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» Saiba mais sobre o RSSPlease note: Villa Paola is open seasonally, April through October. Children under 12 are not permitted.
There’s no place on Italy’s Tyrrhenian coast that’s hard on the eyes, exactly, but the sixteenth-century sisters who founded the St. Francesco of Paola convent chose their location with an eye worthy of a twenty-first-century property developer. One imagines that thanks to their duties they didn’t spend an inordinate amount of time basking in the views, but present-day visitors are under no such constraint; anyone unlucky enough to miss out on a sea view from their guest quarters (read: anyone on the ground floor) will find no shortage of postcard-perfect vistas from Villa Paola’s patios and gardens.
You’ll want to spend some time looking at what’s inside as well. In Italy, like perhaps nowhere else, they’re comfortable spanning centuries in architecture and design. Here clean-lined contemporary Italian furniture blends seamlessly into sixteenth-century spaces, with modern conveniences included as a matter of course. For while the house represents its era well, it hardly shows its age; the hotel conversion included a very thorough restoration, and it’s doubtful whether it’s ever looked fresher. The village of Tropea makes for a pleasant stroll, if a quiet one — just be back at Villa Paola by sunset for a cocktail on the terrace or by the poolside.
One of the joys of the job is finding extraordinary hotels in unexpected places. Of course downtown Miami shouldn’t count as an unexpected place — some quirk of the novelty-driven travel press leads it to lavish attention on Miami Beach at the expense of its mainland neighbor. But in this case we’re also talking about finding a hotel inside of another hotel. For it’s within (or more precisely, atop) the already very fine JW Marriott Marquis that you’ll find the Hotel Beaux Arts Miami, a “private hotel” occupying the top floors of this high-rise tower, with access to the parent hotel’s five-star services and facilities but with its own private reception and lounge, and accommodations that are, incredible as it may seem, a generous cut above what’s offered downstairs.
Of course, in a more perfect world, this might be what all of Downtown’s luxury hotels look like — clean-lined minimalist rooms, modernist furniture, impressive views through full-length windows and a full complement of thoughtful conveniences, from Bang & Olufsen entertainment systems to Illy espresso machines (the product of which is complimentary), and an iPad issued to every room. The beds are enormous, the materials are rich, and the bath products are Molton Brown. All this and access to the JW Marriott Marquis too — this means access to the spa, the gym, Daniel Boulud’s db Bistro Moderne restaurant and even a golf school by Jim McLean, should your swing require a brush-up. And the rates include a wealth of extras, from breakfast to cocktails to hors d’oeuvres; if you’ve had Club Level treatment at any of Asia’s top luxury hotels you’re familiar with the drill.
As for the location, it’s not really meant to be a substitute for the hedonism of South Beach. Downtown is the home of Miami’s design district, and it’s the center of quite a bit of the city’s local life, a world apart from the tourists-only vibe on offer elsewhere. Where Miami Beach traffics in fantasy (with varying degrees of success), downtown is reality — and if the Beaux Arts is any guide, it’s a pretty appealing reality at that.
One of the joys of the job is finding extraordinary hotels in unexpected places. Of course downtown Miami shouldn’t count as an unexpected place — some quirk of the novelty-driven travel press leads it to lavish attention on Miami Beach at the expense of its mainland neighbor. But in this case we’re also talking about finding a hotel inside of another hotel. For it’s within (or more precisely, atop) the already very fine JW Marriott Marquis that you’ll find the Hotel Beaux Arts Miami, a “private hotel” occupying the top floors of this high-rise tower, with access to the parent hotel’s five-star services and facilities but with its own private reception and lounge, and accommodations that are, incredible as it may seem, a generous cut above what’s offered downstairs.
Of course, in a more perfect world, this might be what all of Downtown’s luxury hotels look like — clean-lined minimalist rooms, modernist furniture, impressive views through full-length windows and a full complement of thoughtful conveniences, from Bang & Olufsen entertainment systems to Illy espresso machines (the product of which is complimentary), and an iPad issued to every room. The beds are enormous, the materials are rich, and the bath products are Molton Brown. All this and access to the JW Marriott Marquis too — this means access to the spa, the gym, Daniel Boulud’s db Bistro Moderne restaurant and even a golf school by Jim McLean, should your swing require a brush-up. And the rates include a wealth of extras, from breakfast to cocktails to hors d’oeuvres; if you’ve had Club Level treatment at any of Asia’s top luxury hotels you’re familiar with the drill.
As for the location, it’s not really meant to be a substitute for the hedonism of South Beach. Downtown is the home of Miami’s design district, and it’s the center of quite a bit of the city’s local life, a world apart from the tourists-only vibe on offer elsewhere. Where Miami Beach traffics in fantasy (with varying degrees of success), downtown is reality — and if the Beaux Arts is any guide, it’s a pretty appealing reality at that.
Location isn’t everything when it comes to hotels, but it’s not nothing either. In some countries Le Caméléon’s crisp, contemporary monochrome look might signal little more than membership in the local boutique-hotel scene. In Costa Rica, land of natural-finish eco-lodges and thatched-hut villas, its modern interiors and glossy white-on-white color scheme is something of a statement — a statement to the effect that while the Caribbean coast is all about the beaches, the water, the jungle, there’s no reason why you can’t live in the urbane, sophisticated style to which you’re accustomed.
These rooms are about more than just looks, with comforts that begin to edge into luxury-hotel territory: plasma TVs, iPod docks, some with king beds and private balconies or terraces. Die-hard luxury junkies will have to admit they’ve seen rooms that are bigger and plusher, but in these environs, anything more would be incongruous. Suffice it to say the physical charms are every bit the equal of the visual ones, and taking the natural environment into account, it’s essentially paradise. There’s a stylish pool deck for the moments when you don’t feel like venturing all the way to the beach, there’s a full-service spa, and the Numu restaurant and bar are stylish spaces, accentuating, perhaps, the contrast between Costa Rica’s Caribbean and Pacific coasts.
