Unique luxury hotels, fashionable travel and much more

I’ve featured a few quirky hotels in these posts, and here’s another: the V8 in Germany, which offers guests the chance to sleep in beds made from cars.

The luxury hotel is based in Stuttgart’s Meilenwerk – an international hub for car dealers – and guests can choose to sleep in anything from a small family saloon to a large limousine.

Built inside the city’s old Boblingen Airport, the hotel also has rooms on three levels within the building’s former control tower. For around £312 ($488) a night, visitors can stay in the spacious Zeppelin Suite featuring a sauna, terrace and landscape views over the old airport grounds.


The four-star hotel incorporates 34 rooms, all themed around the car, so you can rest your head in an old Cadillac at a drive-in cinema, a Mercedes at a car-wash or a Morris Minor at a service station. The motoring motif extends to the reception and the restaurant.


by Andy Moreton

For non ‘petrol-heads’, Luxique offers the best rates at a range of other luxury hotels in Germany.

There was something of a shock for 135 passengers heading for Milan in Italy on an overnight sleeper train. They woke up in Zurich, Switzerland.

Travellers boarded the carriages of two trains on Sunday night in the Spanish city of Barcelona – one was destined for Zurich and the other for Milan. They travelled in convoy to Lyon in France where, in the early hours, technicians were to split them and send them their separate ways. But they confused the destinations.

The staff on one train realised the mistake at the Italian border and the train was sent back, finally arriving at its destination three hours late. However, the Salvador Dali travelled all the way to Zurich before the error was realised.

Still confused? Let a spokesman for Renfe, the Spanish rail company, explain: “Signallers made a mistake during the points switch in Lyon. The drivers of the two locomotives went the right way but they left Lyon with the wrong set of carriages.”

This ‘train hotel’ service called Elipsos is particularly popular with British students who spend the summer inter-railing around Europe. Its slogan? Wake Up To A New Skyline.

by Andy Moreton

Luxique can help you find a luxury hotel in Barcelona, Milan or Zurich … whether you’re there by accident or design.

The publicity department of the budget airline, Ryanair, always seems to be working overtime, and it’s often difficult to tell whether it’s being serious or simply taking us for a ride.

After the idea of pay toilets was floated, the latest wacky idea to come out of the no-frills Irish carrier is a plan to introduce standing room on its aircraft. The airline’s boss, Michael O’Leary, is looking to replace ten rows of seats on London to Dublin flights with standing slots that could sell for as little as 5 euros (£4/$6).

“People are always slow to accept the changes that face the aviation industry, even though it is already almost unrecognisable from 20 to 30 years ago,” said a spokesman for the airline. “We have already done away with check-in desks, an idea that two years ago people dismissed as a joke. We absolutely believe that these new proposals are the future.”

There is one problem, however. For this to come to pass, the regulations of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) would have to be ripped up. In its certification specifications it states: ‘A seat (or berth for a non-ambulant person) must be provided for each occupant who has reached his or her second birthday.’

“This idea [of Ryanair’s] is unprecedented and unlikely to be certified in the near future,” said a spokesman for EASA.

Most bloggers and message posters see this as a Ryanair PR stunt. “How long before they suggest roof racks?” asks one.

by Andy Moreton

If you’re flying to the Irish Republic with or without frills, check out Luxique’s selection of seven luxury hotels in Dublin, including U2’s The Clarence.

When visiting Paris, it’s always fun to go to a flea market to see what old bargains you can pick up to adorn your home. But for one unfortunate British couple, this signalled a chain of events about which they are still probably pretty embarrassed.

Their find was a 19th century live artillery shell, and it caused a major security alert when they tried to board the Eurostar train back to London. Explosives experts, firemen and police were scrambled to the Gare du Nord, the main Eurostar terminal in Paris, and services were held up for at least an hour.

The device dated back to France’s Third Republic, around 1885, when the whole country was full of live explosives following the Franco-Prussian War.

“Live explosives are strictly banned on all cross–Channel services, no matter how old they are,” said a French customs source. “All kinds of banned articles are picked up every day, but this is the first time someone’s tried to get through with a pre-First World War shell in their luggage.”

The unnamed couple, who thought their purchase was ‘a nice souvenir’, were cautioned about their behaviour before being allowed to return to Britain. The shell was confiscated and destroyed.

by Andy Moreton

The French capital is an explosion of colour and vibrancy at any time of the year. Book your luxury hotel in Paris through Luxique – we have an unrivalled selection of classic and modern.

I suspect that only the ultra-green Scandinavians could have thought up a wheeze such as this …

A luxury hotel in Copenhagen is offering a free meal to any guest who’s willing to produce electricity for the hotel on an exercise bike attached to a generator. At least 10 watt-hours would need to be delivered to qualify – roughly 15 minutes of cycling for someone of average fitness.

The Crowne Plaza in Copenhagen says the idea is to get people fit and reduce their carbon footprint. The luxury hotel already produces renewable energy with solar panels on its facade.

“Many of our visitors are business people who enjoy going to the gym,” said hotel spokeswoman, Frederikke Toemmergaard. “There might be the odd person who will cycle just to get a free meal, but I don’t think people will exploit the initiative overall,” she added.

Copenhagen has a long-standing bicycle tradition, with about 36 per cent of locals cycling to work each day – one of the highest percentages in the world. “Because Copenhagen is strongly associated with cycling, we felt the bicycle would work well as a symbol of the hotel’s green profile,” said Ms Toemmergaard.

by Andy Moreton

Perhaps you want to leave the gym behind and simply relax when you jet off to Denmark … take a look at Luxique’s selection of luxury and boutique hotels in Copenhagen

It’s an ill wind, as the saying goes, and the volcanic ash cloud that’s caused misery for airlines and their passengers throughout Europe has been good news for others.

