"Do Not Disturb" can mean different things to different travellers.
To the romantically minded it means slipping the sign onto the
doorknob and stealing a long lie-in together in seriously sexy
surroundings. For others it is about indulging in total relaxation
with no TV or mobile signal, or slipping into your own unsigned
city apartment away from the hotel hordes.
Whether you’re seeking romance or relaxation, we have come up
with our top 15 DND escapes where we go with our loved ones
to escape the stresses of, ahem, running a busy travel website. We
love them all - but shhh, don’t tell the world…!
1. Declutter your life - Casa La Siesta
Where: Near Vejer de la Frontera, Andalucia
The DND Factor: The name says it all.
Tucked in a tiny village outside the sleepy white-washed town of
Vejer de la Frontera, this 7-room bolthole offers everything you
need to unwind in style: blissfully calm interiors (no pictures on
the wall so you can concentrate on the exquisite vistas of rolling
fields), free drinks so there's no stress about your bar bill, an
outdoor boma for lazy summer BBQs, and – in the larger rooms
- emperor-size beds to retire to afterwards (that's 2x2m of duvet
space to get lost in!).
The Pad: Just 7 rooms, each one the epitome of uncluttered
chic, with underfloor heating, Egyptian cotton sheets, Ren bath
goodies and a pillow menu; home-cooked dinners offered most nights,
taken outdoors in summer, a living room with piano and guitar; and
a big infinity pool
From £150 per room per night based on two sharing, with
breakfast
2. Far from the Medina Madness – Dar
Zemora
Where: Palmeraie, Marrakech, Morocco
The DND Factor: No television, no
medina noise. Instead this small country villa is surrounded by
orange and lemon trees, palms, roses, oleander and bougainvillea,
where you can be as social or as private as you want. The
‘Fan’ room with its swaying drapes and floor cushions
provides the chill out backdrop, while the library, the beautiful
garden and the suites bring the real DND factor: In La Perla, a
private roof terrace with daybeds for sunbathing a deux, in the
Pavilion Pool Suite, your own pool for romantic skinny
dipping.
The Pad: Just three suites and three standard rooms with
tadelakt walls, stone bejmat floors covered with Moroccan rugs and
hand painted zouak ceilings, complemented by a mix of Moroccan
furniture and furnishings. Paintings by local artists adorn the
walls and the feel is elegant manor home, rather than modern
minimalist hotel. The tiny touches include free bottled water,
iPods, scented candles and flowers and a new hamman for maximum
pampering.
From £150 per room per night based on two
sharing
3. Your own private city bolthole – 39
Steps
Where: Barcelona, Spain
The DND Factor: Getting lost in the
daily life of a chic Barcelona resident, living like a local and
forgetting your own postcode. This slice of designer city living is
in a 200 year old building accessed by 39 narrow steps right up to
your own stylish one-bedroom apartment. This is a perfect urban
bolthole for couples wanting quality time, and the only people at
home are you. . Hit the local buzzy bars or stock up on jamon e
queso and shut the world out.
The Pad: Minutes from Plaça de Catalunya and the
craziness of the Rambla, the surprisingly tranquil apartment boasts
a well-equipped galley kitchen, a funky living/dining space, a
large walk-in shower room and a boat of a bed making siestas the
law.
From £165 per night based on two sharing, includes tea,
coffee and oranges for the juicer
4. For French kissing...and eating – La Petite
Folie
Where: Honfleur, Normandy, France
The DND Factor: Banishing thoughts of
the bulging inbox is easy in this charming time-warp of a town.
With its timber houses, old port and narrow cobbled streets
it’s easy to see why Hornfleur inspired the Impressionist
artists. Lose yourself in the romance or gorge on the local fayre.
Foodies rave about its fabulous cheeses, cider and Michelin-starred
restaurants. And if you needed any more persuading, La Petite Folie
is reason to come here in itself.