How to get there:
Le Cameleon is 136 miles (3h30m) from the Juan Santamaria Airport. Airport transfer can be arranged for USD287.50 per way. Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for assistance with airport transfers.
Please note: Eagles Palace is open seasonally, April through October.
As the sister hotel to the Excelsior, a city boutique in Thessaloniki, Eagles Palace is the opposite of an urban hotel. This part of Greece, on the peninsula just short of the remote Eastern Orthodox holy site of Mount Athos, was more or less entirely unsettled before the hotel broke ground. Fresh off a 2008 renovation, Eagles Palace is looking quite up to date — and while it’s not quite as secluded as the monks’ refuge at Athos, this part of Halkidiki is still quiet, relatively untouched by development, especially when compared with some of Greece’s better-known destinations.
The rooms start out comfortably enough, with views of the garden or the sea, their solid, unfinished furnishings taking some inspiration from the monastic setting. The suites begin to pile on the luxuries, with balconies or terraces and, in some cases, Jacuzzis. It’s in the sea view bungalows, though, that Eagles Palace really starts feeling palatial — space, obviously, is no concern, and each one comes with its own private plunge pool.
Like its city cousin, Eagles Palace comes equipped with an Elemis spa and a handful of fine restaurants, some featuring sea views from the outdoor terraces. And while you’re seemingly worlds away from it all, it’s no less stunning a natural setting than most of Greece’s island destinations. A private beach and a PADI dive center make the most of the seaside location, and a number of watercraft are available for excursions to the nearby islands and inlets.
How to get there:
Eagles Palace is a 90 minute drive from Thessaloniki, which can be reached by air or train from several European cities.
Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for assistance with airport transfers.
Bringing crisp minimal design out of the city and into the wild, Southern Ocean Lodge is a shining example of very modern and very Australian architecture: clean open spaces, neutral tones and tons of glass wrapped in an environmentally-friendly package. Located on Kangaroo Island just off the South Australian coast, Southern Ocean Lodge is unexpectedly hip for such a remote and rugged locale, sporting a cool, unlabored vibe that doesn’t interfere with its beautiful coastal surrounds.
Comprising 21 sea-facing rooms, the SOL hovers over the mallee scrub, offering wide views of ocean, sky and whatever fauna happens to venture past: expect anything from kangaroos to echidnas to native birds. Inside, paintings by local artists complement pure white walls, with bespoke furniture and Ecosmart fireplaces creating the type of relaxed, uncluttered feeling one vows to recreate at home.
Tuning out is the main past time at the SOL (only the Family rooms have TVs) and guests can choose to do this on their private terrace, in their sunken lounge, or on one of a long list of nature tours. The surrounding national parkland offers so much by way of exploration — sea lion-spotting, kangaroo-meeting and hiking included — that the lodge provides each guest with a custom itinerary. Of course, some may opt to do nothing more demanding than enjoy the property’s gourmet meals and open bar, including a walk-in cellar stocked with locally-produced and imported wines, all included in the tariff.
Daily sunset drinks in the lodge’s Great Room allow guests to swap travel stories while taking in views of the Southern Ocean. An onsite spa with floor-to-ceiling windows offers a further chance to unwind while watching — and being watched by, presumably — the local wildlife.
How to get there:
Connect through Adelaide for flights to Kangaroo Island, or drive to Cape Jervis to board the ferry for the island.
O conceito típico de hotel marroquino é o Riad, no geral uma mansão na antiga Medina da cidade, um hotel em pequena escala íntimo, mas extravagante em sua hospitalidade. O resort Terre, o primeiro pertencente ao grupo americano Octogone, leva esse conceito para fora da cidade, ao Oasis do deserto de Palmeraïe, a 15 minutos de Marrakech, e o reproduz numa escola maior e mais luxuosa.
Com vinte mini-riads octogonais num total de 52 suítes, o Terra utiliza ao máximo o espaço livre que o cerca, em quase 5 hectares de terra, incluindo um serviço completo de spa e hammam, uma vasta piscina central (complementando as piscinas particulares das suítes ou jacuzzis) e um complexo de entretenimento, completo com restaurante, lounge e biblioteca.
As acomodações por si só são palacianas, direcionadas aos que viajam a lazer; as vilas e suítes são muito espaçosas, contemporâneas em estilo, com banheiros beirando a extravagância. E apesar de se encontrar no deserto, há muito que se fazer: quadra de tênis, campos de mini-golfe, e está próximo da generosa seleção de campos de golfe do Palmeraïe.
O Terre compensa com luxo a falta de sabor local (o selo definitivo das riads da Medina). É um hotel novo, um trabalho em andamento, mas se tudo sair como planejado, será apenas o primeiro dos oito planejados pela Octogone por todo o Marrocos.
O Terre Resort & Spa está a aproximadamente 20 minutos de carro do Aeroporto Internacional de Marrakech-Menara e a 10 km do centro da cidade de Marrakech. Por favor, entre em contato com atendimento@tablethoteis.com.br para agendar o traslado do aeroporto.
After years of pining for more contemporary hotels in Paris, we’re finally getting what we wished for. Suddenly the place is awash in design-oriented boutique hotels. And not half measures, either. The Hotel Secret de Paris, for example, isn’t content with just one vibrant, contemporary look — not when it can have six of them, each one patterned after a stylized version of a different view of Paris.
There’s the Musée d’Orsay, with its famous clock face, the Tour Eiffel with its iron beams, the ballet-themed Opéra Garnier and the art deco Trocadéro. Moulin Rouge is suitably saucy, and the Atelier d’Artiste, all in white (with judicious splatters of paint), is a rather luxe interpretation of the classic artist’s garret. Suffice it to say you’re reminded at every turn that you’re in Paris.
