Search results for

Following the success of its first hotel in the vibrant Shoreditch neighborhood, The Hoxton group opened this second outpost in 2014 in the less “happening”—but super-central—Holborn area, just a short walk from the British Museum, Covent Garden, and The Strand. Set in a former telephone exchange building (part of which is historic Victorian, the other part mid-century concrete), the hotel encourages socializing and working in its open-plan lobby, which is outfitted with library-style wooden tables, book-lined shelves, retro couches, and a couple of guest-use computers, plus plenty of places to plug in. You can order drinks and coffee all day in the lobby, three meals of large-portioned favorites (from fish and chips and burgers to banana splits) in the industrial-chic Hubbard and Bell restaurant, and rotisserie chicken and sides in the speakeasy-feeling basement Chicken Shop.

These communal spaces come in particularly handy if you’ve checked in to one of the smaller rooms—the 174 accommodations come in sizes from Shoebox and Snug to Cosy and Roomy (which is not all that much bigger). The spaces are cleverly designed to feel larger than they are, though, with large, circular mirrors, bespoke wallpaper printed with Charles Dickens scenes, comfy beds, and artwork by students of the prestigious Central St. Martins university. There are also useful perks like free Wi-Fi and one hour of international calling, a light breakfast delivered to your door daily, complimentary water and milk in the mini-fridge, and beer and wine available at the front desk for regular grocery store (not hotel) prices. If you want to linger, late checkout is available for an additional £5 per hour.

Palazzo Mezzanotte (Mezzanotte Palace) is the seat of Italy’s stock market and a great example of 1930s architecture. Designed by architect Paolo Mezzanotte it was considered the most tech building of its time. 21st notoriety can claim artist Maurizio Cattelan’s comment to finance in the form of a large hand with extended middle placed in the very center of the piazza.

Unlike some of Barcelona‘s other Vintage stores (ahem, Holala), Love Vintage focuses on wearable antiques, and clothes that don’t resemble costumes. This is a great shop for vintage newcomers who are looking for something different to wear at a reasonable price. Just don’t buy Levis. For whatever reason, they’re pricey, even second-hand all over Europe.

The Inn and Spa at Loretto, one of Santa Fe’s iconic boutique luxury hotels, could easily be mistaken for the ancient Taos Pueblo. The hotel’s angular architecture, soothing desert hues, and romantic lighting draw heavily on the original pueblo. Rooms are outfitted with both traditional touches (handcrafted furniture, Anasazi pottery and artwork, kiva fireplaces, colorful textiles) and modern luxuries (slate-floored bathrooms, iPod docks, flat-screen TVs, private balconies). The restaurant and spa are among the best in the state, and the atmospheric lounge one of the coolest spots in town to sip cocktails and catch live music. And, as if it needed another dose of history, the landmark Loretto Chapel sits on the grounds, guaranteeing both excellent views and easy sightseeing access. Now, if only more pueblos were like this.

Tucked away in the heart of downtown Seoul is the quaint Insadong district, where a Korea of yore comes to life in the form of traditional artists and musicians, shops selling Korean crafts and souvenirs, and street performers dressed in native costumes. This is the place to go if you’re set on buying the wooden masks, paper lanterns, and tea sets that the country is famous for. Two other stores also stand out from the crowd in Insadong: Gounjae Handcraft can be smelled before you even enter the door. This handmade soap shop, in the small brick courtyard of Ssamji Gil Center, offers sumptuously scented soaps, lotions, and bath products in scents like avocado, ginger, and almond. I love the tiny, traditional mask-shaped soaps that make inexpensive and lightweight souvenirs. The Ee Gee boutique is a veritable treasure chest bursting with glimmering necklaces, bracelets, and other one-of-a-kind baubles–it’s located on Insadong’s main drag.

In the Napa Valley—and in Yountville, in particular—most hotels err on the side of sophisticated luxury. Which makes the North Block Hotel’s quirky style such a breath of fresh air. With the look of a Mediterranean town’s cobbled street, complete with lemon trees and hand-painted tiles, one of Napa’s few modern boutique hotels also displays quirky pieces like The Big Book of Boobs in its lobby. It’s hard to pass through the lobby without having a friendly concierge hand you a glass of bubbly, and the umbrella-shaded “sidewalk” tables seem like places you’d actually while away the hours over bottles of good wine with good friends. The trendy restaurant channels a midcentury Italian cool that’s more Fellini than Michelangelo, unlike most Napa wineries’ inclinations, and the fact that it doesn’t have a Michelin star is actually a vote in its favor in sometimes stuffy, star-saturated Yountville. Of course, the spa is still as luxuriously pampering as any in wine country, and the understated rooms are as decked out with designer amenities as they ought to be—and you might actually be having enough fun to enjoy them.

Sea Temple sits proudly in the heart of Surfers Paradise, and if you pick the right floor, lifts you a world away from the noisy street below. Great access to Surfers, but a peaceful escape at the same time. Sea Temple is one of the Gold Coast’s top luxury accommodation providers and in my opinion, stands out because it has one of the best locations if glitz & glamour is what you’re after during your stay. The rooms are gorgeous, the pools are great but the best part is hands down the view - it helps that Sea Temple looks over the top of the surrounding cluster of hotels too. Beautiful!

As one of the most innovative players on the Marrakech restaurant scene, Kamal Laftimi spearheads projects that are nothing if not showstoppers. This buzzy, green-on-green–tiled riad, bristling with courtyard banana trees, is a case in point. It’s a hip hangout by day for locals and expats who meet for coffees throughout the morning and pop into celebrated kaftan designer Norya ayroN’s little boutique, which occupies a small space on the first floor. By night, it sparkles with the light of hundreds of glittering candles while large extended families and cooing couples gather over Moroccan classics such as pigeon pastilla, vegetarian couscous, and chicken tagine with olives and raisins, as well as a handful of crowd-pleasing classics such as steak frites and burgers (no alcohol served).