The Pad: A splendid 1830s captain's house with a quaint
14th-century home next door; the first is a B&B with five
pretty bedrooms and the second contains three self-catering
apartments. The B&B is a haven of family-style comfort, with a
large salon, a cosy breakfast room with an open fire; the
apartments, which have their own secret entrance through a private
courtyard, offer total privacy.
From £150 per room per night based on two sharing,
includes breakfast and taxes
5. A thoroughly British ‘love-in’ –
The Miller Of Mansfield
Where: Goring-On-Thames, Berkshire, UK
The DND Factor: It’s all sexy
and sumptuous: the beds, the sheepskin rugs, the towelling
robes...and that’s just en route to the soft lighting and
bath made for two. Plus there’s the story of the couple that
didn’t leave their room for 72 hours straight, and a
nomination as one of the UK’s 10 sexiest hotels by Red
Magazine. Nudge nudge, wink wink indeed!
The Pad: An 18th-century inn nestled in the teeny village of
Goring, where guests sink into leather armchairs by open fires,
drink wine in the terraced garden or make the most of their
boudoir. Each of the 14 rooms is decorated very differently, style
ranging from vintage 60s floral furnishings to fuchsia walls and
Cole & Son statement wallpaper. Philippe Starck Perspex chairs
and Graham & Green chandeliers blend perfectly with antique
wooden furniture and Persian rugs; the ensuite marble bathrooms are
full of Molton Brown. For guests that do leave the building, hand
holding walks in the Thames Valley await.
From £125 per room per night based on two sharing,
breakfast included
6. A ‘haute couture’ palace of your own for the
weekend – La Residenza Napoleone
Where: Rome, Italy
The DND Factor: Step through the
large wooden gates from the buzz of the fashionable Via Dei
Condotti and enter an all together more splendid age. This is the
chance to indulge the clichés of ‘living like a
King’ or ‘acting like a princess’ in the very
building where Emperor Napoleon III and his mother, the former
Queen of Holland, lived. Now it's home to the welcoming and
unpretentious Princess Letizia Ruspoli, who has made two apartments
available to the select few.
The Pad: Doric colonnades lined with statues lead up to a
wing of the 16th-century Palazzo Ruspoli. Above the all-marble
staircase, imperial busts gaze onto fabulous antiques, and rare
Gobelin tapestries rub shoulders with 500-year-old oil paintings
(one of which artfully conceals a cinema screen). Great staff, and
a personal butler for every whim. Modern comforts include iPods and
a DVD library, and the stunning views over the city provoke a gasp
or two.
From £608 per room per night based on two sharing,
including breakfast, fresh fruit and Chianti produced from grapes
grown on the Ruspoli estate, internet and gym facilities
7. Pamper on Wales’ former Millionaire’s Row –
Holm House
Where: Penarth, South Wales
The DND Factor: No noise, no kids
only a dozen rooms and a high end in-house spa – perfect for
pampering in style. Truly indulge with Jo Malone goodies, post-
treatment afternoon tea in designer gardens, pre-dinner
G&T’s in the bar and an enchanting restaurant with
sensational local food. Holm House definitely delivers on the over
used ‘pick me up’ claims.
The Pad: This Welsh boutique bolthole offers stylish
pampering in a former nursing home on Penarth’s
‘Millionaire’s Row’ transformed by a designer
makeover by its owner Susan Sessions, A stunning 1920's building
draped in contemporary furniture and designer décor with 12
luxurious rooms most with sea views and all the latest
gadgetry.
From £155 room per night based on two sharing, includes
full Welsh breakfast, internet and VAT
8. Stylish Parisian Gem – Hotel Recamier
Where: Paris, France
The DND Factor: Impeccably mannered
staff staff who know when to disappear, interior design that is
guaranteed to wow your other half, and the discreet ambiance of a
private home belonging to a leisured Marquise (afternoon tea and
cakes are served in the salon – on the house). If you fancy a
romantic weekend in Paris, based in a gorgeous little townhouse
hotel that will impress and delight – and, let's face it, who
doesn't? – then the Récamier, newly opened in 2009 and
with 100% satisfaction rating from i-escape guests so far, ticks
all the boxes.