A gym, sauna, hammam and massage room are there to keep the Secret’s guests feeling fit, and in typical Parisian style you’re left at the city’s mercy when it comes time for a meal — a blessing, in this town, not a curse. For the city’s minimalist clientele, perhaps not, but anyone who’s found Parisian hotels a bit drab is bound to love it.
Some hotels need to be seen to be properly understood. Other hotel concepts, though, more or less speak for themselves. Simply at the mention of the Armani Hotel Milan one knows what one’s going to get: a bold and tasteful elegance, a certain richness in texture and materials, and of course an imposing silhouette — and one, incidentally, that’s suitable both for business and for pleasure.
In one sense it’s almost a living showroom for the Armani Casa shop across the road. But it’s more than that — a hotel, for a fashion chain, is a showroom for an entire lifestyle, and these interiors, modern Milanese to a tee, will have you checking yourself in the mirror to make sure you’re measuring up. And like the best in fashion, they’re more than surface deep, with a remarkable amount of attention paid to the physical luxuries that don’t show up on film.
Ninety-five rooms isn’t enormous, but without question the Armani joins the Milanese big league, competing directly against the town’s top luxury hotels. The spa and the restaurants see to these high-flying guests’ needs in the manner to which they’re accustomed, and the location is tough to beat, with walking access to what’s arguably the world’s finest shopping district. As branding, it’s a stroke of genius — and it’s no less impressive as a hotel.
After years of pining for more contemporary hotels in Paris, we’re finally getting what we wished for. Suddenly the place is awash in design-oriented boutique hotels. And not half measures, either. The Hotel Secret de Paris, for example, isn’t content with just one vibrant, contemporary look — not when it can have six of them, each one patterned after a stylized version of a different view of Paris.
There’s the Musée d’Orsay, with its famous clock face, the Tour Eiffel with its iron beams, the ballet-themed Opéra Garnier and the art deco Trocadéro. Moulin Rouge is suitably saucy, and the Atelier d’Artiste, all in white (with judicious splatters of paint), is a rather luxe interpretation of the classic artist’s garret. Suffice it to say you’re reminded at every turn that you’re in Paris.
A gym, sauna, hammam and massage room are there to keep the Secret’s guests feeling fit, and in typical Parisian style you’re left at the city’s mercy when it comes time for a meal — a blessing, in this town, not a curse. For the city’s minimalist clientele, perhaps not, but anyone who’s found Parisian hotels a bit drab is bound to love it.
After years of pining for more contemporary hotels in Paris, we’re finally getting what we wished for. Suddenly the place is awash in design-oriented boutique hotels. And not half measures, either. The Hotel Secret de Paris, for example, isn’t content with just one vibrant, contemporary look — not when it can have six of them, each one patterned after a stylized version of a different view of Paris.
There’s the Musée d’Orsay, with its famous clock face, the Tour Eiffel with its iron beams, the ballet-themed Opéra Garnier and the art deco Trocadéro. Moulin Rouge is suitably saucy, and the Atelier d’Artiste, all in white (with judicious splatters of paint), is a rather luxe interpretation of the classic artist’s garret. Suffice it to say you’re reminded at every turn that you’re in Paris.
A gym, sauna, hammam and massage room are there to keep the Secret’s guests feeling fit, and in typical Parisian style you’re left at the city’s mercy when it comes time for a meal — a blessing, in this town, not a curse. For the city’s minimalist clientele, perhaps not, but anyone who’s found Parisian hotels a bit drab is bound to love it.
After years of pining for more contemporary hotels in Paris, we’re finally getting what we wished for. Suddenly the place is awash in design-oriented boutique hotels. And not half measures, either. The Hotel Secret de Paris, for example, isn’t content with just one vibrant, contemporary look — not when it can have six of them, each one patterned after a stylized version of a different view of Paris.
There’s the Musée d’Orsay, with its famous clock face, the Tour Eiffel with its iron beams, the ballet-themed Opéra Garnier and the art deco Trocadéro. Moulin Rouge is suitably saucy, and the Atelier d’Artiste, all in white (with judicious splatters of paint), is a rather luxe interpretation of the classic artist’s garret. Suffice it to say you’re reminded at every turn that you’re in Paris.
A gym, sauna, hammam and massage room are there to keep the Secret’s guests feeling fit, and in typical Parisian style you’re left at the city’s mercy when it comes time for a meal — a blessing, in this town, not a curse. For the city’s minimalist clientele, perhaps not, but anyone who’s found Parisian hotels a bit drab is bound to love it.
It’s not necessarily the owners’ Italian heritage per se that makes Casa del Horno one of Panama’s top boutique hotels. The house is an architectural treasure in its own right, dating back to the French colonial days, and its rough-hewn stone provides the backdrop against which its sleeker, more contemporary elements are allowed to stand out. But in the end it’s the keenness of that contemporary eye which elevates a charming house into an extraordinary hotel.
And it’s in the design that the owners’ influence shows through most distinctly. At the moment there’s nothing quite like Italian design for blending modernist visual impact with top-notch tactile luxury, and Casa del Horno’s interiors fit that description to a tee. Imported pieces mesh with local craftsmanship and antique details, and the result is a hotel with a character all its own — and in boutique hotels, that’s at least half the battle.
The other half, of course, is the nuts and bolts: the LCD televisions and iPod docks, the Old Town location with its picturesque views, the in-room massage service, the thoughtful concierge and the generally high level of service. It’s safe to say there’s nothing else quite like it anywhere else in town.
