Unique luxury hotels, fashionable travel and much more

South Beach, known colloquially as SOBE, is like nowhere else and is also home to some of the most unique luxury hotels in Miami. Trend-setting, affluent and vibrant, it has a distinct up-market Latino flavor. White sand and azure ocean beneath a cloudless sunny sky, the eclectic mix of pastel Art Deco hotels along Ocean Drive, beautiful people strolling arm in arm in the latest fashions, this is what South Beach is all about. It is an escape from reality, at least for the time you are there! Once the home of drug barons and Mafioso, it is now an idyllic retreat for the rich and famous, as well as the migratory flock of snowbirds who return year in, year out.

Along with the palm-fringed beachfront, South Beach offers fabulous designer shopping from Lincoln Road to name-dropping Collins Avenue. Armani, Kenneth Cole, Benetton, Sephora, Ralph Lauren, Diesel….they can all be found here on these narrow streets. After dark, restaurants, bars and nightclubs buzz with music and you pay more for valet parking than most people would pay for cocktails, but hey, there is only one South Beach! See and be seen is the name of the game. After dining out in style at one of the many Michelin starred restaurants such as the lovely Casa Tua, or Palme d’Or, walk though romantic Lummus Park beneath the stars and then retire to your chosen luxury hotel in Miami for a nightcap in the bar.

Once again there are too many wonderful luxury hotels in Miami to list, even on the short stretch of Ocean Drive. If you are looking for Art Deco inspiration consider the newly renovated Hotel Victor, right next door to Casa Casuarina, better known as the Versace Mansion. This delightful boutique hotel has retained some of its finest Art Deco features in the extensive lobby and bar. Right on the beach is the Raleigh, which has retained all its 1920s charm including the uniquely shaped swimming pool. With designer shops at the front, and the boardwalk and beach to the rear, everything is conveniently close by. Rather more hip and trendy but one block back from the beach is the Shore Club Miami, a true celebrity hang-out. Designer-cool rooms by British designer David Copperfield, and managed by Ian Schrager, creator of the boutique hotel genre, this contemporary style hotel is a far cry from the 1930s in which it was built. The Casa Grande is quite the opposite.This refined luxury hotel in Miami invites guests to truly relax and feel at home. Last but certainly not least, checkout the Pelican; owned by Diesel it is a temple to OTT décor and zany fashion. Wherever you choose to stay you are unlikely to be spending long within its four walls.

by Luxique Luxury Hotels

London is a fabulous place to visit for a weekend, a week or a month. There is so much to see and do, and the key to a great London experience is to stay right in the heart of the action. Ideally you want everything to be just a stone’s throw from your door. Here are a few suggestions for luxury hotels in London which are perfectly located to enhance your visit, whatever you want to do.

Durley House, Knightsbridge
This chic boutique hotel is the perfect pick for Shopaholics. Smack-bang in the middle of Knightsbridge, it is just steps from Sloane Square, the mecca for all fashionistas. Harvey Nich’s and Harrod’s are just along the road, so you don’t have to carry those bags too far.

Covent Garden Hotel, Soho
Interior designer types will adore any of Kit Kemp’s stylish makeovers. Covent Garden Hotel is just one of her superb creations in London. The rooms all have the trademarks of this designer legend; English country fabrics and four-poster beds enhance the richly decorated rooms. Antiques mix with contemporary artwork and look wonderful whilst breaking all the rules. Request one of the rooms with oversized windows and views over the rooftops – a great sight to wake up to.

One Aldwych, Covent Garden
Perfectly located for West End theatres, entertainment and nightlife, this Condé Nast Gold List star is within easy staggering distance of all the major theatres, the Royal Opera House and the National Gallery. One of the most exciting contemporary luxury hotels in London, One Aldwych is more than just a bed for the night.

Dukes, Westminster
This fine boutique hotel makes you a close neighbour of HRH at Buckingham Palace, which is just around the corner. Whitehall, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and the London Eye are all nearby making this a great choice for sightseeing guests. This ‘Leading Small Hotels of the World’ member is a thoroughly British institution from the clubby bar to the garden conservatory.

