Hotels By Design, Uhg, Las Casitas Del Colca, May 09

'.

'"

AfvlANGANf

Jackson Hole, Vlyorning US J

The magnifieelH'(' of nature unadorned IS everywhere al i\rnangani. encircled by the snow-capped peaks of the Grand Teton National Park, \tVinter is a skier's heaven and llts deep inw spring, when newborn elk and moose, bears and bison Can be spoued, but sum­ mer offers meadows of mOUlltain flowers and ny-ftshing, and autumll the constantly cbangin golds and reds of the native trees. Here you breathe, and sleep, deeply. Amangani's 40 rooms ane..! suites pay homage to their loeatiOIl with lloors of clear-heart redwood, walls of cedar planks and chairs covered in rawhide. Balhwoms wit h deep rubs have gl

THE ROYAL PENTHOUSE SUITE, KING GEORGE PALACE) Alhens, Greece

'N} Ho Dcspitf'rJ \'V compc

There can be lew more luxuriou pia s to soak up a bit of culture lh:'\11 h reo R neath a cloud­ less blue sky, you can float in your OIVll private infinity pool and gaz Ollt over Athens to an w)di tmbed view of the Acropoli . No jostlin' with camera-clad tolJl'is(.s, but a private I·iew­ ing par excellence li-om this sumptuous suite with original art, private terrace andJacuzzi..Just beneatb you awaits Alain Du asse-inspired Greco-French gourmet cui. inc, and, outside the hotel, SYlllagma Square and the vibrarn 'golden quarter of Athens. A royal treat indeed. Abercrombie & Kent (0845-618 2213; 1.men .abt'rCl"Ombiektnt.co.uk) oJfelS three Ilights at 1';I1;~ George Pawce, AthElls ill (/ Superior douhle roomji'om £790 per jJmol1, lJ&lJ, iucludingflights and pn'ual tm!l~frrs

wilhstl.ln I}](" highl~

brand as technolot

thc -hape

The Swc· spot, Fire lhe s<;venl able to he Sea.Jolls ill

r-VOllderfid

THEJOULE, DaLLas) Texas) US The newly open 'dJoule in downtown DalJas, a member of Slal'wood's Luxury Collection, is named after a unit of ellerg); one of the biggest industries in Tc~as. But it could equal1y appropri­ ately be called The}:wel, li)r it glitter., even by Texan standards, hs beautifully restored, Twell­ tie., nco-Goth.ic f
A double mmll at TheJolilc (00800-32545154; WI ,w. bJxul) '(0 Ilccliol1 ,fOm Ithqjoule) r;osisfrom [26U per l1ig/1!

UBUD HANGING GA1WENS, Bali, Indonesia The ultimatc lush, tropie
per m/.:.hl in a Riverside Deluxe Pool Villa, B&B ,~l!ldlcy 11aud (01993-8.981! 0; www.aud ley I nwel.com) qffirs a 1 ()-da), trip, illdudi!lgJour !lights al Ubud Hangin;!!. Garden~, B,di, alld ji/lf Iligh", (/1 its sisler projJtr!y in .Ji!l
•

ta ance

Pan1ela Goodtuan offers a bird's-eye view of smue of the world's 1110Sl exciting hotels - both old and new

EUROPE

;oln\' ~y In the Norwegian Arctic Circle, The Other Side opens this summer, with panoramic views and decadent de­ sign touches to keep tile winter chill at bay. ~ S\\'LDI:\ Located between Stock­ holm's Grand Hotel and the National Museum of Art is the Lydmar Hotel, which pu lis in adynamic crowd and hosts regular events for music and the arts. :> ESTQ'\1...\ Pi:idaste Manor is abeau­ tiful baronial mansion on the Baltic island of Muhu, just off ti,e Estonian coast. 1 IHS1-[~\RJ;' At CopenhaCjen's Axel Hotel Guldsmeden, the newest addition to the Guldsmeden group (there are three others in Denmark), the 129 rooms mix Balinese teak and Persian carpets with pared-down. northern-European style. ~) L 1~ In London's West End, The Dorchester is about to reopen an ex­ panded and refuI'bished spa; in the East End, Terence Conran has opened Boundary in a converted warehouse in artsy Shoreditch. There are three restau­ rants, 12 bedrooms amI five suites, each of which has been designed by a specific designer - David Tang, for example. Meanwhile. Brighton has welcomed the Kemp Townhouse, an elegant. nine-room boutique hotel, in contrast to which is the bright, bold and colourful Hotel Missoni, the fashion label's first venture into hotels, which opens in Edinburgh immi­ nently. Fans 01 the Hotel du Vin chain will be pleased to know that co-Iounder Gerard Basset now runs Hotel Terravina in the New Forest. Lucknam Park, near Bath. a grande dame of country hotels. has recently launched a new Anne Semonin spa complete with 20-metre pool and nine treatment rooms. (j TEL:'rE' n-IERI, \\Tl1Slnterested

in new hotel concepts? Then Citizen M is the one to look at. Located at Schiphol Airport, it combines function with ClJt­ tinCj-edge design and technology, qood value anda sense of 11urnour (ttlink 'pods', not rooms). Citizen M Amsterdam City opens soon. For a less challenging style, The Grand in Amsterdam has been rebrancled as a Sofitel Leqend.