How to get there:
Casa dal Horno is 33.5km away from Tocumen International Airport (30-40 min) or 3.5km from Marcos A Gelabert Airport. Transfers can be organized for USD35 for 2 guests, each way and USD10 per additional guest. Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for assistance with airport transfers.
Please note: Locanda Rossa is open annually April through December. Three night minimum required for stays in June, July and August. Two night minimum required for all other dates.
The Maremma, the coastal region where Tuscany meets Lazio, is a bit of a Johnny-come-lately as a holiday destination, though you’d never know it from looking at it today — here a once-impoverished agricultural region has been transformed into, well, a not-at-all-impoverished agricultural region, and one that’s as well known for tourism as for produce. And this fame is due in no small part to a wealth of independent hotels, places like Capalbio’s Locanda Rossa.
Locanda Rossa’s original structure has undergone a modern expansion, but the seams don’t show a bit. Contemporary interiors meet farmhouse architecture in the rooms and suites, which, if not for the half-timbered ceilings and the views of the farm, could easily pass for modern urban apartments. Then again those views of the olive groves, not to mention the gardens and the pool deck, are why you’re here and not in a modern urban apartment in the first place.
There’s a spa for those tough cases who need even more relaxation, and the Osteria Wine Bar is more than a wine bar, serving sophisticated local fare, much of it made from the estate’s own produce. Meanwhile the beaches are minutes away, and the splendid Maremma countryside surrounds — all less than two hours’ drive from Rome.
How to get there:
Train: Rome to Capalbio, approximately 2 hours. Transfers from the train station can be arranged with the hotel.
Driving Directions from Rome: Take Strada Statale 1 Aurelia in the direction of Livorno. Exit at Chiarone 124 km then turn left towards Pescia Fiorentina. After 2.5 km, take mandatory left turn to Capalbio. After 3 km you will find the red entrance to Locanda Rossa on your right. Approximate driving time from Rome is 1.30 hours.
Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for assistance with directions.
There are places whose appeal waxes and wanes with the trend-chasing crowds — and then there’s the southwest coast of Sri Lanka. The boom in Sri Lankan hospitality doesn’t seem to have much to do with the changing fashions, and one imagines a place like Aditya, though recently opened, is in it for the long haul, as its splendid beachfront location and its low-key, friendly approach to service are unlikely to see substantial revision any time in the near future.
Most every boutique hotel thinks of its design sense as “eclectic,” but Aditya presents a stronger case than most, its starkly modernist beds, furniture and bathrooms sharing time with antique pieces and traditional architectural details. Five suites are nestled into private gardens, six of them face out to sea, and the Grand Surya Suite, a two-story villa, has a private terrace with a plunge pool and a prime view of the Indian Ocean sunset.
The activities on offer are suitably low-key, from spa treatments to cooking classes to coastal explorations, whether that means the old fort at Galle or dolphin-watching at Mirissa. The beach occupies its fair share of guests’ daytime hours, as does the pool. And while there’s no nightlife to speak of, it’s hard not to imagine that that’s just how Aditya’s guests like it.
How to get there:
Aditya is located on a secluded beach 10 minutes north of Galle (on the SW coast of Sri Lanka). The hotel is 2.5 hours south of Colombo. Transfers can be arranged from/to the Bandaranaike International Airport (135 km away) in Colombo. Train service is also available from Colombo to Galle (where a taxi can be arranged to pick you up). Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for further questions or assistance with airport transfers.
There are places whose appeal waxes and wanes with the trend-chasing crowds — and then there’s the southwest coast of Sri Lanka. The boom in Sri Lankan hospitality doesn’t seem to have much to do with the changing fashions, and one imagines a place like Aditya, though recently opened, is in it for the long haul, as its splendid beachfront location and its low-key, friendly approach to service are unlikely to see substantial revision any time in the near future.
Most every boutique hotel thinks of its design sense as “eclectic,” but Aditya presents a stronger case than most, its starkly modernist beds, furniture and bathrooms sharing time with antique pieces and traditional architectural details. Five suites are nestled into private gardens, six of them face out to sea, and the Grand Surya Suite, a two-story villa, has a private terrace with a plunge pool and a prime view of the Indian Ocean sunset.
The activities on offer are suitably low-key, from spa treatments to cooking classes to coastal explorations, whether that means the old fort at Galle or dolphin-watching at Mirissa. The beach occupies its fair share of guests’ daytime hours, as does the pool. And while there’s no nightlife to speak of, it’s hard not to imagine that that’s just how Aditya’s guests like it.
How to get there:
Aditya is located on a secluded beach 10 minutes north of Galle (on the SW coast of Sri Lanka). The hotel is 2.5 hours south of Colombo. Transfers can be arranged from/to the Bandaranaike International Airport (135 km away) in Colombo. Train service is also available from Colombo to Galle (where a taxi can be arranged to pick you up). Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for further questions or assistance with airport transfers.
Please note: 1864 The Sea Captain's House is open seasonally, March through mid-December.
In Santorini, the location does almost all of the work; most hotels just do their best not to spoil the view. Any hotel that can actually add something to the natural experience very quickly crosses over into the extraordinary — and the reason we’re here, as you might have imagined, is that the delightfully named 1864 The Sea Captain’s House is one of this rare breed.
First of all, even on Santorini, there are locations, and then there are locations. Oia, at the top of the inner crescent, is probably the island’s most picturesque town, its terraced residences cascading precipitously down the cliffside. The Sea Captain’s House joins them — with just four suites (and no reception or other common space), it’s scarcely a hotel at all, presenting what’s essentially an idealized, luxe version of Oian village life.
That means jacuzzis in every suite, for one, and an approach to decorating that goes beyond the stripped-down Greek-island norm — there are hints of the baroque in these bedrooms, with their antique woodwork and gilded mirrors. It’s all in the name of character, though, rather than pure flash; the scale of the place prevents it ever feeling over-opulent. Dine in, if you’re in the mood for some privacy, or book a table at one of the owners’ two village restaurants, if you prefer a more sociable stay.