Threadneedles Hotel, City
Appropriately located in a former bank building, Threadneedles Hotel is right on the edge of the City, mixing business beautifully with pleasure. This unique luxury hotel is considered by Condé Nast to be one of the top 50 luxury hotels in the world, with its the refined atmosphere and fabulous stained glass dome in the former banking hall. The Penthouse has fabulous views of the City and St Paul’s Cathedral from the fifty-foot long terrace.

by Luxique Luxury Travel

The experience of travel is all about experiencing something new and different. Vacation destinations should be memorable, and so should the hotel, for all the right reasons of course. Luxury hotels can be found in castles and forts as well as on boats. There are themed hotels all over the world based on art, pop music, Marilyn Monroe, the Wild West or whatever else you might dream of. If all this has aroused your curiosity, here are three themed hotels to get you started:

Ice Hotel in Sweden
The Ice Hotel in Jukkasjarvi in Sweden has to be the coolest hotel on the planet! Created from slabs of ice, this magical palace-cum-igloo is built fresh every year. It includes ice chandeliers lit with fiber optics, an ice bar and evenice beds piled high with reindeer hides and high-tech sleeping bags. This Land of the Midnight Sun location also offers unlimited snow sports including cross-country skiing, dog sleds and snowmobiles as well as helicopter tours to Lapland and if you’re really lucky, the spectacular aurora borealis. Voted the ‘Best Experience in Sweden’ the Ice Hotel continues to draw an eclectic crowd every year from royalty and celebrities to hardy honeymoon couples.

Aria Hotel in Prague
Located in Prague, a city renowned for its classical music, the Aria Hotel is conveniently located between the State Opera House and Rudolfinum, the home of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. Follow the Gregorian chants set in the mosaic footpath, which leads from the wrought iron gate right into reception. Every floor of this luxury hotel in Prague is dedicated to a different category of music, from contemporary and classic to opera and jazz. Delightfully furnished guest rooms are predictably named after a composer or musician, but that’s not all. The rooms are a shrine to individual artists with original artwork, biographies, books and even an iPod loaded with their music so that you can totally immerse yourself in your chosen favorite. You get round-the-clock Mozart, Elvis or even Billie Holliday, so choose your room with care! The Aria Hotel even has its own Director of Music to advice and enhance your musical vacation.

Pelican Hotel in Miami

For those who want more from a luxury hotel in Miami’s South Beach than Art Deco features, the Diesel-owned Pelican offers a choice of wacky rooms. The only condition is that you must like neon, and lots of it. Themed rooms range from the garish to the glitzy, based on such themes as Best Whorehouse, Cubarean Islands and Psychedelic Girl. The Pelican Café, spilling out onto the terrace and sidewalk, is considered THE place to be seen having breakfast.

Any newspaper or hotel booking search will offer plenty of boutique hotels in New York City, but if you fancy somewhere a little different, somewhere chic and off the beaten track for a romantic weekend break, where do you begin?

Inn at Irving Place
Gramercy Park is a private park tucked away between East 20 Street and East 21st Street in the Union Square district of the city. Tucked behind an unassuming front door is this New York boutique Hotel jewel offering great charm in each of the individually furnished rooms. The two 1834 townhouses perfectly capture a bygone era in the furnishings, service and genteel atmosphere of this secluded hideaway. Take afternoon tea in Lady Medl’s Tearooms on the ground floor, where antiques and china set the scene beautifully.

The Library Hotel
The very name conjures up a log fire, big armchairs, a favorite over-sized sweater and a good book. Conveniently located between the Morgan Library and the New York Public Library, this boutique hotel is a great escape for bibliophiles. Devoted to a discerning clientele, each level of the Library Hotel has a different theme such as poetry, mystery or eroticism, giving a hint of what hand-picked delights are just waiting to be revealed. The furniture, pictures and accents all reflect the theme, along with a selection of well-chosen books in every room. The perfect choice for readers and writers alike.

Carlyle Hotel
Continuing to thrive on its reputation as the luxury hotel in New York where JF Kennedy had a tryst with Marilyn Monroe, this classy uptown hotel is still painfully discreet. With antique furnishings and Audubon prints it exudes the ambience of a luxury town home, belying the fact that it actually has 190 guest rooms offering the ultimate in comfort. Mini larders replace the usual minibar and together with its luxury spa, pet-friendly policy and in-house shops, it is hard to find a reason to leave.

Dylan Hotel
The best of the best is the Dylan’s trademark. Located in Midtown Manhattan within walking distance of Grand Central Station, Times Square, Central Park and some of the best restaurants, this beautiful boutique hotel in New York is situated in a fabulous 1903 Beaux-Arts structure. Beneath the 11 foot ceilings, interior designer Jeffrey Beers has redefined opulence with his timeless décor. Carrara marble bathrooms and American walnut furnishings turn these understated rooms into something truly classy for the perfect romantic weekend break.

The Wales
Located at the better end of town, the Wales is a well-kept secret in the Upper East side of the city. Quiet walks in Central Park are just a block from this charming boutique hotel in New York, while the Guggenheim and Metropolitan Museum of Art are close by, on what has been dubbed ‘Museum Mile’. Enjoy views of the city skyline from the delightful garden or relax in sumptuous comfort amidst goose down comforters, fresh flowers and rich mahogany furniture.

