Press Releases
|
 The Ultimate Island Escapes
There’s something special about an island holiday, the feeling that you’re that little bit further away from it all, the pace of life slows down as you step ashore and you switch your watch to ‘island time’. Hunting out those precious island experiences has just got a little bit easier with our guide to the ultimate island escapes. Never compromising on style, the collection brings together islands large and small around the world, with a mix of lesser known finds and some of our all time favourites.
1. Tropical hideaway - Koh Phra Thong, Andaman Sea, Thailand
Where: Koh Phra Thong is located in the Andaman Sea off Thailand's west coast near the town of Kuraburi.
The Cool Factor: This island is perfect for those in search of an unspoiled natural environment, peace and seclusion. With 16 kilometres of empty, golden beaches this really is the antidote to the high density tourism of Thai islands - there are no cars on the island and the only “road” is a sandy track
The Pad: Golden Buddha Beach Resort is the only resort on the island and it offers 21 spacious traditional Thai style wooden houses set in the coastal woods. Start the day with a swim off a deserted beach, followed by a gentle massage and healthy breakfast of fresh fruits and exotic juices. Canoe the tidal river, snorkel in the lagoon or walk one of the endless beaches - staying on Golden Buddha is as close as you can come to having your own tropical hideaway in paradise.
From $75 (£49) per room per night based on two sharing, room only
2. The new Zanzibar - Mafia Islands, Tanzania
Where: The Mafia Islands are located off the coast of Tanzania. They lie 160km south of Zanzibar and just 20km east of the Rufiji river delta on the mainland
The Cool Factor: Touted as the new Zanzibar, Mafia Island has many of the perks of its Indian Ocean neighbour but with far less development.
The Pad: Ras Mbisi Lodge has an Eden-esque setting on a remote 5 mile beach of virgin sand and is the perfect place to kick back and relax – chill out on cushions in the airy main lodge, enjoy the intimacy of your own beautifully crafted thatched banda and relish the fantastic food on offer. Each banda is made entirely of coconut wood and comes complete with four poster bed, private deck with planter style chairs, silk cushions, airy bathroom with rainwater shower and a writing desk and chair – so no excuse for not sending a postcard home! To top it off, the lodge has excellent eco credentials and almost all of the food is grown in situ or is locally sourced.
From $165 (£108) per person per night, full board
3. A taste of traditional Greece - Leros, Greece
Where: Leros is one of the Dodecanese Islands, located in the south eastern Aegean Sea
The Cool Factor: Its unspoilt and authentic character is definitely the selling point for Leros. The island has only relatively recently been discovered as a tourist destination and it still offers a glimpse of traditional rural Greek life.
The Pad: Archontiko Angelou is an elegant B&B housed in a grand old building. This gorgeous 1895 country house is set in gardens full of red, pink and white geraniums, and is located just 250 metres from the loveliest beach on Leros. Fields surround you, mountains rise behind and the sound of goat-bells and cockerels interrupt the afternoon cicadas. The rooms are big and airy, while breakfast is a wonderful array of home grown and home made fayre. Hire a car or moped to discover tiny churches, paddle in the sea, visit mountain top castles and undiscovered fishing villages, or chill out on the sandy beaches.
From 80 Euros (£71) per room per night, based on two sharing, includes breakfast
4. Paradise for fly fishers - Chiloé, Chile
Where:
The land south of Puerto Montt in Chile’s northern Patagonia crumbles into pieces to form the rural archipelago of Chiloé
The Cool Factor: Pure isolation! This place is remote and untouched. Chiloé is not about sun, sea and sand, but dense evergreen forests, undulating hills – and the best fly-fishing we've come across!
The Pad: Tucked away on a hidden bay, Puerto Nativo is definitely a destination with a difference. It overlooks one of the Estero Paildad - or ‘interior sea’ - bays, with a beach at the bottom of the garden and views of rolling green hills behind. The wooden house is beautiful and open-plan, with simple but tasteful furnishings and delicious home-cooked meals. Take in the spectacular view from the huge eye-level round window on the stairs, enjoy excursions to surrounding villages, historic churches and craft markets, and – whatever you do – don't miss the fly-fishing excursions with trout and salmon queuing up for your bait under Marco's expert guidance.
From $150 (£98) per person per night, full board
5. Secret backwater isle - Kumbalangi Cochin, India
Where: This homestay is located in Kumbalangi, one of the many islands enclosed by the network of lakes and canals that make up the Keralan Backwaters in southern India.
The Cool Factor: This is all about the real India. Close to the bustle of colonial Fort Cochin yet set in the peaceful backwaters, this island is perfect for utter relaxation and a taste of genuine Indian life.
The Pad: Gramam Homestay is set in a lush garden of coconut palms and mango trees. The family that run it have created a wonderfully relaxed and personal atmosphere, and provide a real insight into Keralan traditions and culture. Expect airy interiors, antique furniture, superb seafood curries and a wonderfully warm welcome. Borrow a bike and binoculars for birdwatching, take a tour of Cochin, fish with the locals or just kick back in the hammock with a book
From £50 per room per night based on two sharing, includes breakfast
6. Go slow Island with blissful beaches - Isla Holbox, Mexico
Where: Holbox Island is located on the north eastern tip of Quintana Roo and is a short ferry ride away from the Yucatan peninsula.
The Cool Factor: This go slow island is made for relaxing, with blissful beaches, stunning sunsets and ocean views. It is a serene destination for fishing, birdwatching, and blissful beach strolls.
The Pad: Stay at CasaSandra – the passion project of Sandra Perez, Cuban music producer, poet and artist. Friends advised her to visit unspoiled Isla Holbox, the last vestige of uncommercial living on the Maya Riviera, and she instantly fell in love with its raw beauty and decided to create her very own hideaway. Carefully sourced Cuban antiques sit alongside bespoke colonial style furniture from Guadalajara furnishing the 15 romantic rooms and seriously sexy suites with ocean views. This place is Mexican with a contemporary edge that gives it a stylish and welcoming ambiance. Add the best restaurant on the island, vast double sun loungers and a new pool, and you have the perfect formula for lusciously lazy days.
From $227 (£149) per room per night based on two sharing, includes breakfast
7. Vietnam’s best kept secret - Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam
Where: Phu Quoc Island is located 50km off the south coast of Vietnam. It's only 15km from coastal Cambodia and is the largest island in the Gulf of Thailand.
The Cool Factor: This wild and remote destination is a picture perfect island: beautiful white-sand beaches, turquoise waters, small fishing villages and a jungle-covered interior. Relatively undeveloped, this is undoubtedly one of Vietnam’s best kept secrets.
The Pad: Bo Resort is situated on the gorgeous Ong Lang beach. It is made up of fourteen stilted bungalows, set among the banana trees. They come in rustic cabin style, with bamboo balconies and slightly eccentric inside/outside en-suite shower rooms. Paths weave down to an apron of lawn that ends at palm-fringed sands and there’s a shaded restaurant/ bar which acts as the social hub of the place. The food is good, with a 5-hectare vegetable garden inland providing much for the table, mangoes and papaya come from the island and the freshest fish is served straight from the water. Fill your time exploring this untamed island of sandy beaches, tiny fishing villages, forested mountains and coral islets.
From $50 (£33) per room per night based on two sharing, room only
8. The definition of barefoot luxury - Nikoi Island, Indonesia
Where: Nikoi Island is a private island located just off Bintan Island, 2 hours from Singapore.
The Cool Factor: This is the definition of barefoot luxury. A laidback secluded getaway offering an abundance of pristine, natural wonders and wildlife encounters. Ringed with white sandy beaches, crystal-clear waters and coral reefs, and blessed with a rainforest teeming with birds, this tiny island offers the ultimate Robinson Crusoe experience
The Pad: The only buildings on the island are Nikoi Island’s beautiful, Zen-like Indonesian beach houses, each with a stunning seafront location and perfect sunset view. Affordable and far from pretentious, the resort has two pools, friendly staff and eco-friendly principles. Enjoy a beach front massage, tuck into the fantastic freshly prepared food, check out the abundant wildlife including monitor lizards, komodo dragons and monkeys, or simply recline on a day bed with cocktail in hand.
From $330 (£217) per room per night based on two sharing, room only
9. Atlantic island delight - Ile de Ré, France
Where: Joined by a vast bridge to the mainland, the Ile de Ré is only a hop, skip and a jump from La Rochelle on France’s west coast.
The Cool Factor: This place is a favourite holiday retreat for wealthy Parisians who want to escape to the beach. There's exquisite seafood, stunning beaches, gorgeous stone cottages, isolated salt marshes and dunes for bird watching. French celebrities love the gentle pace of life and many have been spotted in its clutch of boutique hotels.
The Pad: Domaine du Bien Etre is a peaceful, elegant and wonderfully intimate guesthouse in the chic village of Saint Martin. This charming hideaway is intimate with beautiful decor and original features. Relax in the huge bedrooms with their beds draped in elegant French linens, meander around the large, quiet gardens, and start your day with a traditional French breakfast. The wonderfully helpful housekeeper and owners will give you the low down on local activities – why not hire a bike and explore some of the 100km of well-signed cycle paths, visit a local market, or perhaps take a trip to one of three Thalassotherapy centres on the island.
From 160 Euros (£143) per room per night based on two sharing, includes breakfast
10. Back to nature in the Caribbean – Dominica, Caribbean
Where: Nestled in the Caribbean Sea between Guadeloupe and Martinique
The Cool Factor: Known as the 'Nature Island' of the Caribbean, Dominica isn't your typical Caribbean destination. Think spectacular mountain hikes through untamed virgin rainforests filled with rivers, waterfalls, rare birds, exotic plants and surreal boiling volcanic pools.
The Pad: Perched 80 ft above the sea and surrounded by six acres of beautifully forested gardens, Zandoli Inn is the perfect Dominican retreat. It's got everything you could wish for, from large, comfy bedrooms with panoramic ocean views and a small freshwater pool, to excellent food and a warm welcome. This place is all about relaxing and unwinding, but there’s also plenty to do nearby including hiking and diving. Relax on your idyllic private verandas, take a dip in the plunge pool with its awesome view of the ocean below, and fall asleep under a canopy of twinkling stars at night.
From $145 per room per night (£95) based on two sharing, room only
Back to top
i-escape.com’s last minute Valentines escapes
The most romantic date in the calendar is soon upon us. No pressure then. To help out any last-minute lovebirds, we have rounded up 15 of our most romantic retreats below, all of which have availability over the weekend of 14 February 2010. So make this Valentine's Day extra special – there’s still time to whisk your loved one off on a sexy weekend break in the UK or Europe...
UNITED KINGDOM
1. Perfect inside and out – Whitehouse, Devon
Enter through the rose gables of this Georgian house, a stone’s throw from some of the prettiest coastline in England, and you’ll soon realise nothing’s done by halves. Upstairs you'll find spacious rooms with all you'd expect and more - from custom-blended toiletries to Nespresso coffee machines. Unwind in sitting rooms with small open fires and leather sofas, then saunter through to the bar and restaurant where imaginative menus have won the hearts of guests and locals alike. Blustery beaches, top notch grub and cuddling up in front of the fire – pure Valentine’s magic.
From £400 for a two night weekend break, includes breakfast and membership to the nearby Dart Marina Spa. Free bottle of Prosecco for i-escape guests on arrival
2. The Village Cottage - Sheep Cottages, Peasenhall, Suffolk
Don’t follow the herd to the hotel, coax your lover away to a cosy village cottage instead. Sheep Cottages are a pair of pretty timber-framed 16th-century houses in easy reach of London. Immaculately restored, they combine ancient charm with chic white, cream and chocolate boutique interiors. Stressed-out city couples will love it: a break in the country without sacrificing style. But so too will foodies, twitchers, walkers or cyclists as there’s plenty to do in the surrounding area, from coastal rambles to birdwatching and bike rides.
From £341 for 3 nights in Black Sheep Cottage from 12 – 15 February. Free bottle of wine for i-escape guests on arrival
3. Laid-back indulgence in buzzing Brighton - Kemp Townhouse, Brighton
Looking for a budget option that is guaranteed to impress your other half? This once derelict townhouse is now delightfully sophisticated B&B that sits on a quiet side street just off Brighton’s seafront. The nine rooms are classy, clean and calm, with understated hues of smoky brown and burgundy. From the moment you walk in, there’s a sense of lazy indulgence as you relax with a welcome drink in the ocean-blue lounge (that doubles up as the venue for a long breakfast). Lovely owners Claas and Russell will recommend local restaurants, or you can head into the town centre for a taste of Brighton after dark.
From £190 for a two night stay for two, includes breakfast. i-escape.com guests will receive a free bottle of wine
4. Dreamy elegance in the Big Smoke - Number Sixteen, London
If you fancy a weekend of high life and capital culture in London, there's no more fitting place to base yourselves than this dreamily elegant escape in South Kensington. Number Sixteen is a temple to cool colours and clean lines, with contemporary art on the walls, sleek sofas in Sunday-best fabrics, and smartly-dressed waiters swooping for your baggage. There is an honesty bar in the library, morning papers in the drawing room, and you can - of course - have breakfast in bed. Guaranteed to impress.
Prices from £205 per room, including a bottle of wine for i-escape guests
5. Pampering in Penarth - Holm House, nr Cardiff
Gold bathtubs, black lacquer four posters and sheepskin rugs make the bedrooms at Holm House some of the sexiest in Britain. Add some Jo Malone goodies, bedtime choccies, a selection of DVDs for rainy days, and enough pillows to lose yourselves in, and you could spend all day in your room. Should you decide to leave, you'll find an in-house spa with hydrotherapy pool, a fabulous restaurant featuring the best of local produce, and Penarth pier on your doorstep.
Rooms from £145 per night, with a bottle of wine for i-escape guests
6. Scottish charm in top-notch comfort - Hotel du Vin, Edinburgh
First things first. The beds. The Hotel du Vin’s 47 rooms and suites have the best you’ll ever sleep on, with queen-sized Vi-spring mattresses and Egyptian cotton bed linen. Then there’s the free-standing bath and walk-in monsoon shower with toiletries from Arran Aromatics. In fact, Hotel du Vin is sublimely sexy throughout: it has tall, beamed ceilings, a shimmering chandelier, classic leather armchairs, internal glass walls, a nouveau Scottish bistro and even a whisky snug to nestle up in. A Valentine's stay at Hotel du Vin is a guaranteed winner.
Prices start from £125 per room per night including a bottle of champagne
ITALY
7. Borrow a super stylish friend’s pad - Floroom, Florence
Forget Valentine’s in Venice, you’ll have just as much fun in Florence. Book a stay at Floroom and you’ll feel like you’ve borrowed a friend's flat, albeit a particularly stylish Italian friend. Both homely and chic, this funky B&B is in a central bohemian neighbourhood and the owners will give you the inside track on the local area. Soak up the culture by day and sip Chianti over candlelight by night before bedding down in your own Florentine hidey hole. If things progress to plan, you'll find plenty of jewellers on the nearby Ponte Vecchio.
