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Eve Press
Observer |
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| 'We wanted to hand readers a blueprint to the most enjoyable escape imaginable,’ says James Lohan | |
| The sexiest hotels for a stolen weekend | |
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Sexy stays to please Looking for passion in
Today’s couples have greater expectations than ever: stylish surroundings, friendly staff, top-notch service, and notable food and drink. Hunting down chick cribs that tick all those boxes is tricky. And then there’s knowing where best to go for supper, and what galleries or bars are around the corner… ‘We wanted to hand readers a blueprint to the most enjoyable escape imaginable,’ says James Lohan, who came up with the idea for the Mr & Mrs Smith hotel guides after one too many disappointments himself. We’ve all trawled the internet and found somewhere to stay which looks lovely. Then, after bad traffic or a delayed flight you get there late and realise it nothing like what you hoped for. On top of that, the kitchen’s closed and you’re lucky to get a few olives for dinner. As for a cocktail at the bar, the most exotic tipple the elderly ported can whip you up is a warm can of beer. You retire to your soulless bedroom for feeling more travelling salesman than a duo in the mood for some loving. Following the success of our and book we were overwhelmed by requests for a user-friendly tour of So our team of reviewers – which includes designer Stella McCartney, restaurateur Oliver Peyton and writer Giles Coren – grabbed their partners and set off on dirty weekends in the name of duty. They share their finds as would a good friend; which is what the book aims to be. Ramo da Mula, Dorsoduro 724 Style: Iconoclastic designer den Setting: Descreet in Dorsoduro It is hard to imagine how a contemporary hotel would feel right in the fairy-tale environs of DD724 may not be the only hotel in the world to feature clean lines and a brown-and-white colour scheme, but it’s a stroke of contemporary cool unique to these parts. What’s so unexpected about the Charming House, as DD724 is also known, that there is an incredible warmth to the rooms. Stylish yet cosy modern furnishings are softened with touches such as the loosely knitted wool blanket knotted at the end of the bed. You glance from a wide-screen TV to an open window revealing a scene that Canaletto would be inspired by. The bathroom also manages to impress, right down to its own range of olive-oil-based products. (In a reversal of roles, Mr Smtih is the one to squirrel away toiletries to take home, and the aftershave balm has him cooing like a 13-year-old girl at a Rimmel stand.) DD724 is in the perfect location, sufficiently off the beaten tract for you to amble in its neighbourhood in peace. It may seem curious in a city characterized by its glittering waterways, but it’s walking you should prepare for when you visit Rate: €200-€350. Contact: 00 39 041 277 0262; www.dd724.com. 35 Style: Neo-classical elegance. Setting: Climb the kind of winding roads that are made for James Bond car chases, through the leafy hillside outskirsts of From the moment you enter the cosy sitting room and study, which doubles as the reception, you’re aware that the husband and wife who run Relais d’Orsa want visitors to feel like house guests in a private home. Everything is carefully considered, from fresh flowers in imaginative oversized vases, to an antique teddy poised on a chaise longue – yet the ambience is relaxed and comfortable. Antique furniture, feminine but not fussy décor and elegant bathrooms lend a Parisian aura. Outside, there are sunloungers with plump fluffy towels, and a kidney-shaped pool. If you can tear yourself away from the sunny terrace, it’s amazing how much can be achieved in an afternoon in Breakfast is a cornerstone of the perfect trip away, and Relais has the most heavenly arrangement. Just holler when you wake, and indicate where you fancy enjoying your spread fit for royalty. Choosing between the expansive views from the balcony and a table in the garden is as taxing as life here gets. Rates: €205-€360, plus 7 per cent tax. Contact: 00 34 93 406 9411; www.relaisdorsa.com Style: Opulent eccentricity. Setting: City – centre With Swathes of fabric wallpaper, plush curtains, an incredible collection of antique furniture, intricately carved ceilings and ruby, gold and jet-black colours create an environment for pure decadence. It is not surprising, then, that bedrooms here are very sexy. Big, cushion-laden, puffy beds with crimson coverings, ornate lampshades and antique furniture hide the kind of mod cons you expect from the most cutting-edge luxury hotels. No visit would be complete without a dinner at Rhubarb, the hotel’s own restaurant. (Prestonfield was the first estate in to propagate the vegetable when it was introduced from ). Scots ingredients feature prominently on the menu and the wine list is particularly impressive. Adjourn to the black crocodile-skin banquettes and gilded chairs in the Yellow Room, or the antlered seats of the Whiskey room. Or cosy up for a fireside game of Scrabble in a reception room lined in centuries-old embossed leather. You’re minutes from the city centre. Stroll down the Royal Mile to the castle or amble through parks and botanical gardens. If it’s cold, the cosy traditional pubs of Rates: £195-£250, including full Scottish breakfast. Contact: 0131 225 7800; www.prestonfield.com 7 Piazza Style: Private perfection. Setting: Perched on the piazza. A lovely affair between culture, commerce and good living, Once through the heavy front doors, screaming Vespas and constantly blaring car horns are locked out and calm descends. Surrounded by framed life drawings, sculptures, Fellini-esque images and books ranging from those of Helmut Newton to Umberto Eco, you are left in no doubt that you’re in one of the world’s most culturally stimulating cities. The sense that you are staying not in a hotel but in a private residence is most apparent at check-in, or the lack of it. A blend of modern and