By Luxique Luxury Hotels

A weekend break in Milan, Italy’s second largest city, is the perfect place to unwind and enjoy some retail therapy at any time of year. Make time to visit the Castello Sforzesco with its fine collection of art, archeology and coins or book tickets to the world-famous Teatro alla Scala, a chance which is not to be missed. Any weekend in Milan would not be complete without a shopping spree. Consider splashing out on a luxury hotel to suit your mood from one of our personal recommendations at Luxique.

The wealth of artwork which is available in the galleries of Milan is almost unfair. The Pinacoteca Ambrosiana has works by Titian, Raphael, Tiepolo, Caravaggio and Giorgone, all in a palazzo which is more than worthy of these exhibits. Built in 1609 to house Cardinal Borromeo’s art collection, it recently had a €21.7 million restoration. More classic and modern art can be seen at the Pinacoteca di Brera with works by Modigliani and Picasso alongside the Rubens and Van Dycks.

This stylish, modern city full of smartly dressed locals is the place to shop for a new wardrobe for the forthcoming season. The 19th century Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is packed ful of sophisticated shops, bars and restaurants. Enjoy the zodiac floor mosaics as you browse the designer shops in this covered arcade then head for the Designer Fashion District of Via Montenapoleone, Via Andrea, Via Gesù, Via Borgospesso and Via della Spiga.

There are a host of fine luxury hotels in Milan to choose from. The Gran Hotel et de Milan is one of the best located hotels which will not disappoint. Traditional in style, it is within a stone’s throw of some of the best-known fashion houses and boutiques and close to the Teatro alla Scala, the Duomo and the Palazzo Marino. More contemporary in style with minimalist furnishings, The Gray Hotel is arguably one of the best luxury hotels in Milan. Those who are looking for chic, contemporary style will feel right at home in this designer creation. Visitors to Milan who want to add a little romance to their stay will be delighted with Townhouse 31, a boutique hotel with just 18 rooms, offering an oasis of serenity yet within walking distance of Milan’s bustling shopping district of Montenapoleone. Those who are only impressed by designer names must experience the Bulgari Hotel. Lush gardens surround this former monastery which has been transformed into an ultra-modern luxury hotel with the lavish use of rare and precious materials in its décor. From the opulent spa to the exquisite restaurant, the Bulgari pulls out all the stops to make your weekend break in Milan complete.

by Luxique Luxury Travel

Vacant land around the refuge where Nelson Mandela spent his last days of freedom is to be used to build a luxury boutique hotel.

As apartheid raged in South Africa in 1961, Liliesleaf Farm in Rivonia, north of Johannesburg, was bought on behalf of the South African Communist Party and used as the headquarters of the military arm of the African National Congress.

Mandela sought refuge there in the days before his arrest in 1963 and subsequent 27-year imprisonment on political charges, which ended on February 11.

The hotel will complement an historical museum that already exists at the farm. Nicholas Wolpe, of the Liliesleaf Trust, said:

“This is not a commercial venture, it’s more about making Liliesleaf self-sustaining. We thought about the best way to do this and a hotel seemed to fit.”

“Liliesleaf played a crucial, seminal role in the liberation struggle and it’s important for the world to understand that role.”

There will be historic exhibits in the 48-room hotel, and suites will be named after key players in South Africa’s struggle for racial equality. Construction is likely to begin in June and the property is scheduled to open in September 2011.

by Andy Moreton

If you’re travelling to South Africa, take a look at Luxique’s selection of luxury hotels in Cape Town, Johannesburg and other many other parts of this stunning country.

The leading business publisher, Forbes (of ‘Rich List’ fame) recently announced its experts’ pick of Europe’s most luxurious hotels.

Among them are the following six which are available to book at the best rates through Luxique. Alongside is a snapshot of the jury’s verdict:

• Le Meurice Paris: ‘Modern elegance, with the opulence of Versailles.’

• Claridge’s, London: ‘The destination of choice for the world’s celebrities and royals.’

• Grand Hotel du Cap Ferrat, St Jean Cap Ferrat, France: ‘A legendary hotel that epitomises and exudes old-world glamour, while simultaneously offering modern amenities for today’s discerning traveller.”

• Hotel Adlon Berlin: ‘An historic masterpiece, in a prime location, provoking a sense of awe upon arrival.’

• Corinthia Grand Hotel Royal, Budapest: ‘Behind the opulent and grand façade lies the fully restored 19th-century spa where guests can enjoy anything from a mud or seaweed bath to an array of full-body wraps.’

