Love is in the air, and so might you be, as you hop on a flight to shamanic sessions at a sustainable stay in Mexico, discover a new neighbourhood in Marrakech, just in time for the city’s art fair, or seek out a sliver of sun at a Moorish retreat in Seville. And Mr & Mrs Smith editors have picked out more roosts for lovebirds.
Kymaia Hotel
Oaxaca, Mexico
Winter is tolerable up to a point. After the festivities of December, I’m usually happy to switch fully to bear mode and hibernate for a few weeks. But by February, enough is enough, and not even the slightly longer days and spring on the horizon can convince me it isn’t time to fly south to Mexico. Awaiting us migratory birds this year is sustainable stay Kymaia Hotel in Oaxaca, where ‘new year, new you’ resolutions are spearheaded by singing shamans. The pyramid-shaped Puerto Escondido retreat also promises a fresh start courtesy of invigorating swims in the Pacific or your in-suite cenote. If you have other ideas of wellness, head to Huachinango bar and work through the 200 types of mezcal instead.
Don’t miss In February, Oaxacan evenings cool off a little for the perfect balance of day-to-night temperatures. And if you love mole, you’re in the right place at the right time — the beloved Mexican sauce is celebrated with its own fair in San Pablo Villa de Mitla, an hour’s drive from Oaxaca City.
Caroline Lewis, Senior Associate Editor
Almanac X The Alcron
Prague, Czechia
Soon to launch on Mr & Mrs Smith, The Alcron is one of Prague’s old-guard hotels, which has stood for nearly 100 years and survived war and political occupation from right to left. A basketball player (or at least the dynastic Almanac hotel group founded by one) has been its unlikely hero, spending millions to make it the art deco darling it once was (artfully angular features and brass fixings are still in place) but a bit cooler. The slam dunk in this instance is a true sense of locality, with modern locally made artworks throughout, some which come alive through QR-code magic; a sleek, sexy bar; a chef whose Czech menus give hearty traditional fare a gourmet update. In its new guise, The Alcron might be one for the history books, but in no way is it relegated to them yet.
Don’t miss Get your old-school kicks as Prague’s Puccini season starts on 8 February, which means dramatic dress-up and elegant evenings with the State Opera at the National Theatre, listening to Turandot, Tosca or La Bohème.
Kate Weir, Deputy Editor
Palais Rudolf
Vienna, Austria
V is for Valentine’s Day, but also for Vienna: refined romance lurks around every cobbled corner of the Austrian capital, readily sampled on hand-in-hand strolls admiring its palais architecture, during contemplative spells in its masterpiece-packed art museums, or while enraptured by moving arias at the State Opera House. Rooftop bars dishing out craft cocktails, speakeasy-style dining spots and contemporary art galleries are its 21st-century lures. Linger over a statuesque slice of Sachertorte with two spoons in a Viennese kaffeehaus for an assignation dosed with nostalgia.
Also vying for your affections is Palais Rudolf— an overhauled, upscale townhouse stay in the Innere Stadt that’s newly opened and overlooks Rudolfspark, a saunter from the canal. Soaringly ceilinged, parquet-lined rooms and cooked-to-order breakfasts are up and running, with Baroness Restaurant and Bar readying itself to service cocktails and Italian plates in the coming months.
Don’t miss Between your rooftop-bar cocktails and upscale schnitzel supper, plan a pit-stop at the former Central Post Office (tucked away in the Innere Stadt on Postgasse): this historic landmark comes to life after dark with an AI-powered installation from the Museum of Change, projecting art onto its courtyard façades.
Kate Pettifer, Senior Content Editor
The Hoxton, Edinburgh
Scotland
It might be far removed from the London neighbourhood of its name, but The Hoxton, Edinburgh has firmly settled into its Haymarket locale. The kitchen calls in ingredients from local suppliers for its trattoria-style menu (don’t worry, there’s a haggis pizza); the hotel’s hooked up with charities such as The Yard, Rock Trust and Edinburgh Food Project to give back; and its lured in the city’s creatives with Georgian rooms that have been given a dash of East London cool. Its combined 11 townhouses — including some apartment-style stays — are close to big-ticket sights, but far enough away to not be bothered by bagpipers, but there’s plenty to discover inside, too, from the boutique to the restaurant’s working fountain, to Scotland’s smallest secret cinema.
Don’t miss There’s a diverse array of gigs and performances taking place in Edinburgh this February. Suede will bring indie swagger to Usher Hall on the 5th; Dita Von Teese will de-robe in elegant style at Edinburgh Playhouse with her Nocturnelle show on the 13th and 14th; and Mike Skinner will bring his rhythmic commentary to the Edinburgh Corn Exchange on the 18th.
KW
Cristine Bedfor Sevilla
Spain
Andalucia is a constant lover, bringing the passion all-year round. Seville in February is especially attractive: quieter in the absence of summer crowds and wrapped in under-the-covers levels of warmth that lend themselves to sightseeing — climbing La Giralda, check; exploring the courtyards and colonnades of the Royal Alcázar, check; exchanging sweet nothings in the leafy surrounds of María Luisa Park, check.
Boutique hotel Cristine Bedfor Sevilla waits in the wings to provide the romantic climax. Set around a beautifully tiled courtyard, its 28 rooms deliver pattern-rich prettiness in kaleidoscopic textiles and tiles, framed by Moorish arches. Lounge spaces abound both in the courtyard and up on the roof, where an intricately tiled pool steals the show. And the hotel’s warm Andalucian welcome extends to dinners of Mediterranean-minded plates at La Cocina.
Don’t miss Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo is a rich seam of visiting exhibitions to mine: we’re looking at you, Bolivian-American visual artist Donna Huanca; the sculptural showstoppers of Angolan artist Sandra Poulson, and the disorienting art trail of 1960s cultural activist Miguel Benlloch.
KP
The Tawny
Staffordshire, UK
This February, lovebirds should fly to The Tawny, a moorlands-swathed stay in Staffordshire. Romancing here is given a rural spin: breakfast in bed comes courtesy of delivered-to-your-door hampers; you can borrow trail maps and wellies for heart-to-heart rambles; wood-burning stoves in shepherd huts and alfresco soaking tubs in every cabin make for cosy, thawing-out spots. And with seasonal dining, considered architecture and community projects, your hosts’ commitment to the land and locale is a relationship worth aspiring to.
Don’t miss Swap your date for your mate on Sunday 15 February: the hotel is hosting a ‘Galentine’s’ bento cake decorating afternoon to celebrate friendship with fizz and sweet treats.
Millie Field, Content Writer and Editor
The Mellah Marrakech
Morocco
Are you there yet? Constantly swaddled, skulking around the house like a freezing fog and pining for the joys of summer past? Cast off those rose-tinted glasses and take flight to The Mellah Marrakech, where colour runs riot and warmth radiates from every Zellige-tiled surface. This five-room riad is in the Red City’s Mellah, the historic Jewish Quarter, where synagogues and kosher bakeries rub shoulders with spice souks and textile workshops. Memories of winter woe will vanish like a bad dream here, expunged on the sun-dappled roof terrace, subdued by poolside pomegranate cocktails and vanquished by rooms daubed in ochre, sunset yellow and forest green.
Don’t miss From 7–8 February, garden-ringed pleasure palace (and fellow Smith stay) La Mamounia will host 1-54 Marrakech Art Fair, showcasing works by the brightest lights in contemporary African art.
Hamish Roy, Senior Associate Editor
Keep some space in your calendar for our other new arrivals