Rooms in February from €120 (with discount of €20 for i-escape guests), B&B
FRANCE
8. Paris charmer – Hotel le Sainte-Beuve, Paris
Looking for a place to charm? Both the hotel and the owner of the Sainte-Beuve have it in spades, and to top it off you’re in Paris – a city certain to inspire romance. As you enter the hotel the salon is deliciously warm and welcoming: think Ionian pillars, balls of rose petals, beige sofas, smart red armchairs and a big marble fireplace where flames fly in winter. The owner, an ex restaurateur, is a mine of knowledge on local eateries so you definitely won’t go hungry. For romantic strolls, the formal gardens of Jardins de Luxembourg are a few steps away.
From €159 per night, room only
9. French fancy – Hotel Sezz, Paris
Hotel Sezz is the sexiest hotel on our Parisian books, with 26 exquisite rooms and suites to bliss out in. Queensize beds, shagpile rugs and gorgeous bathrooms (some with double baths) up the romance factor, and you're just a short walk from the Eiffel Tower and the Seine. Return to Sezz to enjoy your complimentary champagne and chocolates, and room service when you get hungry. That's amore!
From €310 per night; includes accommodation, breakfast, bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne, single rose and box of chocolates
10. Food-tastic hideaway - Hotel du Clos, Cote d’Azur
They say the way to the heart is through the stomach. And what better way to woo your lover than with Michelin starred meals? Exuding Provencal romance, this dreamy French villa in the hills above Antibes was born out of its Michelin star restaurant, a 3-minute stroll away. Snuggle up in wonderfully chic, uncluttered rooms, or take a romantic stroll through the pretty market towns of Biot and Valbonne, right on your doorstep. And this peaceful, idyllic setting is not too far from Nice and Cannes, should you fancy a night on the tiles.
Valentine’s Special: €145 per person for two nights. Includes a bottle of champagne in suites and terrace rooms, and a bottle of wine in other rooms.
SPAIN
11. A hip palace with Roman baths - Palacio del Bailio, Cordoba
One of our all-time romantic favourites, this dramatic 16th-century palace is situated on a whitewashed street in the UNESCO-protected town of Cordoba, strolling distance from the Mezquita mosque and a plethora of pavement cafés. The impeccably sleek interior is a glorious blend of old and new: hallways set off by 15th-century doors, cutting-edge fixtures, and a soaring atrium restaurant featuring a restored 19th-century fresco and a glass floor overlooking Roman ruins below. Kick back at the tapas bar, or treat yourselves at the Bodyna spa which has one of the oldest thermal baths in town.
Prices start from €145 per room per night room only. i-escape guests receive a free room upgrade subject to availability.
12. Boutique apartments near the Alhambra - Muralla Ziri, Granada
They say the Alhambra is the most romantic building on earth, and if so you can't beat these apartments-with-a-view. They're decorated with a big dash of North African style: jazzy colours, backlit geometric headboards, chiselled appliqués and hanging lanterns to further enhance the mood-of-the-Maghreb. The kitchenettes are superbly equipped, in case you’re tempted to cook for yourself, but you are just a hop away from the tapas bars of lively Acera del Darro and the Albaicin. After a day of sightseeing, return to a Turkish bath and a massage to complete the 1001 vibe.
Prices from €75 per room per night including a bottle of Catalan sparkling wine and a tapas tour for i-escape guests
13. A mecca for well-heeled romantics – Son Brull, Mallorca
Son Brull is an elegant mix of contemporary design and top notch service in a rural setting. Two miles from the picturesque town of Pollenca, it's set on a forested hillside with great views across the plain. This was once a monastery but things have moved on for worshippers today, attracting an altogether more coupled-up congregation. Double day-beds with wafting muslin drapes line the decking, while the hi-tech rooms come complete with pillow menus. Its spa, chill-out bar and fine restaurant now cater for well-heeled couples looking for a romantic escape with lashings of style. Divine.
Special Valentine's Weekend offer: €283 per person for two nights (13 & 14 Feb), including one Valentine's dinner, a bottle of Cava and seasonal fruits in room, and car hire from the airport.
PORTUGAL
14. Spa, sunshine and wild seascapes - Memmo Baleeira, Sagres, Algarve
The strikingly cool Memmo Baleeira is an oasis of calm in a scenery of sheer cliffs and crushing waves, its rooms awash with light, ocean views and designer touches. There's an excellent spa with indoor heated pool, sauna, steam room and indulgent treatments; a big lounge with books and a huge wall TV; and terraces for superb sunsets and dazzling seas. Surfers have a windswept coast on the doorstep, beachcombers deserted sands. Steps lead down to the fishing harbour and sandy bay of Baleeira, and you can walk to the restaurants of Sagres.
Special Valentine's offer, 12-15 Feb 2010: €135 per person for 3 nights, including breakfast, sparkling wine, unlimited use of the spa and a travel guide to Sagres.
MOROCCO
15. Riad made for romance - Maison MK, Marrakech
A simple door on the corner of a cobbled alley leads out of the mania of the medina and into this top notch 6-room bolthole. Owner and artist Paul Hopkins has transformed the 200-year-old riad into an indulgent modern haven, with lashings of local detail. Warm autumnal colours - silk tassles, rich fabrics, an array of lamps and big brass doorhandles - make for a romantic atmosphere. There's a a restaurant, cinema room and spa on the ground floor, a fabulous terrace on the rooftop, and no shortage of seating areas for you to cuddle up even if the riad's full. Valentine’s visitors will be treated to a rose petal bath – heavenly.
Special Valentine’s offer: 4 nights for 3. From €450 per person for a 4-night stay, including breakfast, champagne on arrival and a rose petal bath.
Back to top
i-escape.com launches the Remote Retreats collection
Yearning to escape? As in really and truly escape? Sadly, that’s not as easy as it should be – proper hideaways are at a premium these days. That’s why we have put together a collection of the World’s Remotest Retreats. We have searched far and wide to dig up 16 spectacularly secluded hideaways around the world, to help soothe your jangled nerves. Feast your horizon-hungry eyes on these spots and pick the perfect refuge to renew your batteries...
1. Find the Milky Way in the dunes – Kuangukuangu, Namibia
If you’re in serious need of isolation, this retreat is marooned in a beautifully remote stretch of land where the Namib Desert meets the Naukluft Mountains – ideal for contemplation, walkabouts and stargazing (indeed, Kuangukuangu means ‘Milky Way’). Your wood and stone cabin's all-glass frontage weds you to this hauntingly beautiful terrain, and your bathroom is open to the savannah. Wake to the ever-changing light and colour of the desert and head off on foot or 4x4 to feel the exhilaration of finding yourself alone amongst 4000 hectares of dunes.
Prices start from £93 per room per night
2. Eco-chic in unspoilt heathland – Farm 215, South Africa
This stunning eco-chic retreat offers an incredible sense of space, wilderness and tranquility. People come to this region 200km down the coast from Cape Town to see whales, but few know that if you drive inland up a 14km gravel track you’ll find a renovated homestead with just 3 rooms, and 3 standalone cabins in the heart of the unspoilt fynbos heathland. Stylish, comfortable, and solar-powered, the cabins have wall-to-wall windows for astonishing views across the plains to the distant ocean. It's remote but not rustic: clean lines and fine wine mean you won't be roughing it.
Prices start from £63 per room per night
3. A candle-lit rainforest cabin – Pacuare Lodge , Costa Rica
This idyllic riverside lodge hidden in the depths of Costa Rica’s thronging rainforest is so remote that you’ll even arrive by raft! In a dreamland of hanging creepers and exotic birds, float into the secluded paradise of Pacuare Lodge, set on a bend in the river amid gorgeous tropical flower gardens. Each beautifully designed cabin has luxurious bathrooms, beds draped with mosquito nets, and is lit only by candles at night. Your alarm clock comes in the form of birdsong and monkeys swinging from trees, and there is no phone, internet, or TV. That’s the whole point.
Prices start from £223 per person per package including transport to and from San José, bilingual guide, Costa Rican breakfast en route, river rafting transportation to & from the lodge, all meals, and hot beverages
4. Shhh… our secret Andes hideaway – Secret Ranchito, Patagonia, Chile (sleeps 2-4)
Secret Ranchito fulfils every escapist’s dream. This small wooden cottage in a meadow high in the Patagonian Andes is miles from anywhere and only accessible by foot, water, horse or helicopter. Luggage and food supplies arrive by oxcart, and your cook hikes in for each meal! A horse and a 4x4 are provided for you to explore – there’s rafting, kayaking and fly-fishing in the nearby river. The simple life includes outdoor toilets, a hot water shower built into a tree trunk, an organic garden, acres of trails, and the most incredible views with not a soul in sight.
Prices start from £1,619 per person per week for full board and horse riding and hiking
5. Fairytale Icelandic fjords – Hotel Glymur, Iceland
This blissfully tranquil hotel sits on a remote hillside above a rugged fjord with views to die for, and a geothermal hot tub to gaze over this wild spectacular landscape. Inside it is both a hotel and art gallery; the rich decorations and bold colours are quite a relief in this wild and elemental landscape. Each suite is decorated to an artistic theme, offset with a wall-to-wall window with panoramic views. Whether you fancy hiking, whale-watching, midnight-golfing or simply gazing up at Aurora Borealis with your lover, this is the perfect retreat to hole up in.
Prices start from £218 per room per night, including breakfast
6. A sky-high eco retreat - vigilius mountain resort, South Tyrol
The only access to vigilius is by cable car, a 7-minute ride up through pine forests to glorious Alpine scenery, crisp, clean air, and the snow-topped Dolomites in the distance. No roads, no cars, just a gorgeous eco retreat with a luxury spa and woodland walks. Enjoy luxury treatments, an outdoor whirlpool and a heated pool with serious views, eat excellent food in one of 2 restaurants, then retreat to your Nordic-style room for a mountain-air induced sleep. Wake to the sound of cow bells and a veritable banquet for breakfast.
Prices start from £278 per room per night, including breakfast
7. A wind-swept steppe – Eolo, Argentina
The most stylish and luxurious hotel in the untouched Patagonian steppe, this dreamy retreat is a place to feel the silence, hear the wind, and watch condors soar. Sitting at the edge of the Glaciers national park, it has mind-expanding views over the jagged mountains opposite, with vast stretches of nothing in between. Eolo’s strikingly minimal building is an exclusive hideaway with just 17 suites arranged around a central courtyard. Ride to dramatic mountain ridges on horseback, find flamingos rising from a turquoise lagoon, walk on the glaciers, and return to a sauna, sophisticated cuisine, and superb wines.
Prices start from £354 per person per package for two nights, full board including airport transfers
8. Make for the Mayan jungle – Chiminos Island Lodge, Guatemala
Cruise down the winding Rio Pasión river from Sayaxché for two hours and you’ll find Chiminos Island Lodge hiding amid dense jungle and rarely visited Mayan sites. The only 'modern' buildings are the six stilted bungalows, built of local thatch and reclaimed mahogany, plus a central lobby with restaurant and bar. This eco-lodge promises absolute tranquility: the cabanas are set hundreds of feet from each other, reached by stone paths and wooden walkways weaving through pristine jungle – every step resounding to the screech of noisy parrots and howler monkeys.
Prices start from £57 per person per night full board
9. An otherworldly beach of your own – Baja Camp, Mexico
A one-hour boat ride from La Paz takes you past spectacular sheer red cliffs to Baja Camp, set on a secluded beach on Isla Espiritu Santo. The island is a nature reserve with no hotels or marinas and the desert landscape is distinctly Martian. The isolation gives you a real sense of being out in the wilderness, albeit in luxury. Sleep under star-filled Mexican skies in large luxurious tents with proper beds and warm showers; enjoy chilled cocktails, eat delicious seafood, and share warm, aquamarine waters with sea lions, pilot whales and dolphins.
Prices start from £288 per night for two sharing a tent, full board and transfers
10. A Pyrenean retreat – Auberge Ostape
, France
A remote mountain location, but an easy drive to the beaches, Ostape offers the best of both worlds. Hidden away in a 45-hectare estate in the foothills of the Pyrenees, the stylish auberge is surrounded by stunning countryside, and far away from any neighbours. Everything you could want is on hand – a roomy suite with top spec gadgetry, fabulous Basque cuisine – whizz-chef Alain Ducasse set this place up - and wonderful walking from your front door. Escapism at its best.
Prices start from £211 per room per night, room only
11. Cool lakeside languishing – Casa da Ermida de Santa Catarina, Portugal
If utter serenity and stylish comfort are a high priority, Santa Catarina is your kind of place. Reached via a remote sandy track, it is set on a peninsula of the Caia reservoir in Alentejo with little in the way of passing trade. Instead, a heart-stopping visual feast awaits. This traditional waterside farmhouse is full of zest and colour, wood and glass, all open to the sky, water and olive groves. There are 70 hectares of estate for your hiking pleasure. Afterwards, jump in a canoe or kayak moored outside the house, or just dive in the water.
Prices start from £80 per room per night including breakfast
12. A secluded seaside hideaway – Casita La Laguna , Spain
A fabulously located love nest for two, this house looks out across the Straits to Morocco with just the ocean and the stars for company. South is one of the best surfing beaches on the Atlantic and the old town of Tarifa; north is Bolonia’s gorgeous arc of unspoilt sandy beach and Roman ruins. Secreted between the two, a diminutive casita sits at the end of the track, hiding amongst sand dunes and umbrella pines. Its cool, uncluttered interior is embellished by decorative Moroccan objets, a mass of candles, and panoramic views of the twinkling lights of Tangiers.
Prices start from £107 per night for the cottage, sleeps two
13. Tropical treehouse slumbers – Galapita Healing Garden, Sri Lanka
Escape the Colombo crush and head off the beaten track in south east Sri Lanka to discover this idyllic holiday hangout. Perched on the banks of the Menik Ganga next to a mineral spa with large rocks, natural pools and a pristine waterfall, are 4 treehouse huts on stilts, which you climb a ladder to reach. Sleep in rooms with bamboo for walls, a futon-style bed, and not much else, give or take a Buddhist ornament or two. Family-run and only recently open to paying guests, it is a haven of peace and nature, perfect for splashing in the cooling river and dreaming away in the trees.
Prices start from £66 per person per night, full board
14. A mountaintop hideaway – Milia Traditional Settlement
, Crete
Crete gets more than its fair share of visitors, but only the very lucky few make it to this tiny mountain hamlet perched in a high fold of the White Mountains. A dozen or so stone cottages, tucked in among olive and arbutus trees on a terraced stream bank, have been painstakingly restored by two local families, who serve unbeatable home-grown, organic food - chick-pea stew, pork roast (from their own pigs) or dakos (barley rusks) with herbs, crumbled cheese and tomato - in a sociable dining room. They have also waymarked local paths for those who fancy striking out on foot to the cave-chapel of Ayia Sofia or the little known gorge of Sirikari. To keep the crowds at bay, the hamlet is hidden, unsigned, at the end of a narrow dirt track; in winter, the owner clears it of snow and debris with his own mini-bulldozer!
