SEVEN OF THE BEST DESIGN HOTELS FOR 2021
Lockdown’s been hard, cold and it’s gone on far too long. Salvation, however, is at hand as borders begin to open up once more. If you are dreaming of the big escape, Clive Christian Furniture brings you the best new - or reimagined - hotels to check out as soon as we are able.
Words by Kerry Smith
A Legend Reborn: Mandarin oriental ritz, madrid.
Architect: Rafael de la-Hoz Designer: Gilles & Boissier
Like people, hotels are always more interesting if they have a fascinating past – and Mandarin Oriental Madrid has a century’s worth of tales to tell. Opened in 1910 on the instructions of King Alfonso XIII, The Hotel Ritz Madrid was the glamorous backdrop for Belle Epoque society onwards. Exotic dancer and spy Mata Hari based herself here; Ernest Hemingway wrote here; Grace Kelly and the Prince of Monaco honeymooned here. But, by the end of the last century, the march of time left Madrid’s grand dame dowdy and gloomy.
Now, following a mammoth facelift by Mandarin Oriental, the pomp has gone (along with the pelmets and thick carpets), but the new lavishness and opulence would have impressed King Alfonso himself.
For the first time in years, sunlight floods into the building, bathing the restored chandeliers, pillars and neoclassical mouldings in a golden glow. A third of the rooms are suites, baths come butler-prepared and Natura Bissé products add to the luxury of the bathrooms. There’s a spa, pool and the hotel’s gastronomic offerings, overseen by chef Quique Dacosta, are superb (book the hidden chef’s table). The extravagant champagne bar is lined with gold-topped Ruinart bottles. Step outside, and the best of the city’s culture surrounds you with the Prado Museum next door and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum opposite.
This is a hotel to put Madrid back on the map for the beau monde. Sedate, splendid and fit for royalty.
Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Plaza de la Lealtad, 5, 28014 Madrid, Spain. Doubles from about £555
The High-Lux Hideaway: Splendido Mare, a belmond hotel, portofino.
Architect: Festen Architecture in Paris
One of my favourite-ever stays? Belmond’s Hotel Splendido, the peaches-and-cream villa on the hillside overlooking Portofino. Under the charming leadership of Ermes de Megni, the disarmingly charming staff are so authentic and genuine as to give the hotel a unique edge that’s hard to beat. Small wonder it’s the quintessential classic Italian hotel.
Less well-known, is Splendido’s ‘little sister’, the coastal resort of Splendido Mare, which is a short walk away. Once a guesthouse for fishermen, the hotel consists of a series of houses on the main harbour square of Portfino (arguably the most perfect and photogenic Mediterranean port).
With just 14 rooms and suites, the Splendido Mare is small but significant. After all, this was the first Belmond property to be renovated since the group’s acquisition by the luxury-powerhouse, LVMH.
The results were always going to be sensational and Splendido Mare’s aesthetic sets a new standard for Italian glamour. Mid-century furnishings are reminiscent of the era that defined Portofino’s glamorous history. The staff uniforms, with their geometric patterns, were created by fashion designer Arthur Arbesser (finalist of the 2015 LVMH prize), while references to the hotel’s nautical history, include the use of hand-varnished wood in the rooms and suites, more traditionally used in the sailing boats that dot the harbour.
In the restaurant, 7,000 terracotta tiles, handmade by local Ligurian craftsmen, mimic the sun’s reflection on the sea. Here, the food celebrates the riches of the area, such as gloriously decadent Santa Margherita Ligure shrimps paired with Tuscan whites. And it is the gold-standard people-watching. La dolce vita indeed.
Belmond Splendido Mare, Via Roma, 2, 16034 Portofino GE, Italy. Doubles from about £515
The Design Spa Hotel: Forestis, dolomites
Architect: Armin Sader
There’s been a sanatorium on this South Tyrolean spot since the turn of the last century. The latest rendition, Forestis, which opened last summer, is spectacular. Created from glass, stone, pine and larch, the surrounding mountainscape is the centre-piece: every view amplifies the snow-dusted peaks stretching into the distance.
The wooden facade, built from local natural materials, is suitably tanned by the weather, while three sculptural towers, designed to blend with the forest, connect by underground passage. Here you’ll find the world’s highest rooftop bar. Request a tower suite or penthouse, and enjoy the sun setting across the imposing Dolomite mountains.
The spa extends over two floors and an area of 2,000 m², and unsurprisingly, wellness here focuses on nature, with evergreen wood massages and barefoot meditation forest walks. Every night, guests have herb-spiked cocktails round the fire-pit before heading to the amphitheatre-style restaurant to enjoy dishes such as beef tartare with nettle dumplings and cured river trout. And when the snow comes, guests can ski-in and out.
Forestis, Palmschoß 292, 39042 Brixen, Dolomites, Italy. Doubles from about $550.
The Grown-Up Treehouse: The loire valley lodges, france.
If you are searching for splendid isolation, head to the Loire Valley and one of the 18 new treehouses sequestered in 750 acres of forest. The key word here is peace. None of the rooms have Wi-Fi or phones, your mobile probably won’t work and children under 12 aren’t welcome (guests do get given a walkie-talkie though to contact hotel staff).
The concept comes from Anne-Caroline Frey, first-time hotelier and gallerist, who combines her knowledge of ‘sylvotherapy’ (a Japanese practice involving wellbeing and trees) and with her love of art.