How to get there:
Santorini (Thira) can be easily reached by plane or ferry. Flight time from Athens is approximately 45 minutes.
Ferries from Athens' Pireaus port to Thira take approximately 3 hours. For more information about ferry schedules, and to purchase tickets in advance of your trip, we recommend the following website: Paleologos
Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for assistance with transfers to the hotel.
Thai boutique hotels tend to stick to a couple of themes; think beach villas in the coastal regions, or ultramodern design in Bangkok. More suited to the old northern capital of Chiang Mai, however, is 137 Pillars House, a luxury boutique that’s more elegant than funky, more traditional than outré, a natural stylistic evolution from the old house’s former use as the headquarters of the East Borneo Company.
So well kept is 137 Pillars, however, that the result is more a trad-luxe fantasy than an outright preservation job. Much of the construction, however classic in style, is in fact a painstaking contemporary reconstruction, giving the lie to the notion that “they don’t make them like they used to.” In fact they make them better; these century-old suites are only improved by the addition of modern electronics, plumbing and climate control, and the 19th-century atmosphere suffers not a bit.
The common spaces are equally genteel in aspect, from the Library Bar to the Parlor Lounge, from the dark and romantic Dining Room to the casual show kitchen, which mounts demonstrations and cooking classes. The gym, spa and pool keep guests in fighting trim, and outside, rather than some generic entertainment district, is Old Chiang Mai, home to any number of temples, monuments and cultural attractions.
How to get there:
137 Pillars House is located 10 minutes from Chiang Mai Airport. Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for assistance with airport transfers.
Thai boutique hotels tend to stick to a couple of themes; think beach villas in the coastal regions, or ultramodern design in Bangkok. More suited to the old northern capital of Chiang Mai, however, is 137 Pillars House, a luxury boutique that’s more elegant than funky, more traditional than outré, a natural stylistic evolution from the old house’s former use as the headquarters of the East Borneo Company.
So well kept is 137 Pillars, however, that the result is more a trad-luxe fantasy than an outright preservation job. Much of the construction, however classic in style, is in fact a painstaking contemporary reconstruction, giving the lie to the notion that “they don’t make them like they used to.” In fact they make them better; these century-old suites are only improved by the addition of modern electronics, plumbing and climate control, and the 19th-century atmosphere suffers not a bit.
The common spaces are equally genteel in aspect, from the Library Bar to the Parlor Lounge, from the dark and romantic Dining Room to the casual show kitchen, which mounts demonstrations and cooking classes. The gym, spa and pool keep guests in fighting trim, and outside, rather than some generic entertainment district, is Old Chiang Mai, home to any number of temples, monuments and cultural attractions.
How to get there:
137 Pillars House is located 10 minutes from Chiang Mai Airport. Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for assistance with airport transfers.
Chances are, the “infinity” in Infinity Residences & Resort refers to the seemingly endless views out into the Gulf of Thailand. But it could equally refer to how far this corner of northwestern Koh Samui feels from the rest of the island’s booming tourist business. If you’re feeling social you’re a short drive away from Bophut Bay and Chaweng Beach, but from these wooded hillsides you don’t even have to know they exist — and if you’re a frequent Tablet reader you know that in Koh Samui there’s no greater luxury than that.
Infinity’s residences range from one to four bedrooms, and while the space and equipment necessarily vary a bit, there are some constants: king beds, sea views, full open kitchens, modern electronics, and massive bathrooms. Some have private lap pools, others hot tubs or plunge pools, and in the very worst case you’ll share a pool with the other half of your duplex — life is pretty good when that’s the worst case.
The gym, spa, pool and restaurant, naturally, are up to the same general level as the accommodations, and there’s an astonishing view from just about every corner of the place. If there’s anything to grouse about, perhaps it’s the location, which might feel slightly out of the way in comparison with the rest of the island’s high-end properties — but if remoteness feels like a disadvantage, then we humbly suggest that you just might have your priorities the wrong way round.
How to get there:
Infinity Residences & Resort is located 20 km from the Koh Samui airport.
Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for assistance with airport transfers.
Luang Prabang is one of those destinations where you hardly need an extraordinary hotel to have an extraordinary experience — which makes the fact that there are several of them feel almost gratuitous. Not that we’re complaining. In the case of the Hotel de la Paix it means a rare conjunction of historical architecture and modern design, and a chance to inhabit an ancient place in an atmosphere of the utmost contemporary luxury.
The architect, Duangrit Bunnag, is responsible for some very fine modernist beach hotels in Thailand, and here he’s wedded a handful of original French Colonial structures (including the old governor’s mansion) to a number of new buildings, heavily influenced in turn by traditional Lao architecture. The result is a strangely timeless blend, especially in the guest suites, which feel not just sequestered in space but somehow lost in time as well.
Only some of them come with private pools, but all are indulgent in their own way, with private gardens and spa-like bathrooms. Of course there’s a proper spa as well, for when “spa-like” isn’t quite enough, and a main pool for a more serious approach to swimming. Add a fine restaurant and lounge, as well as a cooking school, and the culinary angle is more than covered — especially when you add the restaurants at 3 Nagas, the sister hotel, just a few minutes down the road.
How to get there:
Hotel de la Paix is conveniently located just 5 minutes from the central area of town and a 15-minute drive from the Luang Prabang Airport. Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for assistance with airport transfers.