Prices start from £33 per person per night, including breakfast
15. A thatched cottage for 2 – Combe House, Devon
Closer to home, set in 3,500 acres of beautiful West Country scenery, this beautiful old Elizabethan manor has a new Thatch Cottage, ideal for those who want total detachment. Nestling in the woods a half-mile from the main house, this snuggly cottage lies within its own walled garden. Inside you’ll find a homely nest with plush furnishings, fresh flowers, the occasional antique and a large Aga. Pull on a pair of boots and nose around the estate, go fishing on the river Otter, or just kick off your shoes and curl up on a sofa.
Prices start from £395 per night for the cottage, sleeps two
16. Cumbrian splendour – A corner of Eden, Cumbria
And where better to end than Eden? This gorgeous Georgian farmhouse, tucked in a corner of the Eden Valley in the wilds of Cumbria, is a delightful blend of lavish and homely. Grade II-listed features rub shoulders with sumptuous detail (Persian rugs, candlelit champagne baths), and the 3-course dinners are largely organic. Book a room on a B&B basis or hire the whole house (4 bedrooms) then enjoy log fires in winter, fishing in summer and rugged walking all year round.
Prices start from £65 per person per night, bed and breakfast
Back to top
i-escape.com's Christmas and New Year House Party picks
If you plan to celebrate Christmas or New Year with friends and family, but don't feel like hosting (or staying with the in-laws), then check out these chateaux and houses for groups of 5-25. Whether you fancy a bohemian beach villa in Morocco or a cosy hideaway with log fires in windswept Ireland, we're sure you'll find something to keep everyone happy
The Welsh Country House Pad - Felin Newydd, Wales – sleeps up to 18
Felin Newydd is a lavish Welsh country house with the Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains a stone’s throw away. Its 9 bedrooms are sparingly and tastefully decorated with echoes of a bygone age – rocking horses, toy trains, ornate wooden chests, gilded china etc. This century old, great country pad has got 50 acres for horsing about in and includes; morning room, drawing room, billiard room, library/poker room, well-stocked cellar and a huge Aga-warmed kitchen. Every country pursuit under the sun is on your doorstep, while at Hay on Wye there are more books than you could read in a lifetime, just 15 minutes away.
Available for Christmas and New Year for £4,990 for 3 nights (minimum stay) and £8,890 for 7 nights. The property sleeps up to 18 (9 bedrooms of which 4 can be twins) and has a generous 7 bathrooms! A food hamper, seasonal decorations, and a morning maid service are included
The Village Cottages - Sheep Cottages, Peasenhall, Suffolk – sleeps 4 or 6
Old and new are in perfect harmony at Sheep Cottages, a pair of pretty timber-framed 16th-century houses just a short drive from the Heritage Coast. Perfect for a more intimate Christmas or New Year get-together, Black Sheep and White Sheep sleep 4 and 6 respectively. Immaculately restored, they combine ancient charm with uber-chic white, cream and chocolate boutique interiors. There’s also plenty to do with coastal path walks, bird-watching, and country bike rides. Alternatively, just sit and relax on your private terrace, or by the pond in the wildflower meadow
Black Sheep cottage is £700 per week and White Sheep cottage is £850 over the Christmas/New Year period . At Christmas and the New Year there is a minimum stay of 7 nights each. Sheep is self-catering with a weekly maid service
The Lake District Idyll – Number 43, Arnside, Lake District – sleeps 10
On the edge of the Lake District, but bang on the promenade of Arnside, the backdrop to Number 43 is all shimmering sands and skies. Sunsets are sensational; so too the morning mists and views across the estuary to the fells at Grange. And this newly converted three-storey Victorian boutique guesthouse is well worth every bend in the road on the journey there. Inside are 5 immaculate rooms, belt-busting breakfasts and the gentle welcome of Cumbrian-born Lesley, Number 43’s owner. Outside, stretch your legs on National Trust-owned Arnside Knott, seek out the bitterns at nearby Leighton Moss reserve, or simply sit and drink in that view.
Over Christmas, Number 43 are offering a package for up to 10 guests, which includes 3 nights' accommodation (over Christmas or New Year, but not arriving on 25th), afternoon tea on arrival, food to create 3 day's breakfasts, lunches and dinners (menus agreed in advance), a case of organic wine and a case of local beer. Guests have free run of the kitchen to prepare meals, or No 43 can arrange for a private chef (extra cost). www.i-escape.com/number43.php
The Chic Retreat - Gatsby House, Ardara, Co.Donegal – sleeps 10
Gatsby House is an ultra-chic 5-bedroom house, hidden in a small town of Ardara in Co. Donegal. Dating back to the 19th century the house is set in glorious scenery - spectacular mountains, glacial waterfalls and heathery moors. It’s Ireland as you dreamed it would be, but with none of the blarney. An incredibly stylish bolthole, Gatsby’s stunning interiors are decorated in rich velvets and cool silks, with calligraphy adorning the walls, and rolltop baths or deluge showers. You can book a private chef for slap-up dinners, or you can enjoy good Irish pub grub down the road.
The house (sleeps up to 10) is available for Christmas (21-28 December) and costs €3,000 per week. A food hamper and full seasonal decorations are included
A Gascon Chateau - Chateau de Lartigolle near Auch, SW France – sleeps 18-24
A picture-perfect Gascon chateau, just an hour from Toulouse, Lartigolle is the ultimate venue for a festive get-together. Set in 22 sweeping acres, the chateau has 9 boudoir bedrooms (sleeps 18-24) with cool contemporary interiors, and including a kids' dorm. In the lounge and club room, groovy Paul Smith tapestries and Jimmy Hendrix pop art prints sit alongside magnificent French antiques and cosy sofas. Catering is flexible: you can whip up your own feasts, bring a chef, or have owners indulge you with an extremely creative array of local delicacies. Apart from country pursuits, there’s a snooker table, a peaceful library retreat, and a kids' games room complete with TV, DVD and board games if the weather isn’t great.
Over Christmas or New Year the chateau costs €1,400 per night (minimum 3 nights) for up to 20 people. Breakfast is included; three course evening meals are €35pp with scrumptious Christmas or New Year dinner at €45pp. Self-catering with housekeeping (additional cost) is a possible option.
The 14th Century Chateau - Chateau de La Barre, Conflans sur Anille, near Loire Valley – sleeps 16/24
Be treated like royalty this Christmas at the fabulous 14th-century chateau de la Barre. Situated in 100 acres of private parkland and gardens, and located between the Perche and Loire rivers, this elegant chateau, which has 8 bedrooms and 2 self-catering apartments, still retains its ancient moat and fortifications, and these are matched by interiors full of tapestries, ancestral portraits, and antique furniture. What makes de la Barre really special, however, is your hosts, the Comte and Comtesse de Vanssay. They’re the 20th generation of Vanssays at the chateau, and they want it to be a place where guests can experience a true ‘aristocratic holiday'.
The Christmas (22-26 December) and Renaissance New Year package costs €1,165 per person (price based on 14 guests attending). This includes 4 nights accommodation, daily breakfast/brunch, 2 dinners, guided excursions and activities
Tuscan Style – Scannagallo Villas, Tuscany – sleeps up to 16
Three ultra stylish serviced villas (for 2, 4 and 8-10 people) in Tuscany’s wildly beautiful countryside, Scannagallo is the perfect location for a house party because the guests won’t get on top of each other. Once ruined barns, the complex has been redesigned in stunning modern-rustic style with pretty gardens, deluxe pools with sun terraces, and a mix of classic and contemporary furniture. The result is luxury self-catering with hotel standards and first-class service. Chefs and shoppers available to order...so you can do as much or as little as you like.
The 3 villas (for 2, 4 and 8-10 people – max 16 altogether) are available for Christmas (20-27 Dec) and New Year (27 Dec – 3 Jan). The cost is €1,900 per week (villa for 2); €3,200 per week (villa for 4) and €6,900 per week (villa for 8-10). This includes food hamper and twice weekly maid service
The Morocco Villa –Dar Beida - Essaouria – sleeps 2-8
This is one of the funkiest house-rentals we have in Morocco. With 4 double bedrooms and a mix of groovy 60s furnishings and modern white interiors, it’s ideal for a group of friends or a family, and the per-person pricing makes it especially attractive. Should you want to cook, there’s a sleek and well equipped kitchen; should you want to be spoilt, the owner can organise a private chef. Essaouria’s wide, sandy beach is a 10-minute stroll away or you can chill on the roof terrace back at the house. A super-stylish place to wave goodbye to 2009.
The villa (sleeps 2-8) is available over Christmas and New Year. It costs £300 per person per week (for up to 8). This includes maid service
The Rustic Farmhouse - Finca La Morera, Andalucia – sleeps up to 12
Set in the Ronda mountains in one of the loveliest corners of southern Spain, La Morera is a memorable Christmas and New Year holiday location. The ancient farmhouse has a spectacular double-heighted dining room with twin staircases sweeping up to the drawing room and master bedroom. Renovation has been inspired with 6 sumptuous bedrooms, a state-of-the art kitchen, games room, home cinema, and wine cellar and 2 swimming pools. Housekeepers are on hand to cater to your every need and Ronda is an easy drive away. If your holiday idyll is about deep comfort and perfect pampering, La Morera will be your kind of place.
The house is €6,000 for up to 12 people, 3 extra children allowed, from 23 Dec 09 - 2/3 Jan 2010 (10-11 days). The price includes a welcome hamper and maid service but excludes catering
Back to top
Catch some rays with i-escape.com’s top picks for Winter Sun
i-escape.com’s team of experts has sought out a selection of stylish sanctuaries in the sun, perfect for a dose of winter rays during 2009-2010. From lavish Kasbah hotels to Mexican thatched villas, sun-seekers can get their fix in a far flung destination or opt for somewhere a little closer to home. Prices start from £39 per room per night
Morocco – Tangier
 Tangier has recently received a facelift and the riad revolution has taken hold, transforming several of the city’s hotel and guesthouses. Leading the charge is La Tangerina offering the perfect mix of style, ambiance and location from its perch at the highest point of the hilltop Kasbah. This small guesthouse remains true to the spirit of Tangier’s cosmopolitan past with a collection of antique furniture and memorabilia. From the airy roof terrace you can look out right to the Atlantic. Relaxed, intimate and comfortable, La Tangerina scores high on all counts.
Just up the road and slightly more upmarket is Hotel Nord-Pinus Tanger, a sumptuous ocean-facing bolthole offering style with a big twist of romance. After an inspired (and lengthy) renovation, Nord Pinus is once again fit for the Pacha who once made this his home. Four lofty terraces, with views across old Tangier, are reached by twin staircases that wind up 6 floors. The 5 guest suites are ornate and superbly comfortable and the whole interior is a decorative melting pot of Italian, French and North African influences.
Rooms at La Tangerina cost from €45 (£39) per night, including breakfast; rooms at Hotel Nord-Pinus Tanger cost from €220 (£188) per room per night including breakfast and transfers
Madeira
 Madeira is enjoying a renaissance as the blue rinse brigade move over for an all together trendier crowd. Summerplace, which opened last year, is one of a crop of chic new hideaways. A wonderfully sociable, 5-room, guesthouse with quirky design touches, located in the unspoilt southwest of the island. The bedrooms are light and airy, with sensational sea views and a treasure trove of items collected from around the world by the South African owners. Lay back and warm your bones by the infinity pool before tucking into the sumptuous range of homemade dishes on offer at dinnertime, from banana bread to baked dorado. This is the perfect winter sun retreat for walkers, talkers and lovers of great food!
Summerplace costs from €80 (£68) per room per night
Lanzarote - Yaiza
Next stop on the winter sun trail is a duo of sister properties in Lanzarote. Lanzarote is the sunniest of the Canary Islands, blessed not only with golden beaches but also with a stunning volcanic interior dotted with pretty villages of sugar cube houses and palm-fringed plazas. One of the prettiest of these is Yaiza, the setting for the stylish Casa de Hilario and La Casona de Yaiza.
 Casa de Hilario, which opened last year, is a cluster of 7 rooms in a converted 18th-century cottage, which uses bold colours and contemporary fittings to create a compact yet stylish accommodation for those keen to avoid the Lanzarote crowds. The highlight of this place is owner Jose Amigo, who will go out of his way to help make your stay special – from taking you out on his boat to explore the secluded coves of Papagayo to taking you on treks around the beautiful volcanic mountainscapes of the Timanfaya National Park.
 Sister property La Casona de Yaiza is also owned by Jose and is positioned at the very edge of the village and sets itself a couple of marks higher than Casa de Hilario when it comes to spaciousness and décor. The converted country house with 9 rooms offers a stylish base with dashes of wonderfully kitsch Renaissance art, ceiling frescoes and beautiful furniture. A perfect base for outdoorsy types looking for a touch of style. To top it off, the restaurant is a real treasure, lauded by some as the best on the island.
Casa de Hilario costs from €126 Euros (£107) per room per night, including breakfast; La Casona de Yaiza costs from €90 (£77) per room per night, including breakfast
India - Northern Kerala
 Over 4 years in the making, Neeleswar Hermitage finally opened late last year. Located on the unspoilt and (until now) totally tourist-free northern coast of Kerala, it offers a blend of health retreat and hotel where you can relax, take the time to regain your balance and rejuvenate the spirit. The 16 cottages offer chic accommodation set amongst 12 acres of lush tropical gardens. More active types can partake in yoga, bird watching or cycling. For a relaxing experience, check out the ayurvedic Priya Spa or soak up some rays by the huge infinity pool.
Garden view cottages cost from £100 per room per night, including tea in bed every morning, breakfast, afternoon tea and an initial consultation with Ayurvedic doctor
India - Cochin, Kerala
 Converted in late 2007 from the premises of an English tea-broking firm, the Old Harbour Hotel is located within a few steps of Cochin’s famous Chinese fishing nets. This place offers a heritage hotel concept with a fresh modern stroke and its 13 spacious rooms and suites are beautifully decorated, looking out over a pretty internal courtyard or lily pond. The tropical garden or restaurant terrace are ideal places to relax with a good read after a day exploring Cochin's busy street life. For art lovers - the lime-washed walls of the 200-year-old building double up as a gallery for an impressive contemporary Indian art collection.
Rooms costs from £94 per night including breakfast
Brazil - Trancoso
 Uxua, pronounced ooosh-uw-a, is definitely one for any hotlist. Newly opened in April this year, this 9-casa bohemian retreat in trendy Trancoso is the invention of Diesel’s creative director Wilbert Das. Recycled materials and Brazilian vintage furniture keep the project in harmony with the local environment. This discreet and quintessentially Trancosan hotel offers the opportunity to self cater or be given the 5-star treatment. Artists seeking a working retreat, celebs seeking seclusion, a family seeking a cultural seaside getaway or lovers seeking a haven will all be fans.
