril: O Hotel Inspirador. 10€