• Villa d’Este, Lake Como, Italy: ‘A much-vaunted palazzo hotel that has dazzled royalty, celebrities, billionaires and chic in-the-know jetsetters for more than a century.’

by Andy Moreton, with acknowledgements to Richard Carnell of Forbes.com.

There are plans to create a five-star Titanic-themed hotel at the old headquarters of the Belfast shipyard, Harland and Woolf, where the doomed liner was built.

If the planning application goes through, there will be a 90-bedroom boutique hotel at Queen’s Island in the east of the city with a swimming pool, gym and spa facilities. It will form part of a redevelopment of 185 acres of former shipyard land.

The area is already known as the Titanic Quarter in memory of the liner which sank on its maiden voyage in 1912 with the loss of more than 1,500 lives.

A spokesman for the developers, Titanic Quarter Ltd, said: “Given the enormous global interest in the Titanic and the building’s close association with the ship, such a hotel will add to the Northern Ireland tourist experience.”

Northern Ireland’s capital, for so long blighted by sectarian violence, is now mostly at peace and welcoming tourists from all over the world. The recent Tall Ships Festival attracted 500,000 visitors in three days to the Belfast waterfront and developers believe the Titanic plan will draw around 400,000 people a year.

by Andy Moreton

I’m writing to you from a group of islands close to continental Europe – an area slightly smaller than Oregon.

That’s the UK in a nutshell, as described by the White House in a briefing booklet for the journalists accompanying President Obama to the G20 summit in London last week.

It was a relief to know that we Brits weren’t being singled out for this size-ism – Germany is ‘about the size of Montana,’ while for the Czech Republic, think Virginia. Even France, the largest country in western Europe, is only ‘four-fifths the size of Texas.’

One person who was happy to leave capacious California for little London is the Oscar-winning actress, Gwyneth Paltrow. Married to Chris Martin, the lead singer of Coldplay, she lives during the school year in Belsize Park - a cool quarter of the city frequented by celebs, media types and fashionistas.

On her lifestyle website, Paltrow has been sharing her advice on ‘my London.’ This includes her favourite hotels, which she has named as the Berkeley, the Hempel and Blakes. We at Luxique know how fabulous these three luxury hotels in London are, but let’s hear it from the lady herself:

“For a while, Blake’s was my home-away-from-home in London before I got a flat. It’s a super-chic design hotel, but comfortable and sexy. It’s perfect for a romantic trip.”

“I’ve been to The Hempel a few times and really responded to its clean, modern feeling. It’s in a cool part of London, a bit off the beaten track and it faces a lovely garden. It’s contemporary and minimal - perfect if that’s your vibe.”

“The Berkeley is my favourite proper grown-up hotel in London. It’s done beautifully and has brilliant services. There’s a pool on the roof that opens on sunny days. Right in the centre of London (and on my old street), this is perfect for the discerning business traveller.”

Well said, Gwyneth – there’s a job for you as a Luxique reviewer any time you fancy it. And, readers, if you want more from Planet Paltrow, go to www.goop.com (but be prepared to ‘nourish the inner aspect’).

by Andy Moreton

The Dorchester is one of the finest traditional luxury hotels in London – it has a long and distinguished history and has always attracted the top personalities of the day.

Recently it played host to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who were in London for the Baftas – the UK equivalent of the Oscars.

But when it came to a pre-Baftas meal, they shunned not only the hotel’s classy Alain Ducasse restaurant, where meals are around £100 ($144), but also any number of other Michelin-starred places.

Instead, they opted for a £20 ($29) a head meal at the Noor Jahan, a curry house in the South Kensington area. They were joined by former supermodel Claudia Schiffer and her film director husband Matthew Vaughn, as well as actor Robert Downey Junior.

The party apparently dined on a feast of vegetable samosas, tandoori lamb chops and the house special, lamb passanda – a favourite dish of Vaughn’s, who recommended the 40-seat restaurant.
And it seemed they wanted a low-key night out to match their choice of restaurant. Shauyab Ahmed, part-owner of the restaurant, said: “Some of the staff asked them for autographs, but they didn’t want to give them. They just wanted to chat, so we didn’t take photographs.”

Perhaps the meal was the best part of their evening, as neither won a celebrated Bafta mask: Pitt, nominated as Best Actor for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, lost out to Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler. Jolie, nominated as Best Actress for Changeling, was beaten by Kate Winslet in The Reader.

by Andy Moreton

Luxique offers a range of luxury hotels in London, including five in the South Kensington area: Blakes, The Pelham, Number Sixteen, base2stay and The Cranley.