Airport food and shopping outlets have been doing brisk trade, while both budget and luxury hotels are doing their best to accommodate unscheduled guests. Ferry companies, who transport people across the English Channel, and Eurostar, whose trains take them under it, are reporting record business.

Some celebrities have taken extreme measures to make sure they got where they needed to be:

Non-flying circus
Comedy actor John Cleese was stranded in Norway, and paid £3,300 ($5,000) to take a cab from Oslo to Brussels - a 943-mile journey that was shared by three drivers. From Brussels he intended to take a Eurostar train to London.

Houston, we have a problem …
Whitney Houston, who’s been in the UK on her Nothing But Love world tour, was forced to take a less-than-glamorous car ferry across to the Irish Republic for her concerts in Dublin. The journey took more than three hours, compared with less than an hour by air.

Dash of the day
British TV soccer presenter, Gary Lineker, made a 2,000-mile trip across Europe, taking a plane from Tenerife to Madrid, then a hire car to Paris, and Eurostar to London. He arrived minutes before the start of Saturday’s show, having been 36 hours without sleep and not seen any of the matches on which he was to comment.

by Andy Moreton

High-flyers will love this exclusive luxury hotel accommodation. The two-bedroom suite is housed inside the fuselage of a 1965 Boeing 727, which was destined for the scrap-heap.

It’s located at the luxury Hotel Costa Verde on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica’s Manuel Antonio National Park. Jutting out from the hillside, the Boeing offers views of the ocean and jungle from balconies built on each wing.

The plane was transported piece by piece on five big trucks from San Jose airport to its current resting place on a pedestal 50 feet above the beach.

There are two air-conditioned bedrooms, each with private bathroom, a kitchenette, dining foyer and flat-screen TV. The plane’s interior is Costa Rican teak panelling from the flight deck to the tail. The hand-carved, teak furniture comes from Java, Indonesia. The private entrance is up a spiral staircase hewn from rock.

And the cost of booking a luxury hotel room in this piece of cleverly recycled aluminium? Between $400 and $500 (£266-333) a day.

by Andy Moreton

Trust me, this is not a joke. A Czech travel agency is offering trips to Prague for your favourite teddy bear or other stuffed toy.

For the equivalent of £78 ($122), the agency will take pictures of the toy tourists at Prague’s major sights and put them on a CD so that you, the owner, can ‘boast to friends or on Facebook’.

The man behind it, Tomio Okamura, said:

“It is not a joke. We are four owners [including] me – the vice president of the Czech National Association of Travel Agencies – also Miss Dana Bérová, who is a former minister. So it’s proof that it’s a very serious business.”

But the sightseeing is just the half of it. For an extra £52 ($81), the toys can have massage or aromatherapy sessions. Mr Okamura again:

“Yes, we will make massage on the mat next to Charles Bridge, with Prague Castle in the background. So we will put teddy bear on the mat, put candles around him and take photos. So then his owner can say that his bear had a massage in Prague.”

Of course, the tour organisers need to know in advance if the guest is vegetarian because lunch is included …

Look, I can’t go on with this, it’s too ridiculous. If you have a teddy that’s shown an interest in broadening his horizons, go to www.sendyourdarling.com.

by Andy Moreton

Why send your teddy when you can go yourself? Here at Luxique, we describe the Czech capital as ‘a fairyland of pinnacles, towers and fabulously ornate castles and palaces.’ And we have a selection of 23 of the best luxury hotels in Prague.

A hotel with rooms as small as 50 sq ft. (15 sq m) is to be built as part of the redevelopment of a famous London tourist spot.

Plans have been approved for the 495–room hotel at the Trocadero in Piccadilly Circus. It will take its inspiration from Japanese ‘pod’ hotels, which have capsules for rooms to make use of space in crowded cities.

The Trocadero, originally built as a restaurant, is an entertainment space with shops and a cinema. The hotel will be located over seven floors behind its Grade II listed facade. Corridors will run round the building and rooms grouped around internal courtyards. Rates are expected to be £20–40 ($32–65) a night.

Wan Yau, director of architects Dexter Moren Associates, said:

“The lighting, temperature and even TV channels can be pre-programmed, enabling every guest to have a personalised ‘pod’ experience. We wanted to create an oasis away from the bustling activity [of London].”

When work starts on the site later this year, two neighbouring theatres – the Apollo and the Lyric – have asked for extra soundproofing so their productions aren’t ruined. It’s hoped to have the Trocadero Hotel ready in time for the London 2012 Olympics.

by Andy Moreton

Luxique has a hand-picked selection of the finest luxury London hotels – some large and traditional, some small and chic (but not that small!)

One of the more bizarre travel stories of the past week was in the Daily Telegraph, which reported that Chechnya was to market itself as a ‘Swiss-style’ ski resort to attract Russian and foreign tourists.

As the Telegraph’s Moscow correspondent, Andrew Osborn, observed:

“If the plan succeeds, it will be one of the most radical makeovers in the history of global tourism. The southern Russian republic is better known for suicide bombings, kidnappings and two brutal wars than for après ski parties and designer ski wear.”

The President of the troubled region, Ramzan Kadyrov, said he thought the small mountainous republic had huge tourism potential. He and his advisers have earmarked a scenic area called the Argun Gorge for a large ski resort to include a luxury hotel, mid-priced chalets and a spa complex.

“We have a good climate and wonderful scenery,” said Mr Kadyrov. “We have places that, when equipped with the necessary infrastructure, will be in no way inferior to Swiss resorts.”

Russian tourism experts believe Chechnya does have potential, but say personal safety issues mean the bold plan is ahead of its time. That’s a view echoed by the Foreign Office in London. It advises against all travel to Chechnya, saying terrorism and kidnapping remain a serious threat.

by Andy Moreton