The Pad: A 6-storey townhouse in Saint Germain des
Près, with 24 cosy rooms (we all know what 'cosy' really
means, but who needs loads of space on a dirty weekend?), complete
with subtle lighting and disguised mirrors courtesy of in-vogue
designer Jean-Louis Deniot; also scrumptious Fragonard toiletries,
original artwork from the nearby Galerie Lumas, a courtyard terrace
and staff who always say "oui".
From £207 per room per night based on two sharing, room
only
9. A stress-free city retreat by the sea – Hotel
J
Where: Nacka Strand, Stockholm, Sweden
The DND Factor: Staying at the Hotel
J feels like being on a boat – you're right on the water's
edge, in the quiet, yachty neighbourhood of Nacka Strand, with an
East-Coast-American nautical theme both inside and out. You'd never
guess you're only 20 minutes by boat from Stockholm centre (and
less by taxi). It's a great place to combine urban culture (the
city has great shopping and seafood cuisine) with a marine escape
(the hotel has Hobie Cats for sailing trips around the nearby
archipelago). Go on a city break and come back feeling like you've
been sailing.
The Pad: Most rooms have their own balcony with watery,
ever-changing views – perfect for sailboat-spotting; and
there's a seafront garden with comfy chairs complete with soft
blankets for chill-free reflection (and a G&T from the honesty
bar) after the sun's gone down. Their sister restaurant serves
superb Swedish cuisine on plain wooden tables decked with hurricane
lanterns and candles.
From £114 per room per night based on two sharing, with
breakfast
10. Float my boat – Water Home
Where: Oud West, Amsterdam, Holland
The DND Factor: your own houseboat on
a tranquil, leafy canal in Europe's dopiest city. Wake to the sound
of ripples lapping at the hull, pop into the ready-stocked kitchen
for a lazy breakfast of your own choice, then slip outside onto the
plant-ringed deck for a quiet smoke or a strum on the guitar
(provided). If you want to make beautiful music together, there a
piano inside, too.
The Pad: a surprisingly spacious living-dining area with a
(spare) double bed, a well equipped kitchenette, a 20-square-metre
deck, a master bedroom (double) and a bathroom – perfect for
a couple, big enough for 2 couples who know each other well.
From £107 for the whole houseboat per night, based on two
to four sharing, accommodation only (plus breakfast
provisions)
11. An indulgent Gallic postcode – 42 Rue Victor
Hugo
Where: Carcassonne, France
The DND Factor: Not lifting a finger
makes for very little that disturbs. Owners Peter and Deborah
Woodcock meet guests from their flight, drive them to an old French
townhouse and plop them in a suite to serve aperitifs, cook dinner
and clean up before they leave. After that, they only come when you
need them. It's the ‘beck and call’ service of a five
star hotel but the entire place is yours, even down to your own
front door. This private apartment with a pre-loaded iPod and wine
stacked fridge makes it seriously easy to forget where you came
from and switch off completely.
The pad: Three stylish one-bed apartments in historic
Carcassonne, for couples to unwind and rediscover romance on walks
in a fairytale city of towers, drawbridges and cobbled streets. The
apartments are within walking distance of the Cité (the
largest medieval city in Europe) and the Canal du Midi, both Unesco
sites, and a choice of a restaurants and bars.
From £149 per apartment per night based on two sharing,
part catering includes daily breakfast, one 4-course dinner with
wine, kitchen supplies and more
12. Gone fishing – Bellinter House
Where: near Navan, County Meath, Ireland
The DND factor: an ex-convent with 12
acres of parkland for fishing, golf and secluded walks. Ireland has
been getting far too energetic for our liking recently. So it's a
relief to find a country pad where life continues in much the same
relaxed, graceful manner that it has for centuries. Well,
admittedly, there are multi-media plasma TVs, Bose sound systems
and mood lighting… but you can still escape the 21st century
by going trout fishing on the river Boyne (which flows through the
estate); or sidle off to the spa for a seaweed bath using
‘hand-harvested’ wild seaweed from Sligo. If you want
to get further away from it all, book a hot-air balloon trip from
the front lawn. Guaranteed not to bump into anyone you know.