Val Thorens makes much of its status as the Alps’ highest ski resort; more practically, it makes much of its status as its largest, at least in terms of terrain. But from our hospitality-centric viewpoint, a French ski town isn’t really on the map until the Sibuets have opened a hotel there. Altapura, like its sisters in Megève, answers a number of perennial ski-hotel complaints — it’s modern in style without sacrificing a sense of place, it’s comfortable without lapsing into kitsch, and it’s proof positive that a stylish social scene and a family-friendly vibe need not be mutually exclusive.
The look of the place is often described as Scandinavian, but if you look beyond the blond wood you’ll see what’s essentially a post-modern take on a very French alpine lodge. The heavy timbers, it seems, have been hauled down and made into furniture, into patchwork tiles, or into latticed screens; even the traditional taxidermy is present, though largely in stylized carved wood.
In a ski lodge, however, the tactile pleasures often take precedence over the visual ones. Here Altapura doesn’t disappoint. The rooms, however striking, are never stark, and that modern furniture lacks for nothing in terms of comfort — and the less tangible conveniences include Apple iPads alongside pervasive wi-fi and satellite television.
The three restaurants inhabit equally contemporary spaces, but vary in atmosphere, from the ultra-cozy La Laiterie to the rather more adult Les Enfants Terribles. Meanwhile the Pure Altitude spa, with its seven treatment rooms and heated indoor pool, is a viable alternative to a day on the slopes. And last but not least, Altapura benefits from ski-in ski-out access, as well as a ski shop in partnership with Goitschel.
How to get there:
Altapura is located 30 km from the Courchevel Airport (CVF). This is approximately 1 hour by car. Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for assistance with airport transfers.
Though it might have been strange to say so a few years ago, the Fairmont Monte Carlo Hotel as it stands today is a building of some architectural distinction. This Seventies-vintage zig-zag of a modernist hotel behemoth has climbed out of the stylistic uncanny valley, the aesthetic no-man’s-land between contemporary and retro. Now it’s a piece of historic Monte Carlo, a pleasingly retro modernist monument — and, not incidentally, one of the finer luxury hotels in town.
And while the bones of the place have improved with age, the interiors have been kept very much up to date; a thorough renovation has this Fairmont looking extremely well turned out, if a touch on the conservative side. That’s no criticism — one doesn’t come to Monte Carlo to have one’s world turned upside down, but rather for a taste of the good life, in classic Riviera style. The basic rooms are big enough, and certainly comfortable enough, but it pays to spring for an up-close sea view, available in the better rooms and many of the suites.
Either way, you’ll soak in the view at L’Argentin, the fine dining restaurant, and Saphir 24, the lounge and bar, both of which look out over the Mediterranean through wraparound floor-to-ceiling windows. Meanwhile the spa and health club occupy a new addition to the hotel, and the soothing interiors, all white and sky blue, only intensify the atmosphere of relaxation. Monte Carlo has hotels with a longer history, as well as hotels of a more recent vintage than the Fairmont; still, in terms of character, this place stands apart.
Chances are, the “infinity” in Infinity Residences & Resort refers to the seemingly endless views out into the Gulf of Thailand. But it could equally refer to how far this corner of northwestern Koh Samui feels from the rest of the island’s booming tourist business. If you’re feeling social you’re a short drive away from Bophut Bay and Chaweng Beach, but from these wooded hillsides you don’t even have to know they exist — and if you’re a frequent Tablet reader you know that in Koh Samui there’s no greater luxury than that.
Infinity’s residences range from one to four bedrooms, and while the space and equipment necessarily vary a bit, there are some constants: king beds, sea views, full open kitchens, modern electronics, and massive bathrooms. Some have private lap pools, others hot tubs or plunge pools, and in the very worst case you’ll share a pool with the other half of your duplex — life is pretty good when that’s the worst case.
The gym, spa, pool and restaurant, naturally, are up to the same general level as the accommodations, and there’s an astonishing view from just about every corner of the place. If there’s anything to grouse about, perhaps it’s the location, which might feel slightly out of the way in comparison with the rest of the island’s high-end properties — but if remoteness feels like a disadvantage, then we humbly suggest that you just might have your priorities the wrong way round.
How to get there:
Infinity Residences & Resort is located 20 km from the Koh Samui airport.
Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for assistance with airport transfers.
Nota: Durante alguns fins de semanas pré-determinados no ano, o hotel exige uma estadia mínima de duas ou três noites.
Se existe um traço em comum entre a maioria dos renomados hotéis de Paris é que tanto os grandes hotéis seculares quanto os experimentos com design de ponta tendem à ostentação. Por essa razão, sempre somos favoráveis àqueles de fala macia, aos hotéis parisienses que vão contra a corrente e oferecem um lugar para se esconder ao invés de ser visto: hotéis como o recentemente renovado e reformulado Recamier.
Localizado na pitoresca Place Saint Sulpice, uma das áreas mais agradáveis da margem esquerda, e bem no coração do Saint Germain des Prés - onde se encontram uma charmosa igreja antiga e um punhado de marcas de luxo - o novo Recamier é adequadamente pequeno e intimista, perfeito para a vizinhança. O hotel oferece poucas opções de espaços públicos (e nunca se vê uma aglomeração de pessoas no saguão) somente um salão para o café da manhã, um terraço e os vinte e quatro elegantes quartos de hóspedes recentemente redecorados.
Cada andar tem um tema diferente e sutil, desde um aspecto monocromático moderno até um estilo mais natural de influência africana. Todos os quartos, de todos os andares, são definidos, discretamente contemporâneos e, acima de tudo, extraordinariamente privados. O sentimento de reclusão é raro em Paris, portanto vale a pena aproveitá-lo quando se tem a oportunidade - por essa razão, não se desperdiçou espaço com um restaurante no hotel, mas o aviso de praxe sobre a impossibilidade de se passar fome em Paris vale aqui também.