From R$790 (£259) per night for the apartment which sleeps two, including breakfast
Mexico - Baja California Sur
 Where better to enjoy the sunshine than on a pristine beach by a spectacular lagoon? Alegria Villas which opened in late 2007, is a mile from arty Todos Santos on the Pacific Coast side of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. Its 2 rather lovely palapa thatched villas offer privacy, serenity and an ocean view. The houses are stylishly furnished, with cathedral ceilings, modern bathrooms and patios for dining alfresco. It's a great place for couples and families alike to escape the world (both villas sleep 2-4). Wander the sands, dip your toes in the waves, sit back on your patio with a nice cool beer, watch the golden sunsets and listen to the abundant wildlife.
Until 1 November, Villa Alegria is offering 50% off all rooms, now from just $100 (£62) per night based on two sharing
South Africa - Franschhoek
With a favourable exchange rate for Brits, South Africa remains a great option for winter sun and this year we recommend heading to the heart of the winelands outside Cape Town. Surrounded by some of South Africa’s oldest and most renowned wine estates, Franschhoek plays host to eight of the country’s top restaurants, earning its position as the Gourmet Capital of South Africa.
 Klein Genot is a bijou retreat and vineyard where Feng Shui meets traditional Cape Dutch architecture in the lee of the stunning Franschhoek mountains. A cluster of traditional-style whitewashed buildings sit aside newly planted vineyards; theSanctuary of Indulgence spa awaits you. Enter the house by way of a peaceful inner courtyard, where fountains trickle and Koi carp swim, and feel a Zen mood of calm and well-being wash over you. Recharge, revitalise, then head into town for gastronomical treats.
 For those wishing to be closer to the action, Akademie Street Guesthouses are an easy stroll away from the restaurants and shops. Each of the three guest cottages feels deliciously private thanks to the high hedges which wrap round their gardens and plunge pools. And the plethora of treasured antiques, paintings and prints adds to the home-from-home feel. This is a quiet, uplifting and wholly exceptional place to stay.
Klein Genot costs from R1,378 (£106) per person per night including breakfast, afternoon tea, soft drinks and beers. i-escape guests receive a free bottle of wine on arrival and discounted wine with meals in the restaurant for stays of 2 nights or more; Akademie Street Guesthouses costs from R1500 (£115) per night based on two sharing, including breakfast
 A short hop away, near the historic town of Stellenbosch, Hawksmoor House is a chic hideaway that lets you combine the winelands with city sightseeing. This 300-year-old Cape Dutch homestead is just 10 minutes' drive from Stellenbosch and less than an hour from Cape Town. Relax in style in one of the 8 inviting rooms; all have contemporary touches with silver-painted bedposts and old chairs covered with funky fabrics. Once a week they cook tasty dinners - washed down with their own labelled wine. It may be a working farm but think pretty flower gardens, dappled lawns shaded by trees, a pool, in-room massages and lazy sun-downers.
From R1650 (£127) per night based on two sharing, including breakfast. i-escape.com guests will receive a free bottle of wine on arrival and can take advantage of a 3 nights for 2 offer until end March 2010
Thailand - Chiang Rai
Thailand is well and truly back on the map for 2009/10 winter sun, and Lanjia Lodge is perfect for those looking for a taste of the real Thailand. The lodge opened in late 2008 and takes all the essential elements of ecotourism and applying them faultlessly to this anthropological encounter high above the Mekong river. Villagers have fully participated in the lodge’s development, from construction to the production of handcrafted fabrics used in the bedrooms and living areas. They also provide all the services, from laundry and cooking to guiding and birdwatching. Sip a cool ginger infusion whilst appreciating the understated beauty of the landscape, trek through the tapioca and rice fields or visit the villages. November to February are the perfect months to explore this region, with cool temperatures and clear skies.
From THB 4200 (£75), based on two sharing, for the 2-night 3-day Hmong experience. Including meals, accommodation, English speaking guides and activities
Thailand - Phuket
 Swedish-owned Twinpalms is the hip place to stay on Phuket: a monochromatic design revolution with clean lines and isosceles roofs. The open, airy lobby, with its high-flown ceilings and glossy floors, sets the style. Shady, stream-lined walkways lead to the restaurant, library, spa and fitness room, while the navy swimming pool and ‘lagoons’ glisten between emerald and white gardens. New extravagantly equipped duplex residences, which opened in late 2008, are set back from the immaculately kept gardens and offer an alternative to the original (still stylish) wooden shuttered rooms around the pool.
From THB 5300 (£94), based on two sharing, including breakfast
Ends
Back to top
i-escape.com heads Stateside
The i-escape team has gone Stateside, traversing the Atlantic to hunt out the hippest hideaways, first covering New York and California. This is the company’s first foray into the USA and the collection brings together everything from retro motel makeovers, an elegant San Fran B&B as well as a chilled out eco spa retreat in the Russian River Valley, New York city pads and Hollywood’s most exclusive hangouts. Here are some of our favourites:
1. The Pearl, near Point Loma, San Diego
This is a particularly skilful example of the modern motel – think open lounge with floor cushions and designer lights, oyster-shaped swimming pool, comfortable platform beds, vintage-modern furnishings, spotless bathrooms, high-tech gadgets and a soothing marine colour palette. Enjoy great Californian coastal cuisine, watch a classic movie poolside and sip on the stellar cocktails.
Rooms cost from $79 per night
2. Presidio Motel in fashionable Santa Barbara
Another hip, yet comfortable lodging experience. From the outside it’s a classic 60s ‘motor-hotel’ but step inside and it’s a different world. There is a retro vibe with murals made of vinyl appliqués sprawled across the walls and ceilings of all 16 once-soulless bedrooms. The collages of storytelling scenes cover a broad spectrum of themes, from cowboys to circus performers. There are all the mod-cons and boutique amenities, including iPod dock and double-sheeted beds with down comforters, plus cool extras like beach-cruiser bikes and a second-storey deck with stylish plastic loungers.
Rooms cost from $89 per night, including breakfast
3. The Standard in West Hollywood
For unconventional (and a little bit naughty) cool. This is an anything-goes, slightly hallucinogenic take on a 60s motel, and it’s fast becoming a Hip Hollywood hangout for up-and-coming hunks and hotties. Minimalist modern rooms are stark but come with free WiFi and a 24/7 room-service menu, as well as stylish, witty touches such as Andy Warhol drapes, matchboxes advertising Hollywood Bail Bonds, and a climate control set to Blow (either ‘hard’ or ‘harder’). Rooms cost from $160 per night
4. Room Mate Grace in New York
Fun before formality is the motto here. This is a no-frills-meets-boutique hotel, located just one block from Times Square. The Boogie Nights decor is undeniably groovy, with funky 70s wallpaper, a colourfully illuminated pool, and retro-styled rooms. Sip on a cocktail at the swim-up pool bar, pop into the sauna or steam room, and listen to DJs spin tunes by the pool in the evening. Rooms cost from $169 per night, including continental breakfast, local telephone calls, WiFi, 24 hr spa access
And if you’ve got cash to splash and fancy going a bit more upmarket take a look at i-escape.com’s full New York offering including Soho House New York, The Mercer and the recently-opened Greenwich Hotel (owned by Robert DeNiro).
5. boon hotel + spa in the Russian River Valley
This eco-friendly retreat is set in the Russian River Valley, just 90 minutes north of San Francisco. Beautiful Sonoma County is favoured for its wineries, rolling hills, hot springs, spectacular coast and redwood groves. boon hotel, a once rundown property, has been transformed into an understated, cool and contemporary retreat, with crisp colour scheme, clean design and luxurious linens. It also has genuine eco-credentials such as a solar-heated pool, reclaimed or natural materials used in furnishings and compostable plates and cups. The spa is small but perfectly formed, offering sublime indulgence.Rooms cost from $185 per night, including continental breakfast, use of cruiser bicycles, WiFi
6. The Parsonage in San Francisco
In a nutshell, this elegant 5-bed B&B in the Hayes Valley district of San Francisco provides good, old-fashioned hospitality. Built as an Italianate residence in 1883, the interior reflects its heritage - original chandeliers, working marble fireplaces and antiques. The light-filled double-height parlour is home to Georgian-era furniture, contemporary art and comfortable couches, which are perfect for reclining on to plan the day's adventures. Enjoy excellent multi-course breakfasts, explore the cafés, galleries and restaurants of Hayes Valley and unwind at the end of the day in the superbly comfortable beds.
Rooms cost from $180 per night, including breakfast, WiFi, brandy, cordial and chocolates!
7. Chateau Marmont in LA
For the ultimate in Hollywood glitz, head to Chateau Marmont. Rub shoulders with the A-list at this flamboyant hotel that is fashioned on a real French chateau and located just above Sunset Strip. It has been the scene of celebrity gossip and scandal for decades - Jean Harlow and Clark Gable carried on a torrid affair here, Howard Hughes holed up in a penthouse and Led Zeppelin tore up the halls on Harleys! The place is all grandiose vaulted ceilings, fluted pillars, lush grounds and a range of quarters straight out of a Golden Age movie set. Rooms cost from $395 per night, up to $3,700 for the two-bedroom Penthouse
8. Palihouse Holloway in LA
For stylish stays off the paparazzi radar head to Palihouse Holloway tucked discreetly off Sunset Boulevard. Paris loft meets Hollywood haute in these 36 boho-chic suites and residences. It’s a neighbourhood gathering place where you don’t have to be 'on the list' to get in. Showbiz moguls take up residence for months; A-list actors drop in for meetings next to writers clicking away on their laptops. There are picnic tables on the roof and bikes to borrow and the courtyard brasserie is one of the few places in LA you can enjoy steak frites under the starsRooms cost from $250 per night
Back to top
i-escape.com unveils its most extraordinary bathing opportunities
A futuristic LED lit shower, bathtubs in every conceivable shape, size and location, or how about your own private cascading waterfall douche in Bali – in its latest collection of stylish getaways, i-escape.com celebrates the world’s most extraordinary bathrooms.
1. Chakra Cleansing at COMO Shambhala Estate, Ubud, Bali
Bali’s most luxurious health retreat turns bathing into a Zen ritual. Set in 9 acres of plunging hill terraces, its 22 rooms and suites are grouped in five pagoda-like Residences and have sunken terrazzo baths big enough for two as well as drench showers. Most sumptuous of all is the vast Shambhala Suite in the Tirta-Ening Residence, with its exquisite outdoor Japanese water garden, six-tonne stone bath, cascading waterfall and meditation pavilion. Bathing bliss!
Prices start from £188 per room per night, including breakfast, private butler, yoga mats and complimentary classes.
2. Futuristic Showering at Chic & Basic, Barcelona
A fibre optic curtain of LED light is all that protects your modesty when you shower in this funky hotel in El Born, Barcelona. The 31 minimalist rooms come with a playful, remote-controlled LED light system. Your in-room shower is just feets from the bed behind a crystal effect LED curtain; flick the remote control and transform it into a shimmering colourful showcase. Cheeky, fun and unusual, it’s not for the fainthearted.
Prices start from £84 per room per night
3. A Loo with a View at Ocean Muse, Port Stephens, NSW, Australia
With its eco-principles, innovative architecture and inside-out design, this gorgeous beach house is a showcase for contemporary Australia. It sleeps up to eight people, has distressed driftwood furniture, an infinity lap pool and two solar-powered bathrooms. But the piece de resistance is the smallest room in the house – the master bedroom's loo – with its stunning ocean views. You’ll definitely want to linger longer than you normally do.
Prices start from £345 per night, sleeping up to eight people including champagne on arrival and housekeeping service
4. Cave Bathing at Le Clos Saint Saourde, Provence, France
This is a gorgeous farmhouse encircled by vineyards with four magnificent rooms built into the side of a rock face. It is probably the world’s most luxurious cave dwelling. In the room named Zellige its bathroom is of epic proportions, where a deluge shower hangs above a vast mustard-coloured sculpted bath. A Moroccan lantern sits in an old animal trough to complete the look.
Prices start from £140 for doubles including breakfast. Zellige is priced at £158 per night
5. Wraparound Mountain View Bathing at Ca'n Verdera, Mallorca
Soak in a huge round bathtub and lap up the stunning wrap-around views of Mallorca’s highest mountains at this super stylish hideaway in the pretty village of Fornalutx. Its huge penthouse suite, a stunning one-bedroomed apartment with cool white marble décor and private terrace, takes its ablutions so seriously that it devotes the entire upper floor to its bathroom.
Prices for the Penthouse Suite start from £342 per night (other rooms from £163), including breakfast
6. An Arboreous Douche at The Secret Ranchito, Chile
Enjoy the simple life in this small wooden cottage, set in a meadow in the Patagonian Andes and accessible only by foot, water, horse or helicopter. Its outdoor shower is built into a tree trunk and fed by pure spring water heated by a wood-burning stove. There’s also an outdoor loo, organic garden and, of course, those incredible Andean valley views.
Prices start from £1,692 per week for up to four people, including horse-riding and hiking, private cook and all food and wine
7. Big and Groovy at Tree House Lodge, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
Quirky Tree House Lodge, with its 3 self-catering houses set between jungle and beach, claims to have the biggest bathroom in Costa Rica – it’s certainly the most extraordinary. Dome-shaped and covered in coloured glass circles, it has a space rocket feel inside with giant knobs for taps, a double shower and a huge jacuzzi bath. Another bizarre but groovy bathroom has a 100-year-old Banyan tree sheltering a toilet in one trunk fold and an outdoor shower in another.
Beach Suite, doubles are priced from £220 per room per night Tree House , doubles are priced from £141per room per night
8. Eco friendly bathing at Chumbe Island Coral Park, Zanzibar
Set on a tiny island off Zanzibar, Chumbe Island Coral Park takes extreme measures to protect the area’s fragile coral ecosystem. The seven thatched bungalows have compost loos (two scoops of dried leaves after each visit and, hey presto, no smell) and organic soaps. Your shower is heated by the sun and drains into a sealed flower bed where specially-chosen plants soak up damaging phosphates and nitrates.
Prices start from £156 per person per night, including all meals, guided snorkelling and forest walks and boat transfers from Zanzibar island
9. Magnificent bathtubs at Holm House in Penarth, South Wales
This glamorous boutique seaside hotel boasts wonderful choices for wallowing, from huge, freestanding copper and brass tubs to indolence-inducing baths sunk into limestone or oak decks and panelled in walnut. The 12 luxurious rooms are styled differently but all have stunning contemporary furniture, designer décor, luxurious Frette linen and Jo Malone bath products
Rooms start at £145 per room per night, including breakfast
10. Luxurious extras at zazpiHotel, St Jean de Luz, France
This hippest of hip hotels in a pretty French seaside town is a Zen-inspired fusion of glass, wood and stone. The five doubles and two suites have ultra-luxurious bathrooms but it’s the delightful added extras that really please. Expect top-of-the-range bath and face towels courtesy of Kykill and Bondi, a monogrammed '7' sponge bag containing a sisal sponge, deodorant stone and real horn comb, as well as hazelnut oil soaps and shampoos
Prices start from £158 per room per night, including breakfast and washbag filled with ecological toiletries
Back to top
i-escape.com launches new Madeira collection
The Portuguese isle enjoys a renaissance with a crop of chic new offerings
Banish those thoughts of the blue rinse brigade, Madeira is having a long awaited renaissance. A new crop of chic accommodation options has brought this green and azure island firmly into the noughties, offering a stylish alternative to the golfing resorts and G&T crowd of Madeira past. We have picked our five favourite island escapes, from a chic spa hotel in the mountains to an uber-modern Funchal city pad and an intimate guesthouse in the island’s hinterland. Prices start from €80 per room per night.