Contemporary art is dotted throughout the woods, and sculptures peek through the trees like deer. Each treehouse lodge is decorated with art from a different artist, a mix of those Frey had met during her years on the Paris art scene and local artists. Jacques Bosser's Uzume, for example, is a black and white spectacle, while The Lucien is dedicated to Serge Gainsbourg and comes with a turntable to play the artist's music.
The lodges are large and luxurious, with floor-to-ceiling windows, space for private spa treatments and a hot tub on the terrace. Breakfast arrives in a basket at the foot of your lodge daily – and is delicious. In terms of communal areas, there’s a pool, a bar, lounge and restaurant. There’s a real sense of community and Anne Caroline and her husband strive to make all their guests feel as if they’re visiting their own home. And make sure you don’t leave without having experienced a ‘forest bath’.
La Duporterie, 37320 Esvres-sur-Indre. Rooms from $335
The End of the World Retreat: Aurora Lodge, Norway
Architect: Snorre Stinessen
At the remote Lyngen Alps on the northern tip of Norway, the natural world’s wonders are displayed in all their glory – and it’s here that an extraordinary new luxury lodge just opened. The eco-conscious Aurora Lodge is the brainchild of award-winning Scandinavian architect, Snorre Stinessen, and it’s a design icon at the end of the world.
Set 100 metres from the sea, the lodge is clad in traditional green copper. Inside, six luxurious suites frame the wilderness outside through wraparound floor to double-height ceiling glass. There are Hästens beds and Antonio Lupi bathrooms. Master the art of hygge in front of the fire, which smoulders in the open plan living area, while outside there is a traditional sauna by the side of a small creek, as well as a jacuzzi.
Guests arrive via helicopter and can immediately immerse themselves in the land of the midnight sun with once-in-a-lifetime curated experiences such as skiing into the sea, kayaking with orcas and conservation projects such as tagging whales. One of the biggest attractions here is the Northern Lights, and with the new solar cycle of 2021, it could be the best time to witness the phenomenon.
Prices available on request but typically start from £75,000 for a five-night stay with Black Tomato
The One for Oenophiles: Montage Healdsburg, Sonoma, USA
Architects: Glazier Le Architects and Delawie Photographer: Christian Horan. Designer: EDG Design
Back in 1989, the world’s most expensive wine, a Château Margaux from 1787, was accidentally dropped by legendary wine merchant William Sokolin at The Four Seasons in New York (he’d been hoping to sell it for $519,750). Since then, a 1947 Cheval Blanc auctioned for $305,000 and a 1992 Screaming Eagle sold for $500,000. Then, a single bottle of an unknown wine from Sonoma’s Alexander Valley joined their ranks selling for $350,000. The winemaker? One Jesse Katz, and one of wine’s fastest rising stars.
Hence, it’s a huge, peacock-sized feather in the cap of Sonoma’s first large-scale luxury resort Montage Healdsburg resort to have Jesse Katz as their vintner partner. Jesse will not only oversee the resort’s 15.5 acres of vineyards (and create wines in a year or two for the resort’s use) but guests will be able to sample Katz’s winemaking artistry with exclusive private tastings and tours at his newly designed, state-of-the-art winery Aperture Cellars Estate. Don’t miss his silky flagship Aperture 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon...
This is a place that celebrates its own landscape – and not only the surrounding sun-soaked vineyards. There are 22,000 oaks across the resort, and the architecture embraces an eco-sensitive design, blending with the natural landscape. The 130 Cali-modern rooms disturb the land as little as possible. If you’re feeling grand, the king of the hotel’s suites is the stand-alone and very private ‘Guest House’, with views of Mount St. Helena and Alexander Valley’s vineyards. Its three bedrooms sprawl across 4,600 square feet ($10,000 per night off-season).
The three restaurants are in the capable hands of executive chef Jaron Dubinsky and offer a bounty of Sonoma’s best, with everything—from the Pliny the Elder IPA to the lamb shank—sourced from within miles.
And apart from the food, drink and scenery? There are two pools, a vast spa, a fitness center, outdoor yoga classes, a children’s program, road-bike and e-bike rentals, bocce (similar to boules), pickleball courts (similar to badminton), archery and bee hives.
Montage Healdsburg, 100 Montage Way, Healdsburg, CA 95448 Rooms from $995.
The New Kid on the Block: Six Senses New York
Architect: Bjarke Ingels Interiors: Gilles & Boissier
More known for its spa hotels in places like Zighy Bay and Thailand, Six Senses’ debut in New York later this year will be the brand’s first urban retreat. Rising above the Hudson River, Six Senses New York will take wellness in the city to new heights – literally and metaphorically. Set within the new XI building – the two unique, twisting towers designed by world-famous architect Bjarke Ingels – Six Senses will cover ten floors of the east tower directly adjacent to the High Line, becoming west Manhattan’s first five-star hotel.
A restaurant and café with an outdoor terrace connect to the High Line park, while a 45,000 sq ft spa will home every current wellbeing trend from a vibroacoustic meditation dome to magnesium pools.
Sixsenses.com Rates to be announced.
Kerry Smith is the former editor-in-chief of British Airways’ High Life magazine and has also worked for Marie Claire, The Independent and The Evening Standard.