With its fourth U.S. location, the Hoxton brings its signature coolness to the old Los Angeles Railway Building in the center of downtown. The 1922 structure is now home to 174 hotel rooms, three bars and restaurants, and The Apartment—the Hoxton’s signature meeting and event space, complete with stylish conference rooms and a communal kitchen filled with tasty snacks. The F&B outlets come courtesy of the team behind New York’s popular Sunday in Brooklyn, and range from Sibling Rivalry (an all-day lobby spot with seasonal comfort food and its own soft-serve bar) and Pilot (a Mediterranean-inspired rooftop bar and restaurant by the pool) to an as-yet-unnamed bar set to open in early 2020.

Why we love it: A design-forward stay in Kansas City’s sophisticated Country Club Plaza

The Highlights:
- A playful design inspired by Spain
- The creative American cuisine at the rooftop restaurant
- A rooftop swimming pool and fire pit

The Review:
The Fontaine fits right in with its surroundings in Country Club Plaza—an area styled after the plazas of Seville, Spain. In the hotel lobby, the marble floors are inlaid with tile mosaics, the walls are hung with large-scale Renaissance artworks, and the ceiling is crowned by a brilliant blue, hand-blown Murano chandelier. The 132 rooms and suites, on the other hand, have an almost coastal feel, complete with a palette of blues, charcoals, and whites. Beds are super comfy, with tapestry headboards and Egyptian cotton linens, while the Carrera marble bathrooms further pamper guests with oversize showers and rainfall showerheads.

There are loads of restaurants in Country Club Plaza, but like the shops, many are chains. This makes The Fontaine’s dining options all the more appealing. Start with a pre-dinner cocktail at The Bar, which hosts a weekday happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m., then head to dinner at Parker, the hotel’s rooftop restaurant. Even with such top-notch F&B, the Fontaine’s finest amenity remains its small rooftop pool, which is bordered by a fire pit and backed by panoramic views.

I love public art and one of my favorites is “The Awakening,” which was created by the famed American sculptor, J. Seward Johnson, Jr. The Awakening is an iconic sculpture was originally installed by the artist at Hains Point in Washington, D.C., but was moved to National Harbor in 2008 when the developers purchased it. The Awakening consists of five separate pieces of metal, embedded in the ground, giving the impression of a giant man struggling to free himself from the ground. The left hand and right foot look like normal body parts. The left right hand, bent leg, and the bearded face with mouth mid-scream, are the parts that convey the pain of the man’s struggle to free himself. At any given moment, you will someone posing in front of one body part or another for a photo op. Kids especially love to clamber onto the man’s head. You can tell from the photo which part are my favorites! The way the foot and the fingers bent, the veins and folds of the skin—it’s all amazingly realistic. At National Harbor, The Awakening has been installed at the small beach area by the marina. It’s a great place to let the kids loose to have fun in the sand, and for the adults to admire a great piece of public art!

Disco ball, lounge, jungle, and cuisine all come together at this trendy restaurant located on Tulum’s main hotel-zone avenue. The venue is renowned for its eclectic style that blends unusual lighting, a lush outdoor setting, and live DJ nights for a cool, hippie-style vibe. Dinner is prepared over open-fire grills and in wood-burning ovens, resulting in flavorful Mexican favorites like taco samplers, quesadillas with epazote, grilled avocado, and slow-roasted pork belly. Gitano also specializes in strange but enticing cocktails from its mezcal bar, like ones that include ingredients like rum, hibiscus, and tropical fruits.

Co-owned by French-Cambodians Nathalie Saphon-Ridel and Romyda Keth, the elegant Khmer Attitude was the first concept store in Siem Reap when it was opened way back in 2000 in Raffles Arcade. The women’s aim with Khmer Attitude (and Saphon-Ridel’s Galerie Cambodge in the same arcade) was to showcase quality Cambodian-made fashion, jewelry, accessories, silverware, silk, gifts, and objects that weren’t available anywhere else. The women work closely with Khmer designers, master craftsmen and artists to source and produce beautiful things that are luxurious in their materials used and excellent in their workmanship. Other than Romyda Keth’s Ambre, Eric Raisina, Garden of Desire, Jasmine, Theam’s House, and a handful of other boutiques, you won’t find exquisite things of this quality elsewhere in Siem Reap.

At Cuisine de Provence, Barbara Schuerenberg offers memorable, hands-on cooking classes in her home kitchen overlooking Vaison-la-Romaine and Mont Ventoux. Students learn to prepare five or six typical Provençale dishes using fresh, seasonal produce from Vaison’s famous market, then enjoy the fruits of their labor during a lunch paired with regional wines. Held in English and open to all abilities, the 4.5-hour classes also include a complimentary apron and illustrated recipes, so you can re-create the flavors of Provence for your friends and family back home.

The Instagram-worthy moments start with views of Bazaruto Marine National Park on the 15-minute flight from mainland Mozambique. From above, the white sand dunes look like swirls of frosting atop the turquoise sea, home to colorful coral reefs. Safari operator andBeyond’s new lodge reflects the Portuguese colonial influence on the island by featuring outdoor showers lined with hand-painted tiles and four-poster beds draped with white linen canopies. Verandas lead to outdoor dining areas perfect for enjoying the region’s famed prawns.