New Openings
June 6, 2007
J.K. Place, one of our favourite boutique hotels in Florence, has recently acquired a younger sister on the Mediterranean Island of Capri, J.K. Place Capri.
A seductive small hotel in a bleached white villa, it has a stunning location overlooking the island’s main harbour from where it enjoys sea breezes and fabulous views. The decoration by Michele Bonan is original and contemporary with classical references, combining strong and soothing colours, and using the softest, most luxurious fabrics. The restaurant serves Mediterranean/Italian food, and has a romantic terrace where you can dine in summer.
Tim and Kit Kemp’s latest project, the Haymarket has just opened in the heart of London’s West End. It occupies a superb Nash building (and separate townhouse), with a stunning interior designed by Kit whose unique contemporary English style blends excitingly with the Regency architecture. Each of the public areas has its own distinctive look, with original artworks, and fabrics and furniture that range from the sophisticated to the zany. The 55 bedrooms and suites also display Kit’s trademark bold palette and rich textures. Guests want for nothing, as there is a restaurant (serving northern Italian cuisine), gym and spectacular 18-metre pool.
A night in the freshly refurbished Bath Arms is more like staying in a private house than a hotel, which was the aim of new owners, Hillbrooke Hotels. The 18th-century building is on the Marquess of Bath’s Longleat Estate in Wiltshire, and has a theatrical new look, devised by interior designer, Miv Watts. Each of the 14 richly coloured bedrooms has its own individual theme: choose to sleep in ‘English Eccentric’, ‘Geisha’, or the more risqué ‘Karma Sutra’ (with a nod to the current Marquess). The kitchen, presided over by chef Frank Bailey, produces excellent locally-sourced British food.
New Finds: Recent additions to thehotelguru.com
June 6, 2007
The Horn of Plenty and the Arundell Arms, Devon
Salmon stocks on the Tamar may have fallen in recent years, but this Devon river remains one of the loveliest in the country, and there are no less than three special places to stay where you can take full advantage of it. We’ve loved Hotel Endsleigh, with the river running through its wonderful grounds, since it was opened last year by Olga Polizzi, but Fiona Duncan has recently stayed at the charming restaurant with (very elegant) rooms The Horn of Plenty, overlooking the Tamar valley at its most majestic, and the delightful Arundell Arms, a traditional fishing and shooting inn with 20 miles of fishing on the Tamar and its tributaries – and happily added them to our Devon list of recommended hotels.
The Well House, Cornwall
Further west, near the pretty village of Looe and close to the Eden Project and other fine Cornish gardens, The Well House, tucked inland in a secluded position with lovely views, has recently changed hands. Its new owner, Richard Farrow, is an ex-marketing man and has dreamed up some really imaginative weekend breaks for guests, from one-to-one cookery lessons with the gifted chef to having your own classic car for the duration or taking helicopter rides to the Scillies. Anyone for tennis? Bring your tennis four to Well House for exclusive use of the court, plus fine dining and a good rest.
Pongwe Beach, Zanzibar
Our Zanzibar list of recommended hotels has been put together for us by Zanzibar expert Simone Topolski. Another Zanzibar expert, Julian Carter Manning from tailor-made travel company Tanzania Travel, added one more hotel to the list: low key and secluded Pongwe Beach, which he declared one of his favourite hotels in the world – “a piece of paradise”.
Alta Bay, Cape Town
A recent trip to Cape Town (great for a short break as there’s only a couple of hours’ time change) introduced us to several superb hotels and guesthouses, not least Alta Bay in leafy Higgovale, with fabulous views over city and bay far below and only a short distance from the cable car to the top of Table Mountain. As a chic, understated place to stay it ticks all the boxes.
A high time at low tide
June 6, 2007
Summer’s here and so is global warming. Although the UK may not be a sun-soaked paradise yet, summers are undeniably getting hotter and, in an effort to shrink our carbon footprint, many of us are planning holidays close to home. The traditional British seaside holiday has been given a fresh twist by the new breed of hotel that is bringing an air of sophistication to our shores. Leader of the pack was Olga Polizzi’s stylish haven, Hotel Tresanton in the harbourside village of St Mawes on the south Cornish coast, and where Tresanton led, other hotels have followed, offering a welcome alternative to prosaic bucket-and-spade type accommodation.
Suddenly the Cornish seaside has become a cool place to be: Jimmy Choos and floaty kaftans mingle happily with colonels and cardigans in towns and villages all over the county. As stylish as Tresanton but with a large garden, ideal for families, Driftwood has the air of a chic yet relaxed Provençal hotel, excellent food and its own perfect crescent of private beach. Another family-friendly favourite, St Enodoc in Rock is in peak condition: freshly painted, with new fabrics, bright colours, clean lines and easy-going comfort. Off the Cornish coast in the Isles of Scilly, California meets the Atlantic Ocean at Hell Bay Hotel, the creation of Robert Dorrien-Smith, the hereditary owner of the islands of Bryher and Tresco, who has filled the hotel with his own collection of modern art, much of it Cornish and Scillonian.
The trend is not limited to Cornwall: stylish, informal hotels make it possible to combine the delights of beach and pier with a contemporary, comfortable and laid-back place to stay no matter which stretch of the coast you head for, whether it’s Cardigan Bay, where the colourful Harbourmaster Hotel has a prime location on the waterfront in Regency Aberaeron (no children under five), or Kent, where the Zanzibar has introduced a slice of metropolitan chic to the somewhat faded resort of St Leonard’s with its smart, exotically themed rooms. Back in Wales, a new seaside hotel looks set for great things: Holm House in Victorian Penarth, near Cardiff. And for a gritty, workaday yet absorbing sea view, plus a laid-back atmosphere and great fish and chips, look no further than the Pier at Harwich in Essex.
If you choose Southwold, a timeless, beautifully kept resort a little further along the coast in Suffolk, you can take the extended family with you. Put the oldies in the Swan, the younger ones in the Crown and ring the changes by eating in both (they operate a cross-billing system). The Swan’s invitingly slouchy drawing room makes everyone feel at home, and there’s a real buzz in the Front Bar at the Crown. Alternatively, if you head out to the Isle of Wight, the George Hotel is a handsome 17th-century building in the charming town of Yarmouth, whose owners have cultivated an easy-going atmosphere and a great garden brasserie. These are just some of Britain’s best seaside hotels….stand-out ones are still few and far between but they are most definitely on the rise.