7 C7,LUJ REPl HUe Prague is set for Rocco Forte's first opening of 2009 witl1 the launcl1 of The Augustine (see 'Get the look'), located in an ancient mon­ astery in the historic Mala Strana district.

H l·l{, \\;(:1. In Paris, Philippe Starck's affordable, eccentric Mama Shelter has taken the city by storm (see 'Rule break­ ers' and 'Style counci 1'). St-Tropez will sOOn see the arrival of La Reserve Ramatuelle, a state-of-the'art, 23-room hotel and spa to complement the existing 12 villas. After a mammoth refurbishment. The Regent in Bordeaux, wi th bedrooms designed by Jacques Garcia, has reclaimed its place as the most majestic 110tel in the city. The secret's out about the five-room, wisteria­ clad Maison du Paradou in the Proven~al hamlet of Paradou, so book early.

.

U-,-'i).~ .Ll.(.I:RL\:\n After a four­

year refurbishment, The Dolder Grand in Zurich (see 'Style council') has re­ opened, While in Geneva, the Hotel du R110ne, aka Mandarin Oriental Geneva, has had a similar makeover (see 'Style council'). New to the scene is Chalet Royalp Hotel & Spa, a ct1alet-style hotel in tl1e Alpine resort of Villars.

W.B.iL.l.

In southern Italy, La Locanda delle Donne Monache on the Basilicata coast is a converted convent in the heart of 1M town of Maratea.lnland, in the same region, is the UNESCO World

Heritage Site of Sassi di Matera, where a collection of prehistoric caves has been transformed Into sirnple but luxurious rooms, opening this month. In Tuscany, Florence has seen the long-awaited opening of the Four Seasons. This ren­ aissance palazzo has numerous original frescoes and reliefs, plus the largest private garden in the city. Small but enchanting Is Bargo Santo Pietro in the hills near Siena, where the seven bedrooms have been sumptuoLisly decorated by its Danish owners. Beach resort of the year is set to be the Verdura (see 'Style council'), a new Rocco Forte hotel which opens in Sicily this month,

\

UJ~R( ~,\n There's plenty of scope for Croatia to break into the boutique­ hotel market. For now, the Adriana on the waterfront of the town of Hvar (on the eponymous island) is young and stylish.

almost Oriental interio c or the Fontana Park Hotel, Lisbon, wl,ere a former smithy t1as been transformed int 0 a dar ingly modern space with aJapanese twist. 1I Sl~ \1\ Those with a passion for well­ ness and macrobiotics should embrace Sha, a spanking new hotel/clinic near Alicante. It's serious stuff wrapped up in greal desiqn. On a more Indulgent note. Valdepalacios nearToledo has a Michelin­ starred restaurant, while the Kelly Hoppen-designed Murmuri in the Ramt)la of Barcelona is small but chic. Hospes Maricel on Majorca has opened anew spa, and on Ibiza, where's there more to life than niql1tclubs, check out eitt1er Aquas de Ibiza lor the more style-conscious, or Es Cucons for country types. 11 ·ll'\..U"EY Istanbul has had two grand openings in recenl months. First is

l.Lii.lP,\ \ El'\LCRO

the ParK Hyatt Istanbul - Ma~ka Palas. set in the fashionable district of Nisantasi,

a hotel on the island of Svetl Stefan, opens in August. 1:11\)1{Il G \1 .• Portugal isembracing hotel design with fervour. TaKe Aquapura in the Douro Valley, for example, where a traditional exterior belies a super-slick,

and second is Four Seasons Istanbul at the Bosphorus. which stands on the Euro­ pean side of the Bosphorus, overlooking the walerf mnt and the Asian shore. )(i ( :) PRL.S When Almyra opened in 2003 it helped redefine Cyprus as an upmarKet destination. Now the hotel has launched a new spa based ona holisticap­ proach to health, beauty and well-being.!>

One-time royal residence Villa Milocer has opened as phase one of the Amanresorts coastal development in Montenegro. Phase (wo,

H&0

I HOTELS

BY 0[SIGN 2009

31

THE AMERICAS 1 C.

l\D

In Toronto, The Hazelton

Hotel- (Jark and dramatic - has brought a new level of style and service to the city, while later this year, Thompson Toronto (think 60 Thompson and 6 Columbus in NYC) will arrive on the scene. In Vancouver, watch out for the opening of Shanqri-La's first venture in North America.