The Pad: 45 minutes from Dublin, a meticulously restored
Palladian manor with 34 rooms and apartments, a seaweed spa and an
aptly named Eden Restaurant (sister of the Eden in Dublin).
Bedrooms boast sleigh beds, copper slipper baths and parkland
views. If it rains, you won't feel cheated holing up here.
From £114 per room per night based on two sharing, with
breakfast
13. A couple's hideaway deep in wooded hills –
Villa Metato
Where: near Citta di Castello, Umbria, Italy
The DND Factor: a ravishing bolthole
for two blanketed by miles of ancient forest – a place to
hole up à deux for a few blissful days. Most visitors to
Umbria and Tuscany think of art-filled cities and Renaissance
cathedrals, but you won't be doing much sightseeing here: you're 20
miles from the nearest towns, and 3 from the nearest restaurant.
Thankfully you have your own kitchen, and offers to re-stock it
from the friendly English-speaking owners who live next door (who
can also arrange massage and one-on-one yoga sessions). Time for a
round of bocce (Italian boules) or table tennis, and some
hand-in-hand mushroom hunting in the woods which surround
you.
The Pad: A split-level, one-bedroomed villa brought to jazzy life
with design classics from the 1950s and 60s. There's also a sitting
room, 2 dining areas, a good kitchen, an outdoor terrace and a
downstairs bathroom. And your very own pool.
From £166 for the villa per night (for i-escape guests only)
based on two sharing, with breakfast provided –
www.i-escape.com/villametato.php
14. Sleepy Provence with staggering views – La
Maison de Blauzac
Where: Blauzac, Nr Uzes, Provence, France
The DND Factor: The staggering view
and the sense of peace in this unspoilt corner of Provence makes it
a challenge NOT to relax and unwind in this village house escape.
The sleepy, tiny and utterly lovely Blauzac, where stone houses
climb the hill and the odd dog snoozes in the shade, feels like it
hasn’t changed since the 12th century when the local church
and chateau were built. Find La Maison tucked away behind a modest
door concealing one of the most tranquil views you’ll ever
experience.
The Pad: A gorgeous 18th-century village house with
staggering views, pretty garden and a pool close to medieval Uzes.
The inside is a lovely as the outside boasting a walled pool
decorated with laurel, olive and jasmine, exposed stone walls,
ancient stone staircase up to a sofa filled library and a salon
with piano salon. The rooms, lovingly decorated by owners Christian
and Pierre, are a surprising steal of a price too.
From £95 per room per night based on two sharing, includes
breakfast
15. The rockstar fantasy – Scandic Front
Where: Copenhagen, Denmark
The DND Factor: If DND, to you, means
a sign on the door after a long night, then this is your place.
With a visitor’s book boasting the likes of Snoop Dogg and
Gwen Stefani, this Scandinavian crib comes complete with rockstar
rooms. A saunter through the large sliding doors reveals a large
chalkboard inviting guests to scribble whatever thoughts come into
their head – so you can offload before properly embarking on
your break. To the right is a quiet lounge with a hip pink and
purple fireplace, and to the left a small bar for newspaper and
magazine perusing. The basement conceals a spa and fitness area
– perfect for ‘me time’.
The Pad: 113 cool bedrooms over four floors with soft shag
pile carpets, kiehls goodies, comfy beds, calming beige decor, free
Wi-Fi and a mini-bar with free coke, beer and water. Oh, and
perhaps a throwback from the figure-conscious artists who stayed
during the MTV Europe Music awards: the turn down treat is fruit,
not chocs!
From £133 per room per night based on two sharing,
includes breakfast, internet and gym