traditional extends to the bedrooms, where high, painted ceilings, paneled walls, a Louis XV fireplace and modern pieces sit comfortably alongside every audio-visual requirement. Perfectly pressed heavy damask curtains are pleated into a fan-shaped ‘puddle’ on the floor. When faced with three floor-to-ceiling windows, opening onto a small balcony in front of the Basilica, you have, without question, a room with a view. Rates: €285-€740 (plus 10 per cent tax), including breakfast. Contact: 00 39 055 2645 181; wwwjkplace.com. 8 Nackstromgatan Style: Gilded glory. Setting: Historic nightlife palace. Boutiquey but big, with 65 rooms, Berns Hotel was originally built as a restaurant in 1863. It got reincarnated 14 years ago as a unique hotel and entertainment palace. There are two entrances to Berns: a discreet doorway off to the right leads to reception; the exciting-looking glass structure built into the façade is where non-residents flock to drink and disport themselves in Stockholm’s beloved party spot (from dinner in the restaurant to dancing in the hotel’s ubertrendy nightclub LE). We love the style of the rooms: wood paneling feels both modern and warm, and the groovy cylindrical TV console not only looks great, but also provided Mrs Smith with a screen for undertaking mysterious changes of attire while Mr Smith caught up with current affairs from the comfort of the bed. The whole place is worthy of proper exploration: the museum-like Red Room and Mirror Room (where we breakfasted sumptuously on, oh, the usual – gravadlax, scrambled eggs, reindeer meat), the ON-bar overlooking Berzelii Park, an upstairs bar that was to get seriously crowded later, an outdoor terrace (a summer institution), and the spectacular main restaurant, which can only be described as Conran goes to the Vienna opera. A city that is famously cool and vibrant yet laid-back, where everything works beautifully both in terms of function and aesthetics, Stockholm is close to fulfilling all the Wallpaper*-fuelled lifestyle fantasies you could ever nurture, and Berns is the perfect setting in which to bring them to life. Rates: SEK2,150-SEK6,400 (£170-£505), including breakfast. Contact: 00 46 8 566 32200; www.berns.se. 19 rue du Bourg Tibourg is the latest bijou property in the portfolio of the dynasty behind fashion-world favourite Hotel Costes (and the music compilations of the same name). As sartorically impeccable as its big sister, but in contrast with The entrance and lobby showcase designer Jacques Garcia’s signature style, with decorative details and rich velvets transporting us to the belle époque. Gothic wallpaper, dark-blue cupboards with mediaeval-style paneling, mustard trim and leather-covered side-tables suggest the creators of this dramatic décor are of the ‘more is more’ school. If you’re the sort of person who chooses where to stay based on the hotel’s toiletries alone, Hotel Bourg Tibourg indulges you with more crimson-packaged, cinnamon-scented, Costes-branded goodies. There is no pressure to take breakfast on the premises, but a decent spread can be had either in your bedroom or in the crypt-like basement. Descend the spiral stairs and find yourself beneath a medieval vaulted ceiling surrounded by tapestries and leopard-print baroque chairs. Beyond the hotel, you don’t have to stray far to find distractions both classic and unexpected: Bourg Tibourg, Pompidou, Place des Indeed, Hotel Bourg Tibourg feels much less of a hotel in the traditional sense of the word, and more of a boutique pied-a-terre that’s been designed to let you grab your sun-glasses and a packet of Gitanes and star in your own Parisian adventure. Rates: €150-€350. Contact: 00 33 1 4278 4739; www.hotelbourgtibourg.com. Pikk 71/Tolli 2 Style: New–school, olde-worlde. Setting: Medieval merchants’ houses. At the end of a cobbled street in a corner of Tallinn’s medieval walled old town, next to St Olav’s church, three 14th-century former merchants’ houses (the ‘sisters’) have been knocked together and renovated to form Estonia’s first contemporary hotel. Outside, huge arched doorways and windows echo the shape of the roofs above. Inside, there are sleek slate floors, high ceilings, chalky walls, modern washes of tangerine light, beautifully restored frescoes, an old wooden staircase and 600-year-old beams. Young and very attractive staff whisk your bags to your quarters where hip Nordic touches such as blocky natural-wood window sills, a granite loo and low-slung sofas sit cleverly next to items such as an antique sleigh bed and intricately carved French screen. The hotel’s intimate restaurant, with more than 300 wines in its cellar (where you can also park your own booze), is one of The hotel’s cellar bar is also a lure; after all, Rates: €248-€590. Contact: 00 372 630 6300; www.threesistershotel.com. 8 Vicolo Style: Wine – lovers’ world. Setting: A stagger from the Spanish Steps. Glassed off from the street bustle, the tiny reception of Il Palzzetto (the building which houses the This island of serenity and elegance lies in the heart of the Roman tourist beast, only a few short metres from the Spanish Steps. In fact, the view from the terrace onto the 18th-century landmark is absurdly perfect – you’re the envy of every tourist who looks at you as if to ask: ‘How’d you get there?’. The private spaces are quiet and airy. King-size beds are swathed in voluptuous fabrics and the plasma TV screen is just the right size. The marble bathrooms seem demure but, on inspection, they’re quite naughty, with discreetly mirrored walls, large, old-fashioned showerheads that can easily wet two, and a huge bath made for sharing. Three years of refurbishment have restored the once-abandoned Il Palazzetto to a balanced, timeless style. It is not starched and traditional like its big sister, the Hassler Hotel. Home to The restaurant, sheltered in the covered garden, serves wildly tasty traditional dishes given a modern touch by Roman chef Antonio Martucci. So any lovers staying at the Rates: €200-€350. Contact: 00 39 06 699 0878; www.wineacademyroma.com.
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