1. Summerplace Guesthouse
Sociable guesthouse with quirky design touches in the unspoilt southwest - walkers, talkers and lovers of good food will adore it
Once you've negotiated Madeira’s roads to reach the lush eucalyptus and banana groves of the tropical southwest, stop here a while and relax in style. This recently opened 5-room guesthouse is warmly hospitable Bedrooms are comfortable, light and airy, with sensational sea views. A convivial living area, eccentrically furnished with a Venetian chandelier, a wood-burning stove, a self-playing grand piano and delightful trinkets leads to a terrace and infinity pool. Intimate and sociable, this is a place from which to discover the island’s unspoilt villages and dramatic coastline.
From €80 per room per night, includes breakfast
2. The Vine, Funchal
Wine, design and good living in a glamorous, uber-modern hotel
 The Vine’s cutting-edge chic and delectable food is putting Madeira on the map for hip city breaks and luxury living following its opening in late 2008. There may not be a vineyard in sight, but it’s all about the wine, from the first floor restaurant Terra, themed to feel as though you’re dining amid roots and beneath vines, to lush palettes of purple, green, pink and brown. The Vine is a design hotel par excellence: the underground spa is darkly seductive; the rooftop swimming pool, sundeck and lavada-inspired jacuzzi transport you to the pages of a fashion shoot.
From €221 per room per night, includes breakfast and a baby sitting service
3.
Estalagem da Ponta do Sol
Modernist meets traditional quinta at this design-savvy clifftop hotel
 This is not a designer hotel that erases the past in favour of the future; it works with it to create something far more interesting. The 54-room hotel, with its restaurant, bars and many chillout areas, sits on the cliff top overlooking little Ponta do Sol and the sea. The marriage of old quinta with modernist annexes is inspired. From the traditional palm-lined terrace to the infinity pool; everywhere you look there’s a frame for the view. Close enough to Funchal for a night out, but far enough away that you feel you’re getting a break from the city.
From €117 per room per night, includes breakfast
4. Quinta das Eiras
A romantic and tropical retreat in the northeast with a touch of Zen
 The Quinta das Eiras cleverly combines Alpine charm and eastern zen. Ten stilted cabins dot themselves across the grounds (two of these pair up for family stays); there's a honeymooners' stone cottage tucked away for romantic types. You get a swimming pool on the lawn, a hot tub overlooking the river and a tranquil, tropical, back to nature feel. Each perched home feels woody and rustic, a place to unwind against a background of bird ballad and river rush.
From €85 per room per night
5. Choupana Hills Resort and Spa
Award-winning spa hotel with jaw-dropping views
 Overlooking Funchal bay, Choupana Hills is cool, stylish, gutsy and, frankly, exotic: the essence of Malaysian luxe, magically transported to genteel Madeira. The feel is sometimes Asian, sometimes African, always chic. Natural materials are used throughout and the basalt inlaid floors echo Funchal's mosaic pavements. Outside, it’s all about the view. Inside, the stars on show are the Xôpana Restaurant and the Spa. Rooms are in bungalows on stilts and scattered around the gardens.
From €281 per room per night, includes breakfast
Back to top
Alternative Awards 2009
It's been a while coming - because we've seen so many weird and wonderful hotels and B&Bs over the last year that it was hard to whittle them down to the top ten - but they are: our winners of i-escape's third annual Alternative Awards which celebrates the fabulous, the funny and the downright freaky in our collection of chic places to lay your head.
1 Best hotel for stargazers
 At Elqui Domos in northern Chile, not only is there no ambient light to spoil the night sky (you're at 4200 feet above sea level, and 100km from the nearest streetlights), but the staff will give you a guided tour of the constellations on your first evening – and you'll find a telescope in your tent. Ah yes, we didn't mention that – but it's an extremely comfy form of camping: 7-foot-high insulated geodesic domes on 2 levels (living and sleeping), with sofa, armchairs and an ensuite bathroom.
2 Finest vintage transport
 Honourable mention goes to Riva Lofts in Florence for renovating a bunch of 1950's bicycles for their guests' use - a molto stylish way to cycle the 2km into town. But the award, whether you judge it on age or rarity, must go to The Bagh in northern India, whose owner offers guests a spin in his immaculately preserved 1918 Model T Ford (or, if you prefer, a 1938 Triumph motorcycle: slip on the goggles and hold tight!).
3 Best room for bookworms
 The prize hotel must go to Glencot House in Somerset, where books are jammed into every nook and cranny – it's a kind of library-overspill for owner, antiques dealer and bibliophile Martin Miller. The room we stayed in (number 14) must have had over 200 books in the bathroom alone, and a whole lot more in the bedroom. Plenty to keep the avid reader amused during one of Somerset's famously wet weekends.
4 Most unusually clad animals
 We've heard of monkeys stealing the hat from your head, and jackdaws flying off with your wedding ring, but where in the world could you expect to find a donkey wearing pyjamas? Answer: the Ile de Ré, off the west coast of France. They were originally designed to ward off sandflies; now it’s more for camera clicking tourists. Needless to say, they're a very stylish blue gingham – not dissimilar to the tablecloths at Domaine de la Baronnie, in fact (to whom we're indebted for the photograph). Could it be that guests are secreting them away to the asinine seamstress? I think we should be told.
5 Best hotel for film buffs
 A commendable mention goes to Amarya Haveli in Delhi, one of whose rooms has old film posters on the walls and a light-up neon sign that reads ‘Bollywood’ in case you’re in any doubt about the theme. But the winner is the Hotel Roemer in Amsterdam, whose room 14 has no fewer than 3 flatscreen TVs (including 1 in the bedroom and 1 in the bathroom - so you can each watch your own film - and compare notes later in the kingsize bed). And there's a choice of over 100 movies to watch, including the latest releases, from reception.
6 Best hotel for elephant lovers
 There's no contest here: Anantara in Thailand's Golden Triangle wins trunks down for its acclaimed elephant camp and baby elephant sanctuary, where you can not only ride the big beasts, but also watch them wash and feed, or take a 3-day mahout training course if you plan to sit your advanced elephant driving test. If that's too far afield, at the Elephant at Pangbourne (UK), we counted no fewer than 288 statues and 39 pictures of pachyderms!
7 Strangest in-room freebie
 Hotels are outbidding each other in their attempts to woo and surprise you with small in-room gifts that set the holiday tone. Runners up include Four Rosmead in Cape Town, where each room has a beach basket containing (among other things) a frisbee; and Basico in Mexico, where you'll find a white polaroid camera chained to the side of your elevated kingsize bed, plus flippers and a football beneath it.
We also enjoyed Puerto Nativo's offer of a pair of "wooden socks" (we hope they mean woollen), and applaud Blue Sturgeon for splashing out on a tin of finest French caviar for each guest. But for sheer randomness, we vote for Deseo, also in Mexico, where on a string from the ceiling dangles, alongside sandals, a sunhat and a sarong, a single yellow banana.
8 Weirdest spa treatment
 If you've had a hot stone massage and a soak in the wine tub and are itching for something a bit grittier and more elemental, try the hay bath at vigilius mountain resort high up in the Italian Alps. Designed to ease aches and pains and boost your circulation after a day's cross-country skiiing or horse-riding, it involves wrapping yourself in a cloak of fermenting hay and whacking the temperature up to 100 Fahrenheit until the itching comes and then (finally) goes. If that doesn't knock you out, slip next door for an apple polenta peeling treatment (using a mix of South Tyrolean apple, finely ground corn and mountain honey) followed by a dose of fir cone reflexology.
9 Cheekiest chair
 We've come across some seriously strange seats during our 8 years and 1500 hotels. Three that stand out are a wonderful Louis XIV painted silver and upholstered in shocking lime-green at the Dylan in Ireland, an oversized orange circular sofa in the Junior Suites at Room Mate Oscar in Madrid, and a pair of airplane seats in room 309 at Art Hotel Luise in Berlin. But for sheer old fashioned elegance we went for the pair of green-leather barber's chairs in the master suite at Riad Numero 9 in Fes, Morocco. Should the mood take you, I have no doubt that owners Stephen and Bruno could call someone in to cut your hair in situ.
10 Best hotel for schoolmasterly types
 If you're the kind of person who likes to give the waiter a helpful piece of feedback, or berate the receptionist for not knowing the taxi number, then you'll love staying at the College Hotel - and so, oddly, will they. That's because it's staffed by students from the Amsterdam Hotel Management School - under the supervision of experienced managers, we should add. The result is highly motivated young staff who appreciate a bit of constructive criticism - and yet who do such a good job that they get very little of it.
Back to top
Barack Obama books his London hotel through i-escape.com
We were of course delighted and honoured when Mr Obama’s close aide Reggie Love contacted i-escape.com to enquire about a boutique London bolthole for the US President to spend the 2nd of his two nights during his short visit to London.
 After settling in at the US embassy for his first night, Mr Obama, travelling undercover and accompanied by his wife Michelle, will choose to escape the glitzy world of G20 leaders for a taste of “the real London” on his second evening. Following on from their Buckingham Palace reception and the Downing Street dinner for all 20 leaders and spouses, the couple will slip away, dressed in casual attire, to a local pub for a pint of bitter – which Mr Obama admits he has never tasted before – before retiring for a night of simple and stress-free comforts, with perhaps an in-room movie or some Jay-Z and Bruce Springsteen tunes, in a carefully chosen hotel nearby.
 After reading all our detailed reviews and phoning our Bristol office for some further advice – just as any ordinary Joe can – the most powerful man in the world elected to stay in this hotel, which we were delighted to book for him at our usual preferential rates, plus the offer of a free room upgrade should a suite be available at the time of check-in. The reception manager, who had been in his post just 2 months, admitted to “recognising the names” of his guests but said he couldn’t place them. He may have quite a shock when the couple arrives.
As for us, we were delighted to be of service and look forward to receiving feedback on his stay from our 120,967th registered user, “b h obama (washington)”.
Back to top
Recession Chic: our pick of European hotspots for under £100
Holidaying in 2009 is all about getting the most for your money, but that doesn’t have to mean bunking down in a hostel, pitching a leaky tent or checking into a soulless budget hotel. With our new recession-chic pick of Europe’s hottest hotels, villas and boutique B&B’s all for under £100 a night, you can have a wallet-friendly break without compromising on style. Prices start from just £34 per room per night.
As if any more persuasion was required, book a stay through i-escape.com at any of the places listed here and you’re not only getting style at a steal but you will also benefit from exclusive discounts and gifts on arrival.
1. Casa Sibarita, Rafelguaraf, Valencia, Spain
Casa Sibarita, a 19th century townhouse situated in the small town of Refelguaraf, is running a special offer of 50 euros for all rooms throughout 2009. This place has a winning combination of old-world Spanish structure tempered with modern art, sculptures, wrought-iron chandeliers, art-deco lamps, as well as a lovely pool that gets the sun all day. You are on the outskirts of Valencia and just a short drive from the sandy beaches of Gandia.
All rooms at Casa Sibarita are on a special offer of just £47 per room per night, including breakfast
2. Le Tresor, Sonnac-sur-l'Hers, near Carcassonne, France
London meets Languedoc at this hip hideaway in the hills south of Carcassonne. From the outside, Le Trésor has quintessentially southern French good looks; a triple-storied French maison with green shuttered windows looking out onto the sleepy village square. But once you step inside it’s a racy cocktail of contemporary prints and fabrics, jazzy chandeliers, angular lamps and whirly art. The house is engagingly laid-back and guests are actively encouraged to treat Le Trésor as you would your own home.
From £80 per room per night. i-escapers get a free bottle of wine on arrival and a complimentary room upgrade (if available)
3.
Quercia Rossa, Maremma, Italy
Rustic meets Rococo in this stylish but affordable agriturismo in Tuscany’s (relatively) unexplored Maremma region. Don’t be put off by the house's exterior - beneath a 1970s coat of concrete render (a previous owner had suburban aspirations) a period farmhouse survives almost intact. The landscape is completely unspoiled; the views from the pool are stunning. And all will be forgiven once you step inside - a winning combination of traditional farmstead, a dash of contemporary style and antique furniture.
From £94 (100 Euros) per room per night, including breakfast. i-escape clients receive a free bottle of Morellino di Scansano wine
4. Elies Hotel, Kardamyli, Peloponnese, Greece
Secluded stone cottages with stylish interiors, tucked among gnarled olive trees a pebble's throw from Kardamyli's lovely beach. Elies Hotel is the only accommodation on this lovely sweep of azure sea, fringed by those famous olive groves and backed by snow-capped Mt. Taygetos. The interiors offer an unexpected, almost Scandinavian chic-ness - classy pastel shades, gleaming kitchenettes, comfy contemporary sofas, brilliant rugs on bleached pine floors.
From £94 (100 Euros) per room per night, including breakfast. i-escape guests booking a seven night stay before 30 June receive the seventh night free
5. Hotel Los Castanos, Nr Ronda, Spain
A cosy small hotel in an undiscovered white village with forest and mountain all around, 8km south of Ronda The hotel is small and intimate, welcoming and indulging. You get whitewashed walls, open fires, a big airy sitting room and six super-comfy rooms; all have small balconies. At the top of the house, a roof terrace and a plunge pool; at the bottom, a dining room for delicious home-cooked suppers.
From £74 (80 Euros) per room per night. On arrival i-escape guests receive either a bottle of organic, Ronda red wine or a Galicia white, served with tapas
6. Masseria degli Ulivi, Noto, Sicily, Italy
A peaceful and remote hotel in the hills above the gorgeous Baroque town of Noto, with a stunning pool and simple, rustic rooms. A short drive up a winding road brings you to this incredibly tranquil 'Farmhouse of Olives'. Simple, comfy rooms have high beamed ceilings; some are split level, which will suit families. But it's the setting which makes it: you're in the depths of nature, with Sicily's most spectacular river gorge and her loveliest Baroque town both on your doorstep.
From £94 (100 Euros) per room per night. A free bottle of wine awaits i-escape guests
7. Blue Sturgeon, St Seurin d’Uzet, near Bordeaux, France
St Seurin d’Uzet was made famous in the 1920s when it became lead player in a nascent French caviar industry and this simple and stylish B&B looks to this delicacy of delicacies as its touchstone. An eclectic mix of new design classics and great food, with caviar and oysters as the culinary kingpins, and outside, a plunge pool sits amidst gloriously leafy gardens.