Sobre o Hotel Recamier: o Hotel Recamier é um luxuoso hotel boutique em Paris, localizado na pitoresca Place Saint Sulpice, na margem esquerda, bem no coração do Saint Germain des Prés. As características de design do hotel incluem quartos com temas sutis, contemporâneos, discretos e privados.
“Não há apartamentos iguais” - Qualquer hotel com um mínimo de personalidade provavelmente incluirá uma frase como esta acima em sua literatura promocional, e até certo ponto poderá ser verdadeira, pelo menos para os hotéis selecionados por Tablet (apesar de haver a possibilidade de um hotel cápsula japonês no futuro). Mesmo assim, não há dois flocos de neve iguais, mas isso não é um argumento convincente para dormir na neve, é?
Posto isso, no caso do L’Hotel o dito acima realmente é verdade. Os apartamentos são realmente todos diferentes, muito diferentes, tão diferentes que eles parecem pertencer a hotéis ou até continentes separados. O Barroco é em estilo barroco italiano, o Pagode um antigo tema japonês, o Léopard tem acabamento em tecidos com estampa de leopardo e o Oscar Wilde é em tradicional estilo inglês, uma reconstrução parcial da sala de jantar de Wilde em Londres, com cartas emolduradas dos funcionários do hotel solicitando que ele acertasse sua conta no hotel, o que ele morreu sem fazer. Tudo isso é feito com tanto charme e competência que eleva o que poderia ser somente um truque publicitário à categoria de verdadeiro caráter, de personalidade.
Personalidade, afinal, é o que faz um hotel ser um hotel Tablet, e não serviço de quarto 24 horas ou piscinas cobertas ou outros confortos encontrados em hotéis cinco estrelas. Qual hotel de rede pode igualar a escadaria central em espiral do L’Hotel, na qual a luz do sol se derrama através de um domo de vidro, ou a casa de banhos em estilo romano, que fica na galeria embaixo do hotel?
Há um restaurante muito bom – não é um espetáculo de restaurante com três estrelas, mas é de qualquer forma excelente. O Le Restaurant existe não como um esquema de relações públicas ou como uma forma do hotel maximizar os lucros com comida e bebida, mas como um serviço para seus clientes, com notável comida francesa, mas totalmente moderna e leve. Este restaurante é tão popular com os habitantes locais como o bar é com as celebridades.
Como o hotel não foi planejado para ser uma experiência auto-suficiente, mas como um complemento às atrações do bairro em volta, o L’Hotel está localizado em St. Germaine-des-Prés, o coração da Rive Gauche, com fácil acesso à Escola de Belas-Artes e inúmeras galerias de arte, cafés e boutiques. Seria bem razoável dizer que esta é a melhor localização para um hotel em Paris. Para os interessados em vivenciar a autêntica Paris, não há melhor lugar para começar.
Na verdade, se este fosse um entediante mega-hotel corporativo, a vizinhança em si já faria com que valesse à pena visitá-lo. Mas este é um hotel fenomenal, cheio de vida e personalidade e a combinação da localização com a execução fazem dele o lugar para se hospedar em Paris e possivelmente o perfeito hotel Tablet.
One fact about Elbow Beach is perhaps more illuminating than anything else we could say about it: it's a Mandarin Oriental.
It was not always so — in fact this sparkling clean, seemingly brand-new resort was established in 1908, as the South Shore Hotel. Then, as now, it was one of Bermuda's most prestigious and exclusive hotels, a Colonial estate presiding over the island's Atlantic coast.
The hotel is no less majestic today, its columned entryway gleaming in the late-afternoon sun. Rooms are luxurious and spacious, with marble bathrooms and wither patios or balconies. The interiors are contemporary in style but comfort is stressed over design — the furniture is more plush and enveloping than aesthetically challenging.
A look at the services and amenities reveals that this is (like any Mandarin) a first-class resort, with everything the leisure traveler could desire. There are a number of indoor and outdoor restaurants and bars, extensive business and conference facilities, a pool, spa and fitness center, and lighted tennis courts. Bermuda is something of a golf hotspot, with more courses than any correspondingly large area of Scotland or even Florida. And any aquatic activity imaginabe can be arranged, from seaside loafing to deep-sea diving.
Bermuda's location, closer to New York than to Miami, combined with the scarcity of international flights, means most of the hustle and bustle that descends upon the Caribbean passes it by. The whole place, then, has a certain feeling of seclusion and exclusivity; a feeling only heightened by the sumptuous surroundings and impeccable service at Elbow Beach.
Os apartamentos standard do Ace Hotel têm banheiros compartilhados. Vamos ser absolutamente claros quanto a isto: metade dos apartamentos não tem seu próprio banheiro privativo.
Acreditando que pelo menos alguns de vocês ainda estejam lendo esta resenha, o Ace Hotel obviamente irá interessar a um segmento um pouco diferente do mercado do que, por exemplo, o Sorrento. Este lugar exala uma atitude despretensiosa. O saguão, com seu chão de nogueira escura e paredes brancas retro-futuristas (mais Barbarella do que Balazs) parece mais uma galeria de arte do que um saguão de hotel e os apartamentos, com pé direito de mais de quatro metros e paredes de tijolos caiados de branco, parecem mais uma galeria do que a maior parte das galerias.
É verdade que os cínicos podem argumentar que todos os hotéis voltados para o mercado jovem tentam justificar sua pouco imaginativa decoração branco-sobre-branco usando alguma comparação com o mundo da arte, quando na verdade o objetivo de tanto branco é esconder a construção de segunda linha, e vestir o hotel com as roupas novas do imperador. Mas não no Ace Hotel, que tem a integridade de denominar tijolos pintados de branco o que eles realmente são e a decência de cobrar bem menos que cem dólares por um apartamento standard.