2 US Vv'EST In Los Angeles, Philippe Starck has masterminded the design of the new SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills (see 'Style council'), where glamour, quirki­ ness, opulence and style meet and merge. Similarly inventive is Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz's refurbishment of LA's Mondrian (see 'Rule breakers'), which overlooks Sunset Boulevard. In Wyo­ ming's Teton Village, near to the vast Jackson Hole ski area, Hotel Terra has souqht to combine simple, comfortable design with good Green credentials.

3 US EAST

Two blocks from the

sleep 12, On sunny Barbados, Coral

White House in Washington DC, the

Reef Club has opened a brand-new,

wand and palatial St Regis had

a seri­

patch of garden. The Victorian, plantation­

Obama's inauguration. In Boston, the

style Peninsula House in the Dominican

new Mandarin Oriental showcases

Republic is more posh horne than re­

American/Asian lusion at its luxurious

sort. with wrapround verandas and six

l)esL The latest arrival to New York City's

beautifully furnished bedrooms.

II

6

edgy, fashionable and modem, with

Manuel Antonio National Park is Arenas

great views of the Hudson River, Great

STI\ R [(:A

Del Mar, a qreat little resort with well­

Adjacent to the

British hoteliers Tim and Kit Kemp (of

designed rooms and a family-friendly

Haymarket Hotel fame) take on the

approach. Deep in ttle rainforest sur­

NYC 110tel scene witll the launcll tllis

roundinq the Pacuare River, Pacuare

summer' of the Crosby Street Hotel in

Lodge is an eco'hideout, where nature

SoHo, their first outside the UK,

and luxury combine. Equally eco-chic is

.[ .\IEXIC -

EI Silencio Lodge & Spa in Costa Rica's

New to the Pacific Coast

lush, central volcanic valley.

rooms and suites cascade down a dra­

7 GALAPAG S

matic cliff face. At Playa del Carmen,

the island of Santa Cruz are the eight

Set just inland on

The Tides Riviera Maya (formerly Ikal

African-style tents of the Galapagos

del Mar) is part beach resort and part

Safari Camp. Each comes with its own

tropical forest retreat, with 30 elegant

balcony and views of the ocean.

villas and a wonderful spa. Grupo Hab­

~

Dramatically perched on a

restoration. is the first luxury hotel in

II CIIILE Landscapes don't corne

ita, which operates some of Mexico's

windswept peninsula of Lake Titicaca

the eponymous district of Rio. famous

more wild and wonderful than in Chile's

most design-conscious boutique !lotels,

is Titilaka, where eeo-minded luxury

for its chic bars and arty shops.

Atacama Desert. Marvel at the flamingo­

has launched La Purificadora in an old

reaclles dizzying heights. Choose be-

10 j\RGEN' II ['!A In the fashionable

inhabited salt flats, wander througll the desolate valleys and retire to the stylish

PER

a Dusk

water-purifying centre in the little

tween

Suite and a Dawn Suite,

Palermo district of Buenos Aires, there

colonial city of Puebla.

eat food provided by local farmers and

are two great places to stay. First is

Tierra Atacama Hotel. In the southern

- C RIBBEi\l\

Lovely Cap Juluca

paddle off throuqh ttle lake's famous

Leqado Mltico, wllietl has a rooftop

reaches of Patagonia, Remota is, quite

on Anguilla's most delicious beach Ilas

reed beds, Meanwtliie, in the stunninq

deck and 11 bedrooms hemed round

literally, miles from anywhere - a mod­

had a multimiilion-dollar refurbishment.

Colca Canyon (one of the deepest in the

famous Argentines; and second is

ern, warehouse style of architecture in a

Meanwhile, at Meads Bay, the Viceroy, a

world), Orient-Express Hotels has

Costa Petit, a pretty four-bedroom

setting as old as time. Back in civilisiltion

new luxury resort. is due to open later in

launched Las Casitas del Colea - 20

retreat with a qarden and a pool. A

in the coastal town of ValparaiSo, small.

the year. On chic and sexy st BarttlS, tfle

pretty little houses right in the miClc.JIass ion for wine? Then check into the of nowhere. ew Valle Perdido Wine Resort, set

chic Cas a Higueras has opened in an

Eden Rock Hotel has launclled Vilfa Roekstar, which is spread over three

lll2RA7.rr. Hotel Santa Teresa, whie

within a large Patagonian winery.

floors of sheer indulgence and can

has just re-emerged from a tllree-year

There's even a wine spa.

terraced qardens and views of the bay. For holel details, see 'Web facts' 0

36

•

c:

Meatpaeking District is The Standard­

of Mexico is Capella Ixtapa, wllere 59

:I

purpose-built spa in its own 12-acre

ous makeover just in time 101' President

HSG

I HOHLS

B~ OESIGN 2009

eighteentll>century hillside mansionwith