From £89 (95 Euros) per room per night, includes breakfast. i-escape guests receive a free bottle of wine and those you booking 3 consecutive nights before 30 June and get a free 30g tin of finest French caviar
8. Casas da Lapa, Serra de Estrela, Portugal
One of Europe’s great little secrets - a stylishly renovated country hotel amidst Portugal's highest mountains, offering warm hospitality, great food and stunning hiking amid the rugged beauty of the Serra de Estrela National Park. Overlooking a swimming pool and courtyard, the airy bedrooms come with jacuzzi tubs, walls of rough stone and smooth whitewash, neutral colours enlivened by dusky reds and olives. And after a hard day the sauna and steam bath will leave you in the pink.
From £84 (90 Euros) per room, including breakfast and use of bikes. i-escape guests receive free jars of homemade honey
9. Terrace Houses, Sirince, near Ephesus, Turkey
Rent your own 19th century cottage in this pretty hill town. Each has been restored with lashings of love and personality - reclaimed marble basins, claw-footed tubs, vast sleigh beds and snuggly sleeping loft mixed with cool Chinese lanterns and wrought iron chandeliers, strings of drying red peppers in the kitchens and clutches of fresh pink oleander by the bedside. These are cosy homes with character and history and you're just 10km Ephesus.
A week will cost from just £654 (700 Euros) for a cottage that sleeps up to four (equal to £94 per night). i-escape guests get a lovely local gift on arrival
10. CasaCinco, Vejer de la Frontera, Andalucia, Spain
A contemporary B&B in a historic townhouse in Vejer de la Frontera, close to Spain's Costa de la Luz. A 1750 house, an 11th-century well, 21st-century lipstick and pearls, it’s funky, cosy and lived-in, making it a very relaxing B&B in which to stay. The five rooms are a feast for the senses, all are furnished with colour and style. Head up to the roof terrace and chill in the shade on Moroccan rugs or gaze over the town and look down to the coast.
From £89 per room per night (95 Euros), including breakfast. Book three nights before 30 June and pay for just two. i-escape.com guests also receive a free bottle of wine on arrival
11. La Villa, Lopud, Croatia
A homely, 16th-century seaside villa on a tiny unspoilt island, an hour's ferry ride from the walled city of Dubrovnik. This is a back-to-nature escape among some of the loveliest seascapes in the world. Above the ground-floor lounge and library are 6 spacious, white-washed rooms, stylishly furnished with wicker chaise-longues and splashes of colour from Indian cotton bedcovers. From the seafront, a path leads across the island through herb-scented Mediterranean vegetation to one of Croatia’s rare sand beaches set in a blissful bay.
From £66 (70 Euros) per room per night, including breakfast. i-escape.com guests receive a free welcome drink
12.
Anidri Eco-cottages, near Paleochora, Crete, Greece
An eco retreat nestling in olive groves high above Crete’s spectacular south coast, with two 3-bedroom cottages and a yoga room. From the moment you awake to the tinkling of goatbells and the buzzing of cicadas, you know it’s going to be a good day. Step barefoot onto the sunwarmed terrace: a gentle breeze, bright blue skies and endless olive trees. Simple, natural surroundings for guests seeking beauty and inspiration away from Crete’s resorts, but near some of her most pristine beaches.
From £38 (40 Euros) per room per night. Three bedroom cottages (sleeping six) are also available for £700 per week (seventh night free to i-escape guests)
Back to top
Winter Sun Hotlist 2008-9
If you're suffering after a British summer that never really got off the ground, with the prospect of months of grey winter weather ahead, there's only one thing for it: get yourself a dose of medicinal winter sun.
Here are our top ten tips:
1.
The brand spanking new
Dar Bibine in Djerba, Tunisia is a seriously chic 4 bed maison d’hotes. It’s brilliant white walls and cerulean blue doors are reminiscent of a Greek island but the designer furnishings are straight off London’s Kings Road, Philippe Starck dressing tables sit alongside Descampes bath robes. Enjoy the hearty breakfasts, top up the tan on the tranquil roof terrace, relax beside the pool or immerse yourself in the hustle and bustle of the old medina.
Dar Bibine costs from £95 per room per night, including breakfast, and a bottle of wine if you book through i-escape
2. Next stop on the winter sun trail is the Canarian island of Lanzarote, off the coast of west Africa, which offers guaranteed year-round sunshine only 4 hours' flight from London. Stay away from the over developed coastal resorts and escape inland to the hippy hideaway of Casa El Morro, with its shady gardens, big pool, Balinese daybeds and yoga/massage tent in the grounds. Choose from seven warmly decorated apartments, sleeping 2-5 people, each with a fully equipped kitchen and shady terrace. There are shops and weekly markets in nearby Uga (or you can push the boat out and book a chef); Timanfaya National Park is on your doorstep, for dramatic hikes and horseback rides through stunning volcanic desert-scapes.
Suite for 2 from £62 per night; suite for 4 from £98 per night; stays of 7 nights or more are preferred.
3. Head to the recently opened
Riad Dar Rabia in Marrakech, Morocco, if you’re looking for a quiet retreat in this bustling city. This stylish, contemporary villa sleeps 6 and is a wonderfully, tranquil bolthole after the madness of the Medina. Located a short stroll from the Djemaa el Fna, this place is a bold blend of oriental and western design – mosaic tiled bathrooms and Moroccan silks combine with sleek beds and modern TVs. Lie back on a slick wicker sunbed and enjoy that all important sunshine on the spacious roof terrace.
The Riad sleeps six and costs from £166 per night, including breakfast. Book a week’s stay and the seventh night is free.
4.
Newly opened this year, Nikoi Island combines barefoot luxury with eco-friendly principles. Located just 2 hours from Singapore, this Indonesian private island offers the ultimate Robinson Crusoe experience – white sandy beaches, gin-clear waters, coral reefs and a rainforest teeming with birds. Nikoi Island is so unspoilt you feel you've rented the whole thing for yourself; especially because there are only 6 beautiful Indonesian beach houses. You'll not be short of things to do - choose from snorkeling, island hopping, fishing, sailing, beach-combing, wildlife spotting or just reclining on a daybed, cocktail in hand.
A one bedroom beach house costs from £117 per night, room only. Guests booking with i-escape.com receive free use of snorkeling equipment, kayaks and sailing boats
5.
Where better to enjoy the sunshine than on a Brazilian beach? Opt for the recently opened (spring 2008) Casa do Dean in Arraial d’Ajuda on Bahia’s beautiful coastline. Set in the rainforest, but just 5 minutes from the beach, this is New York loft meets funky beach house. Huge glass windows open onto the wooden veranda, with a wonderful view out over the trees to the sea beyond. The villa is private, laidback and luxurious, with beautiful en-suite bedrooms and the services of a maid for up to 6 hours a day. Down on the beach, head one way for deserted sand and coconut palms, or the other for some of the chicest beach bars on the Discovery Coast.
Casa do Dean sleeps 4 and costs from £279 a night
6.
Team sea and sun with safari at
Saadani Safari Lodge in Tanzania, East Africa’s only park with sea frontage. Nine tented cottages are hidden amongst the screw palms on a tranquil spot overlooking the Indian Ocean, perfect for gentle game viewing with a dose of beach. Spot baboon, giraffe, lion and buffalo from the hidden tree house then swim out to one of the off-shore islands to snorkel amongst tropical fish. Socialise at sunset with cocktails at the quirky ‘boat bar’, enjoy a meal overlooking the golden sands in the grass-roofed restaurant and finish the night with a campfire on the beach.
From £134 per person per night, including full board accommodation, laundry, one daily activity and airport transfers
7.
The go slow island of Isla Holbox off the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, is the perfect place for total relaxation in the sun this winter. Stay at
CasaSandra – the passion project of Sandra Perez, Cuban music producer, poet and artist. Sandra's influence is evident in the hotel’s carefully sourced Cuban antiques, the bespoke colonial style furniture from Guadalajara, and the 15 romantic rooms and seriously sexy suites with ocean views. This place is Mexican with a contemporary edge that gives it a stylish and welcoming ambiance. Add the best restaurant on the island, vast double sun loungers and a new pool, and you have the perfect formula for lusciously lazy days.
Rooms cost from £87 per room per night, including breakfast
8.
Take in the Atlantic Ocean views and relax in contemporary surroundings at
Glen Beach Villas, in Cape Town, South Africa. The three spacious villas and wonderful Penthouse apartment overlook stunning Glen Beach and are all stylishly decked out, with open plan living rooms, sleek modern kitchens and refreshing plunge pools. Chill out on the beach, stroll into Camps Bay for a night out, watch the sun sink into the sea from your terrace and go to sleep to the sound of the waves – bliss!
The penthouse sleeps 4 and costs from £174 per night, while the villas sleep 8 and cost from £160 a night
9.
For quirky accommodation right on the beach, choose to take your winter sun at
YabYum Resort on Mandrem beach, Goa. Twelve simple, palm-thatched ‘igloos’ are hidden within a magical sand garden, each lovingly decorated with richly-coloured Rajasthani art above every bed, bright paint on the walls and muslin curtains in front of the propped-open palm windows. They're all shaded by coconut palms during the day and twinkling with strings of fairy lights and paper lanterns in the evening. Enjoy breakfast on your own table outside your pod, sunbathe by the plunge pool or have your lounger carried to the nearly-deserted beach.
A pod that sleeps 2 costs from £40 per night, including breakfast. There are also larger pods that sleep up to 4 and costs from £53 per pod per night
10.
Situated on a blissfully secluded beach, yet within easy reach of the popular jungle and nature park of Manuel Antonio,
Arenas Del Mar is our favourite coastal hideaway in Costa Rica. It offers the best of both worlds: sophisticated yet surrounded by rustic beauty. The reception area is a soaring wooden palanque lined with woven palms, crimson walls, elegant armchairs and a circular bar. An organic swimming pool forms a natural oasis and interiors are filled with original paintings. Rooms offer ocean views from your bed or balcony jacuzzi. Spend your days lazing on the secluded beach, venture into the jungle with a friendly local guide or unwind in the spa with an organic treatment.
From £147 per room per night for a kingsize room with an ocean of rainforest view, includes breakfast
Back to top
i-escape launches new Costa Rica collection
i-escape.com this week introduces a dedicated guide to boutique accommodation in Costa Rica. The new collection comprises an emerging flock of small chic hotels and boutique B&Bs in this small yet perfectly formed corner of Central America. With prices ranging from an affordable £40 for a room at Luna Nueva Lodge to over £500 for the suites at Florblanca or Gaia Hotel, there are options to suit a range of budgets, all of which can be booked through i-escape.com.
From chic hotels to jungle hideaways and eco retreats, the collection features over a dozen of the newest and most special places to holiday, as well as a recommended specialist tour operator offering bespoke trips and adventure holidays. The portfolio covers almost all the country, including San Jose, Arenal volcano, Monteverde cloudforest, the remote jungle of Pacuare, and the Pacific coast from the Osa peninsula to the Nicoya Peninsula.
Following a series of in-depth scouting trips covering the length and breadth of the country, the final selection has been compiled and reviewed by Latin American specialist and guidebook author, Christabelle Dilks.
Costa Rica packs incredible diversity into a tiny space. It’s just two-thirds the size of Scotland, and yet contains over 5% of all the world’s plant and animal species, including iguanas, sloths, jaguars, tapirs, dolphins and monkeys galore. There are over 850 bird species - twice as many as in the United States and Canada combined – the most exotic of which is perhaps the colourful quetzal. With 25 National Parks and over 100 protected areas, from remote rainforest to turtle beaches, it's a nature lover's dream.
Highlights from the collection include:
 Luna Nueva Lodge, near Arenal – all-round rainforest experience
This is not just a rainforest retreat, it's a groundbreaking nature project, biodynamic farm and unforgettable learning experience for a handful of lucky guests. Owner Steven Farrell is passionate about the fragile, wonderful ecosystem around; his bilingual guides bring it all to life, from invisible microbes to languid sloths, from wild fruit to birds and butterflies. They have planted a huge seedbank of local medicinal plants among their organic turmeric and ginger gardens, to preserve the genetic material for future generations and the ancestral knowledge of how to use them. The adjacent "Children's Eternal Rainforest" preserves 54,000 acres of jungle thanks to donations from schools and children in 44 countries worldwide. The lodge ticks all the eco boxes – grey water treatment, recycled furniture – but it's also comfy, with spacious ensuite rooms, ceiling fans, a spring fed pool and a solar heated hot tub.
Rooms cost from £40, family bungalows from £55 per night, B&B, including farm tour.
 Arenas Del Mar, Manuel Antonio – eco-chic beach retreat
Situated on a blissfully secluded beach, yet within easy reach of the popular jungle and nature park of Manuel Antonio, Arenas Del Mar is our favourite coastal hideaway. It offers the best of both worlds: luxurious yet rigorously sustainable, sophisticated yet surrounded by rustic beauty. This exquisitely designed resort is a unique find, the reception area is a soaring wooden palanque lined with woven palms, crimson walls, elegant armchairs and a circular bar. An organic swimming pool forms a natural oasis and interiors are filled with original paintings. Rooms offer ocean views from your bed or balcony jacuzzi. Spend your days lazing on the secluded beach, venture into the jungle with a friendly local guide or unwind in the spa with an organic treatment. From £147 per room per night for a kingsize room with an ocean of rainforest view, includes breakfast.
 The Harmony Hotel, Nosara – surfers' hangout
For an out of the way surfers' retreat on one of the best break beaches on the Pacific coast, head to The Harmony Hotel, Nosara. Although not easy to reach, this place is well worth the effort. Set in the jungle of Nosara on the Nicoya Peninsula in the western corner of Costa Rica, the hotel has excellent eco credentials (the vegetable patch serves the kitchen, food is organic, shower water recycled, and the hotel contributes to local environmental and social projects) – and is stylish to boot. This is the place to stay if you’re after a laid back tropical paradise that offers spa facilities, sunrise yoga and a fantastic opportunity to learn to surf. The hotel can arrange a block of lessons with the very professional (and honed!) surf dudes at Corky Carroll’s. Rooms cost from £80 per room per night, including breakfast
 Arenal Nayara, La Fortuna – volcano views
Arenal is Costa Rica's most spectacular and oft visited volcano, with fumaroles, lava flows and nocturnal fireworks issuing from its still active cone. But until now there's been nowhere really stylish to stay. The newly opened Arenal Nayara, at the base of the volcano, fills that gap. The hotel offers guests chic design, personalised service, and the most stunning views of the volcano from each of its 24 beautiful casitas. Ideal for couples looking for a romantic getaway, the paths wind through beautifully landscaped gardens filled with tropical flowers to an organically shaped pool with its swim-up bar. Interiors are Javanese inspired: elegant carved wooded furniture against mustard yellow and deep saffron walls. The huge, secluded casitas are perfectly equipped, with iPod docking stations and slick bathrooms. Fill the private Jacuzzi on your balcony, order cocktails, and watch Arenal’s plume of smoke spiral into the sky. Rooms cost from £87 per night including breakfast; there's currently a 4-for-3 offer through i-escape.