Correndo o risco de inocentemente cair em um estereótipo regional, isto é o Pacífico Noroeste, não é Hollywood. Em Seattle, onde especialistas em tecnologia com portfólios de ações vestem camisetas térmicas da Army Surplus, ser legal quer dizer gastar com sabedoria, e colocar o preço desses apartamentos nas alturas só iria depreciar a marca deste hotel básico.
Aqui você pode dormir sob o olhar vigilante do Gigante André de Shepard Fairey, com a vista de Elliot Bay ou das Olympic Mountains, ou somente as ruas de Belltown. Aqueles banheiros compartilhados são impecavelmente limpos, e em nada lembram o pesadelo que você pode estar imaginando, mas se você realmente quiser um banheiro privativo, vale à pena abrir a carteira e gastar cinqüenta dólares a mais. Uma porta giratória estilo Batman abre para um pequeno e charmoso espaço decorado em nogueira e branco com uma pia de alumínio, mas sem nenhum acessório de Philippe Starck.
Claro que o serviço e as amenidades também são mínimos – TV a cabo é o que haverá de mais sofisticado. Se você leu até aqui, você já percebeu que luxo aqui não é a questão. Este é um lugar para passar a noite, uma base para aventuras pela cidade (mas com acesso à Internet sem fio – afinal eles não são selvagens!). Os hóspedes provavelmente ficarão acordados até altas horas, portanto este não é o lugar para pessoas que gostam de dormir cedo ou para aqueles que sofrem de jet-lag.
No térreo está a nova casa do Cyclops Café, um lugar favorito dos moradores locais (todo hotel diz que seu restaurante é um favorito dos locais, mas neste você pode confiar). Além disso, há os bares e cafés de Belltown, assim como as tradicionais atrações turísticas de Seattle, como a Pioneer Square e o mercado de Pike Place. Talvez este seja o verdadeiro significado das paredes brancas: convencer os hóspedes preguiçosos a sair e experimentar um pouco de vida.
Chewton Glen may be the country house hotel against which to measure all others. The location is spectacular, occupying 130 acres of parkland at the edge of the New Forest (once the hunting ground of Norman nobles, later the refuge of smugglers carrying Continental contraband). Nearby are Salisbury Cathedral, Stonehenge, and the Isle of Wight; closer still is the sublime, dramatic Dorset coast, and beyond, the Channel.
As scenic as the surroundings may be, many guests may never get to see them — the hotel is luxurious enough that to tear oneself from the grounds requires a supreme effort. The exterior may be simply that of a very big house in the country, but within the walls is a completely modernized luxury hotel. Those in search of authentic 18th-century interiors may be disappointed, but those who prefer comfort to rickety (however authentic) furnishings will be delighted. They simply did not make suites (and especially bathrooms) this large in the old days. And space isn't the only luxury — the huge windows offer views of the grounds that are breathtaking enough to compete with the satellite TV and Bang & Olufsen entertainment centers.
An excellent restaurant may be enough to lure you from your room; Marryat features an eclectic and modern menu, with mushrooms and game from the New Forest mixing with seafood from Christchurch, and a variety of vegetarian options, as well as a remarkable wine list.
In keeping with the theme of decadent relaxation, and carrying on the Roman bath tradition in the South, is the Chewton Glen Spa — one of the best in England, and a consistent award-winner. A dizzying array of treatments are on offer, using products from Clarins, Thalgo, and Guinot. If a simple swim is more to your liking, then take a dip in the 17 meter indoor pool, in the central hall of the hotel. This pool is not just massive and photogenic, but ozone-treated as well, reducing the need for chlorination, and turning an everyday indoor pool into a spa-worthy luxury.
As for outdoor activities, there is everything one could wish for from a country house hotel, located between the forest and the sea. On the grounds one may indulge in golf, tennis, and croquet, and shooting and riding can be arranged nearby. If you are feeling adventurous, the hotel staff is happy to arrange fishing expeditions, 4x4 excursions into the New Forest, and even sailing the Solent (the channel between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight).
How to get there:
Chewton Glen Hotel is approximately a 1 1/2 hour drive from Heathrow Airport as well as London's city center. London's Waterloo Station to New Milton Station is a 1 hour and 50 minute trip by rail and a taxi can be arrange to meet you at the station. New Milton Station is 10 minutes from the hotel. Please contact customerservice@tablethotels.com to arrange airport transfers.
Alguns dos melhores hotéis de design contemporâneo são reconstruções de edifícios já existentes. Mas poucos começam com estruturas tão históricas como as do Gerbermühle em Frankfurt. Esse moinho de trigo do século XVI teve uma segunda ou terceira vida como a casa de verão de um executivo local, onde Goethe conheceu sua Marianne, e agora começa a sua quarta ou quinta vida, como um maravilhoso e moderno hotel boutique, envolto em meio a uma áurea clássica.
Um hotel como esse é algo inesperado em Frankfurt, cidade que é melhor conhecida por seus arranha-céus. Apesar disso, seu interior combina perfeitamente com esse frenético centro financeiro. As áreas comuns são contemporâneas, mesclando as linhas suaves e as superfícies rígidas do modernismo com algumas prudentes mobílias antigas. E o estilo dos apartamentos é um pouco mais suave, para uma melhor estadia, mas ainda assim inteligente e contemporâneo, com uma predominância de branco, mas eclético; aconchegante e com mais vida do que o completo minimalismo do design normal de um hotel boutique.
O Tower Bar serve bebidas na torre do antigo moinho, um espaço com o teto bem alto, e com uma atmosfera clássica. O coração do Gerbermühle é, inquestionavelmente, o jardim de verão, um tentador espaço ao ar livre, ao longo do rio Main, perfeito para uma refeição ao sol, ou um momento de quietude em meio à agitada moderna cidade.
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