 El Silencio Lodge and Spa, near Bajos del Toro – spa and cloudforest
For utter tranquillity El Silencio Lodge and Spa near Bajos del Toro, hits the spot. Hidden in its own cloud forest reserve, this place is all about rest and relaxation, with chic design, imaginative organic food, and one of the finest spas in Costa Rica. The rooms are elegant and comfortable, with wide private balconies that take in the glorious nature that surrounds you - calling birds, lush forest, and wide skies. Enjoy your private hot tub, take a walk to nearby waterfalls with the eco-concierge, or simply indulge in sublime massages in the conical treatment room. And, being only 1.5 hours from San Jose, it's the perfect post-arrival or pre-departure detox – infinitely preferable to busy Monteverde. Rooms cost from £120 per person per night, including three a la carte meals daily, minibar and one guided hiking tour.
 Pacuare Lodge, Siquirres – rafting jungle adventure
Get closer to nature at the secluded paradise of Pacuare Lodge alongside the Pacuare River in eastern Costa Rica, an idyllic riverside jungle lodge hidden deep in the rainforest and only reachable by raft. A breathtaking paddle through the rapids brings you out on a calm stretch of water, peep through the tall trees and hanging creepers and you’ll spot Pacuare Lodge. Beautifully designed palm-thatched cabins with luxurious bathrooms sit amid lush gardens of tropical flowers. Sip caipirinhas by candlelight before enjoying a sophisticated meal by the river. Awake to the sound of exotic birdsong and the sight of monkeys swinging in the trees and hummingbirds flitting in the flowers outside your window. From £185 per person for a two-day and one night stay, including river rafting transportation to & from the lodge, professional guides, all meals, hot beverages, jungle hike and return transportation to San José with guide.
Visit www.i-escape.com/costaricaaccommodation.php to view the collection and to make reservations.
For further media information and a comprehensive list of all the properties featured in the Costa Rica Collection, as well as high quality images please contact Fiona Reece or Emily Enright at Fiona Reece Public Relations.
- Ends -
Notes to Editors
• i-escape.com is an online guide and booking service to the world’s best kept secret hideaways suiting a wide range of budgets – from chic b&b’s or beach villas, to luxury boutique hotels. Presently the service features almost 1000 properties across 40 countries worldwide. Each property has been visited and reviewed by a member of the i-escape.com team.
• i-escape.com is not a travel agent or a tour operator, but an independent travel guide which provides first-hand reviews of its favourite places to stay and other travel tips (what to see, how to get there etc) and connects users directly to the provider.
• What’s more, the site offers users a ‘bespoke’ enquiry service – where each question is personally handled by the relevant country expert at no additional cost.
Back to top
Show Homes - 10 Truly Aspirational City Apartments in Europe
If you’re looking for innovative interiors, funky furniture and beautiful boudoirs, then check out some of our favourite apartments in Europe's coolest cities:
 Spacio Loft, Paris, France
A stunningly sleek and airy loft in a converted 18th century printing house, near the Pompidou in the vibrant Montorgueil area (sleeps 2-6).
 Riva Lofts, Florence, Italy
A historic mill on Florence's Arno river, transformed by a top Italian architect into 10 cool studios with fantastic garden and pool
 No. 46, Prague, Czech Republic
In chic, laidback Vinohrady district, this beautiful apartment combines baroque bohemia, eastern artefacts and luxurious mod cons (sleeps 4)
 into Barcelona, El Born, Barcelona, Spain
Funky apartments in Barcelona’s trendy Born district plus quirky cultural tours
 Home Apartments, Reykjavík, Iceland
Landmark 19th-century building in downtown Reykjavík, converted by the architect-owner into 5 stylishly cosy apartments for 2-4
 Staying Cool, Manchester, England
Serviced 1 & 2 bed studios with boutique hotel style
 San Magi, Palma, Mallorca
A stunningly refurbished townhouse (sleeps 4-6) with walled garden and roof terrace, near the waterfront
 Las Suites del Maestro, Seville, Spain
At the hub of Seville’s old town centre, these super-swish, self-catering apartments for 2-4 offer cool chic and deep comfort
 42 Rue Victor Hugo, Carcassonne, France
2 stylish one-bed apartments in historic Carcassonne, for indulgent mini-breaks with cool Gallic chic and a warm English welcome
Back to top
i-escape launches the first phase of its Indochina collection
i-escape.com has launched the first phase of its Indochina collection – a guide to the best boutique offerings and hip hideaways of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Currently covering 20 properties, the aim is to build up the portfolio to become the most extensive collection of chic retreats in the region.
From chic city hotels and apartments, to far flung beachside idylls, the collection features some of the newest places to holiday in Indochina. Areas covered include Siem Reap and Phnom Penh in Cambodia, Luang Prabang in Laos, and Hanoi, Saigon and the East Coast of Vietnam. The properties suit a range of budgets, with prices from as little as £17.50 per night for a simple double room at the quiet retreat of Hanumanalaya in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
If you want help planning and booking your trip, or need to fill in any gaps, i-escape.com can also recommend a local ground operator who can tailor-make an itinerary in any or all of these 3 countries.
Nikki Tinto of i-escape comments, “We’ve carried out a number of scouting trips to this region of South East Asia which offers so much, in order to cherry pick our collection of exciting and unusual properties. We will be constantly updating and growing the collection to meet our ambition of offering the most definitive guide to boutique accommodation in Indochina.”
The following are some of the highlights from the new collection:
VIETNAM
 For total luxury on the stunning East Coast of Vietnam, choose the new The Nam Hai on White China Beach which opened in 2007. You will need a healthy bank account to check in to these wildly swanky villas, but it is definitely worth it. This design hotel is a temple of contemporary cool, set in a slice of paradise on a silky white sand beach. Some of the villas have their own pools, all open onto a horseshoe of sand that runs down to the South China Sea. Inside you will find effortless elegance: showers in private gardens, deep eggshell baths, super-cool tented beds on raised platforms, and a wall of glass that opens onto a private terrace. Villas cost from £275 per night, including breakfast.
At the other end of the scale is the much cheaper, but also newly opened, Bo Resort on Phu Quoc Island, 50km off the south coast of Vietnam and only 15km from coastal Cambodia. This remote resort is set on a 4 kilometre sandy beach near the fishing village of Cua Can, and is reached by a long bumpy track. The twelve stilted bungalows are set among banana trees and are charmingly rustic, with bamboo balconies and eccentric inside/outside ensuite shower rooms. Although basic, the accommodation is comfortable and the whole resort is an escape from the modern world. This really is one of Vietnam’s best kept secrets so make sure you visit before the developers arrive, as there are plans afoot to rival Thailand’s Ko Samui. A bungalow costs from £18 per night and there is a two night minimum stay.
CAMBODIA
 For a stylish retreat on the doorstep of the stunning UNESCO World Heritage site of Angkor Wat, head to The One Hotel in Siem Reap. This pied a terre is literally made up of one room tucked away in the heart of the old town. Loll on the comfy day bed, slip into the hot tub, or enjoy a barbeque cooked for you on the roof terrace. The One Hotel costs from £125 pounds per night, including airport transfers and breakfast. If the room at The One Hotel is already taken, then make for the sublime
Heritage Suites Hotel (pictured), which blends French colonial cool with contemporary design. The suites are among the loveliest in Siem Reap, and the hotel comes complete with private gardens, a galleried restaurant and a fabulous swimming pool. A double room at the Heritage Suites Hotel costs from £118 per night, including breakfast.
 If you’re staying in the vibrant city of Phnom Penh then you can do no better than to opt for the lovely Amanjaya. This small and lively hotel offers heaps of comfort, easy style, great food and excellent service. All of the 21 suites have their own bathrooms, spacious sitting areas, kingsize beds and splendid balconies from where you can take in the view of the mighty Mekong and the Tonle Sap. A suite costs from a very reasonable £78 per night, including breakfast.
LAOS
 Luang Prabang has won the accolade of ‘Best City in the World’, in a reader survey carried out by Wanderlust magazine for the last two years, and La Residence Phou Vao must be one of the best places to stay in the city. This fabulous hotel offers manicured gardens, airy interiors, a wonderful sun terrace, ornamental ponds, a beautiful swimming pool and elegant bedrooms. Withdraw to your private balcony, head to the spa for a spot of pampering, and marvel at the sight of thousands of candles burning in the garden as you enjoy a delicious dinner. A double room costs from £125, including breakfast.
 A cheaper option in the city is the cool little restaurant-with-rooms that is The Apsara. Standing on the banks of the Nam Khan river, one block down from main street, this is an absolute steal – its remarkable prices and vibrant interiors make it hard to resist. The 13 rooms are decorated in a simple, intoxicating colonial style with high ceilings, shuttered windows, fabulous beds and doors onto a terrace or balcony. The Mekong is just around the corner, so hire a boat and explore - caves, waterfalls and yet more temples await! A double room costs from £30 per night, including breakfast.
Back to top
Hot Summer Hideaways - 2008
i-escape.com’s Guide to this Summer’s Hot Hideaways 2008
Have you already stayed in the Costa Smeralda, done the Dodecanese and are desperate for some summer getaway inspiration? These top tips from
i-escape.com will give the low down on what’s hot for 2008, with recommendations of where to jet off to and which hip hideaways to book for a truly memorable holiday.
Tip 1 – Take another look at Andalucia…
There is so much more to Andalucia than flamenco dancers, the Alhambra palace and the Costa del Sol. For total peace and privacy head to the recently opened Fountainhead retreat in the mountains close to Malaga. The hotel combines style and spirituality – coupled with superb food and wine. With no mobile phone coverage, this really is a place to unwind away from the stresses of the modern world. Each of the suites is flamboyantly decorated and comes with its own plunge pool. A double room costs £90 per person per night, based on two sharing.
Why not combine a trip to Fountainhead with a few nights in Malaga? This under-rated city has a lot to offer the visitor, from its vibrant old town and Renaissance cathedral, to a lively music scene, top class restaurants and a superb new Picasso museum. The hot spot to stay in the city is the new Room Mate Lola. This 50 room hotel has a young, funky, post modern vibe – chill out with a cocktail in the achingly cool bar after a day exploring the city. Prices from £56 per double room per night.
Tip 2 – Discover a hidden corner of Tuscany…
Think you know all there is to know about Tuscany? Think again. South West Tuscany still has some little known areas just waiting to be discovered. The region offers stunning hilltop towns set on outcrops of tufa rock, such as Sovano and Pitigliano, wonderful wines, thermal baths, and age-old Etruscan paths cut into the hills - offering great hiking potential.
For luxury, stay at the Castello di Vicarello near Grosseto, which opened in 2007 - a magical castle retreat with six romantic suites and outstanding views across the Maremma valleys to the Argentario coast. It costs from £180 per person per night, based on two sharing.
At a cheaper end of the scale, opt for Quercia Rossa, a wonderful agriturismo in the Maremma area. It offers six stylish bedrooms in the midst of totally unspoilt countryside, costing from £40 per person per night, based on two sharing. The closest airports for this area of Tuscany are either Rome or Pisa – around 1.5hr drive.
Tip 3 – Head off the beaten track in Portugal…
For incredible scenery, fresh mountain air and a taste of traditional Portugal, head inland to the Beiras region. Relatively untouched by tourism, this glacial area is stunningly beautiful, with the highest mountains in Portugal and the mighty Mondego river running through it. The closest airport for the region is Porto (around 200km) and you will definitely need to hire a car, but it is well worth the trip. Stay at the 10 bedroomed Casa das Penhas Douradas in the Serra de Estrella area - a cosy but chic mountain hotel. The sauna, heated pool and massage showers, make it the perfect retreat after a day trekking. A double room costs from £75 per night, including breakfast.
Also in the Serra de Estrelia is the stylish Casas da Lapa - a beautiful hotel constructed from old shepherds’ cottages above the mountain village of Lapa dos Dinheiros. Double rooms costs from £72 per night, including breakfast.
These hotels offer a combined 5 day walking tour that costs £365 per person and includes accommodation in Casas da Lapa and Casa das Penhas Douradas, an English-speaking guide every day, baggage transfer on the day-hike from one hotel to the other and all meals.
Tip 4 – Head to Turkey and experience Ephesus…
Forget the coast and head inland to experience rural Turkey this summer. The charming hill town of Sirince, inland from the Aegean Coast, is a cool, pine-ringed Eden with beautiful crumbling townhouses, located just 10km from the eastern med’s most impressive ancient city, Ephesus. Choose to stay in one of the trio that is Terrace Houses – gorgeous 19th century cottages that have been restored with lashings of love. These are beautiful, stylish and cosy homes with reclaimed marble basins and claw-footed tubs, vast sleigh beds and snugly sleeping lofts. The cottages cost £665 per week, based on two sharing, including breakfast.
Tip 5 – Drive to France…
This summer it’s all about hopping just across the Channel and exploring Western France. This area is easily accessible by ferry - great news for those who don’t want to fly. In Normandy, opt for B&B or self catering at La Petite Folie – a warm and welcoming auberge in Honfleur that’s bursting with charm. The 1830s captain’s house is home to five B&B rooms, while the quaint 14th century house next door contains two self catering apartments. A double room at the B&B costs £105 a night, while the apartments sleep 2-4 and cost from £130 a night.
Head further south and you reach the fabulous 14th century Chateau de la Barre – located between the Perche and the Loire. Live like royalty at this aristocratic hotel in the heart of the countryside. A double room costs from £120 a night.
Tip 6 – Chill out in Croatia…
Croatia continues to boom with new boutique hotels and gorgeous villas opening every month. The tiny island of Palmizana, part of the Hvar archipelago, is a hot spot for this summer – head to the exclusive Palmizana resort and stay in one of the cluster of beautiful villas and bungalows. This hideaway is built in local stone, and the buildings are furnished in a romantic Mediterranean style, complete with contemporary Croatian art. To get there, fly to Split, take a ferry to the island of Hvar and then a water taxi to Palmizana. A double room costs from £80 per night, bungalows cost from £105 a night, while villas cost from £160 per night.
Tip 7 – Mafia Island in Tanzania…the new Zanzibar?
Those looking to travel further afield this summer should head to Mafia Island in Tanzania for a classic Robinson Crusoe style location. Touted as the ‘new’ Zanzibar, this island has many of the perks of its Indian Ocean neighbour, but with far less development. Stay in the new Ras Mbisi Lodge, which opened at the end of 2007. It has an Eden-esque setting on a remote 5 mile beach of virgin sand and is the perfect place to kick back and relax – chill out on cushions in the airy main lodge, enjoy the intimacy of your own beautifully crafted thatched banda and relish the fantastic food on offer. Prices start from £75 per person per night, for full board accommodation. This includes transfers to and from airport, meals and snacks, hot drinks and water, plus two items of laundry per day per room.
Tip 8 – Bali is bouncing back…
Bali continues to bounce back and currently offers great value for money - you can stay in some breathtaking hotels for a fraction of what you would expect to pay due to the strength of the pound against the US dollar. Live like a king at The Bale in the upmarket enclave of Nusa Dua on Bali’s south coast. In 2007 this hip, modern and minimalist hotel opened 9 new single bedroom Deluxe Pavillions with views across the lagoon. Each secluded pavilion has its own pool, garden and butler - with armies of staff, a funky restaurant and buckets of style, it doesn’t come much more luxurious than this!
From £230 per pavilion per night, including breakfast and access to beach club.
Tip 9 - Make a mini Odyssey to Ithaca
The homeland of Homer's wandering hero Odysseus is a tiny, rugged, fertile island in the Ionian sea, which is still quite tricky to reach: you need to fly to Cephalonia (of Captain Corelli fame) or to Preveza on the mainland, then take a winding road and a tiny shuttle ferry. Which is probably why its stunning coves - some of the most idyllic beaches in Greece - have remained so pristine, and its mountain villages so lethargic (two thirds of the island's 3000 inhabitants live in the capital town, Vathy). Until now, it's also been very hard to find a villa for rent, without going through an all-inclusive UK operator - but i-escape has unearthed two gorgeous family retreats, one budget and one more indulgent, which you can book direct with the owners. The first, Kandiliotika, is a simple but chic pair of cottages, ideal for 2 couples or a family with older kids, perched above the straits with glimmering sea views and mesmerising sunsets. It costs just £600 - £1,000/week for up to 6 people. The second, Levendis, is a quartet of cottages, available individually or as a whole, with organic gardens, sparkling pool, organised activities for children (and adults) and those ever-present backdrops of turquoise sea. A cottage here, sleeping 2-4, costs from £3000 to £4000 per week, including hire car and seasonal produce from the veg gardens.
Back to top
Boutique hotels: i-escape sorts the wheat from the chaff
Question:
When is a boutique hotel not a boutique hotel?
Answer: Round about now. Why? Because the term has become so diluted since it was coined in 1980's New York (allegedly by Morgans pioneer Ian Schrager) that it is now being applied to any new or refurbed hotel with an ounce of branding, no matter how small or beautiful. We recently read about a new 'boutique hotel' in Atlantic City with 500 identical rooms, a 250-car parking lot, a retail centre and direct access to its sister casino. Which is like calling Tesco's a family-run deli.
So what should the term 'boutique hotel' really mean, and if it's becoming so over-used, what are the alternatives?
Definition
 The Business Dictionary (it's not in OED yet) defines it as a "small but exclusive property that caters to affluent clientele with an exceptional level of service at premium prices". Wikipedia thinks it's an "intimate, usually luxurious or quirky" hotel which differentiates itself from chain hotels through personalized accommodation and service. We'd go for "a small, usually urban hotel with distinctive design, personalised service and independent ownership". But even then, we'd have to admit that there are boutique hotels in the countryside, boutique hotels which are owned by small chains (Stein, Hospes etc), and boutique hotels whose decor is a cookie-cutter copy of the now-standard noughties look.
The boutique test
So we've come up with 5 criteria to put any hotel to the boutique test:
1. small – we'd put the limit at 50 rooms (rural) or 150 rooms (urban). Anything really small - under 10 rooms, say - or lacking hotel services can go for a spin-off term like 'boutique B&B' or 'boutique guesthouse'. We've even come across 'boutique campsite', while apartments are increasingly dubbed a 'boutique bolthole'.
2. personalised – it has to be an antidote to our automated world: friendly staff who greet you by name (preferably 'Hi Michael', rather than 'Hello Mr. Cullen'), rooms which vary one from another (personalised book and CD collections in your room earn bonus points) and a sociable bar (member-only bars, like those at Bangkok's
Met or Berlin's
Q, get an extra point). Room Mate hotels go further, by naming their places after a fictional friend who is your host, as if the hotel is his home.
3. stylish – if it feels like grandma's spare room, then you might as well stay at home; this should be a treat for today's time-poor, cash-rich travellers. Bespoke artwork and design classics earn extra points – though it doesn't have to be a design hotel (see below). And beware formulaic boutiquification - easily recognised by noughties design clichés like a single kala lily in a huge vase, or a swirl of Osborne & Little wallpaper in a monochrome room. True style has to be more than skin deep. (But we'll forgive the iconic green apple of the Room-Mate hotels, because we think they're a truly innovative group).
4. contemporary– somehow you can't call it boutique if it's got Louis XIV chairs and chintzy curtains. We need hi-tech extras: flatscreen TV's and wifi are de rigueur, ipod docks and guest laptops score extra points. But a bit of deliberate retro is fine, viz.
Hotel 1929 in Singapore,
L'Avenida in Mallorca etc.
5. independently owned – a huge multinational chain,
 with its
standardised procedures, uniform room décor and high staff turnover, can't be boutique, however hard they try (as Starwood have with their W hotels, for example). But smaller chains can get away with it: we reckon anything up to 20 co-branded hotels leaves enough room for individual expression.
Casa Angelina and
Villa Mangiacane (photos right) - both run by the 16-member Stein group - could hardly be more different; while Hospes' 14 hotels are equally varied and innovative.
What about the luxury level? Boutiques are rarely cheap, it's true, but that's not a condition so much as a by-product of the high service levels and small number of rooms. The biggest growth in the boutique sector during 2006-7 has been downwards – into the "affordable chic" category ($150-250 per room).
And what about facilities? An in-house restaurant and bar, preferably serving classy cuisine and cocktails in a buzzy ambiance, will certainly boost the boutique hotel rating (but a boutique B&B doesn't need these, of course!). Spas, fitness centres and saunas are increasingly common - over the last 10 years, it seems that every hotel in the world has built a spa - though again that's not a prerequisite for a boutique hotel. However, put all 3 in a city hotel and, hey presto, you've got an urban sanctuary. Magic, isn't it?
And why boutique – which means 'shop' in French? Does a true boutique hotel have to sell its furniture or artwork? A lot of them now do:
La Sommita in Italy is like a glorified showroom for the upmarket homeware brand which owns it, Culti of Milan. It makes sense, and it's a good way for guests to road test a chair or even a mattress before buying. But of course it's not a pre-requisite, it's a clever additional income stream to pay off all that bespoke design.
Design hotels
Talking of which, what exactly is a design hotel? As you'd expect there's a clear emphasis on design but unlike the boutique hotel, size doesn't seem to be such a constraint: Ian Schrager's New York Gramercy Park Hotel has 190 rooms whilst London's Cumberland hotel has a whopping 1000 rooms. Everyone seems to be jumping on the bandwagon which is perhaps why the Berlin-based marketing company 'design hotels AG' trademarked the name. They now have 140 paid-up member hotels. But that hasn't stopped lots of other places using the term.
Hip hotels
The same applies to hip hotel, which was coined by Herbert Ypma in his 1999 book "Hip Hotels: City" and has since spread across 15 titles. His definition? Hotels which are "excitingly different and aesthetically pleasing", and which "have become the destination".
The new boutique?
And the big question - what is the next two-word epithet which we'll all be using in 5 years time? Hoteliers are always stressing their different-ness, so you'll find plenty of unique hotels, character hotels, even experience hotels. And we've seen a surge of art hotels - a.k.a galleries or collections - in recent years, packed with one-off artworks and bespoke designs which you can often buy at reception. On the other hand the green wave is still rolling, so expect even more eco-hotels, nature lodges, maybe a few carbon-neutral hotels (the UK got its first one a few years ago, at TYF in Wales). As ever more people travel, privacy and homeliness are at a premium - so look out for private residences and variants on the word home (Home Hotel,
Home Apartments etc). Hearteningly for us, we're coming across more and more escape-related tags: exclusive escape, urban sanctuary, exotic retreat. Plus of course our own i-escape - which includes our top boutique hotels (plus some non-boutique favourites) in 40 countries around the world. Perhaps that's what it's all about: hotels as the antidote to daily life, the escape from normality.
Have your say
Do you disagree with our definitions? Applaud our analysis? Or have a hunch about the next label? If so, let us know by email to  .
We'll publish a cross-section of your comments here, so do check back later.
08.04.08 - Michael, You are spot on with your 5 points. I made some of the same comments in Hotel F&B Magazine:
"In my opinion, a boutique hotel is a property that is uniquely significant in 4 ways:
1. Architecture and design.
2. High level of service. A property must not exceed 150 guest rooms, enhancing the guest to staff ratio.
3. Sells to a specific demographic.
4. Independently owned and operated (this is where some will disagree with me). A boutique hotel must be an independent operation. The hotel must not be part of a collection that is more than say, 10 properties."
I think in future an emphasis on experience will emerge; you can see it now with some interesting temporary hotel installations and mobile hotels at events and festivals. Europe will lead the charge on how experiential hotels are developed; brands like CitizenM will better define boutique than, say, "W" in the US.
Kurt Bjorkman, Managing Partner, over5hospitality.com
09.04.08 - This week I read a report created by i-escape.com that does a great job of defining a true boutique hotel. The criteria are simple: small... personalized... stylish... contemporary... independently owned.
This last could be the most important attribute of all. A true boutique should look and feel as if it were run by an entrepreneur. I know chains can run with entrepreneurial spirit but it will still act like a chain and adhere to brand standards. That is not a boutique in my book. i-escape.com gives a pass to small chains with maybe 20 hotels, but I am not so sure about that. Once you extend even beyond 10 hotels the dynamic changes.
Today the term “lifestyle hotel” appears to be the catch-all phrase that lumps together everything from W hotels and products like the new Kimpton’s Palomar brand (founder Bill Kimpton died in 2001 and the company has become much larger and branded), to Marriott’s new Edition and independents like the chic Firmdale hotels in the UK.
Jeff Weinstein, Editor of hotelsmag.com
11.04.08 - There is a class of luxury B&B's emerging that can compete with the top of the 5* hotels. I am inclined to call those the Real Boutique Hotels. Or would you have a better name?
Happy Hotelier
11.04.08 - There cannot be just one definition of boutique. It is like the concept of luxury - constantly evolving... If you take this one step further, "boutique" is actually a red herring. It was originally used for smaller independent hotels to differentiate themselves from the chain hotels: The real argument should be what defines a luxury hotel?
International Bell Boy
11.04.08 - Interesting comments. I find the above definition to be to accurate but too narrow. There are some hotels that are small, unique hotels but have over 300 rooms and I would still consider them boutique. To me, boutique means an intimate, one-of-a-kind design that caters to a more fashion-focused demographic. One element that was missed here, that I also believe is important, is community. A boutique hotel should reflect the city it's in, and give the guest the sense of the city's character. Isn't that the point of travel anyway--to feel like you're somewhere new? Perhaps this is why the lines are so blurred. The 'boutique touch' is something that every hotel should strive to have really. The bottom-line is that boutique is more about guest experience and less about fitting into a box, or a rigid definition.
Rebecca Goldberg, Boutique Design
13.04.08 - Though to a certain extent I would agree with the i-escape and Jeff's points to consider when branding a hotel 'boutique', Rebecca's last point does make sense since a true boutique hotel SHOULD reflect the city/town/village.
Bjorn DeNiese
21.04.08 - I entirely agree with your comments. Just returned from NY, where I stayed at the 1000-room Hudson [a Schrager-Starck collaboration] - defined on expedia as "boutique"!
Evy Cohen, Paris
Back to top
i-escape.com unveils Alternative Hotel Awards 2008
Following the success of i-escape.com’s first Alternative Hotel Awards a year ago, they have come up with another hotlist, celebrating the most unusual experiences and hotel features unearthed by the website’s reviewers over the last year of worldwide explorations.
The awards will be in the guise of moons – rather than stars – depending on the level of weird-and-wonderfulness in question (see key below). Find out about where you can order an isotonic heat sensitive pillow, enjoy warthog sausages for breakfast, go llama walking before dinner, or splash around in a swimming pool that changes colour every 5 seconds whilst indulging in a spot of astronaut role play!
1. Best pillow menu –
Evason Ana Mandara, Vietnam
You will find Evason Ana Mandara in Nha Trang on the beachfront, on the East coast of Vietnam. This super sexy hotel has no fewer than 16 types of pillows awaiting you, ranging from an isotonic heat-sensitive moulding pillow, traditional Vietnamese buckwheat-filled pillow to reduce snoring and headaches, a butterfly shape to stop your head rolling around, one to put between the knees to align your spine, and a boring old water-based pillow ... not to mention a choice of 6 topper pillows including a bergamot one (for relaxation), eucalyptus (for clearer breathing) and grapefruit which "clears the mind and reduces stress"!
Prices start from £135 for a garden room with twin or kingsize bed and breakfast
2. Best for would-be astronauts –
Hotel Cocoon, Brazil
Hotel Cocoon in Salvador has just opened. The building itself is like a giant spaceship from a 1950's sci-fi film, the staff dress in citrus uniforms like cosmic Easyjet cabin staff, the pool changes colour every 5 seconds, and notices and menus are addressed to astronauts rather than guests. Ten out of ten for theming !
Prices start from £48 for a double, including breakfast and a welcome cocktail
3. Best for the stressed –
Le Castel, France
Ex newspaper hack Jon and partner Nick love a dose of the bizarre. Inside their historic Normandy chateau, Le Castel, you'll find a shiny white grand piano perfect for Elton-style crooning, while outside a pair of llamas graze the immaculate lawns. Stressed out guests are invited to take these placid beasts for a stroll around the grounds or into the village of Montpinchon. Doctors say it's the ultimate in pet therapy! We dare you to pop into the tabac and ask for "un café au lait et 20 Gitanes pour la llama, s'il vous plait!"
Prices start from £100 for double room and breakfast per night
4. Best for loners –
The One Hotel Angkor, Cambodia
At the aptly named The One Hotel in Siem Reap, Cambodia, you won't be queuing to check in, or moaning about noisy neighbours: you're the only guest! Owner Martin Dishman offers just the one double room, but it's a real beauty. The One Hotel is in the heart of the old town, with a designer lounge that opens onto a narrow passageway and a shaded roof terrace where you can loll about on a comfy daybed or slip into a hot tub and gaze up at the blue sky.
Priced from £126 for the kingsize room per night
5. Best for your inner children –
Art Hotel Luise, Berlin
If the big bad world is all too much for you, book room 107 (Mammelstraum) at the Art Hotel Luise in Berlin: the bed is 50% oversized in every dimension, so climbing into it and snuggling under the vast duvet makes you feel like a little child again. To leave the real world even further behind, ask for room 309, where a sloping bed suspended on chains, along with two aircraft seats and a log book on the fold-out table, gives the impression of flying through the skies in a plane.
Prices for rooms all vary but start from around £58 per night for a double
6. Best for trainlovers –
Villa Creta, Crete
Take the train... to dinner! At Villa Creta on the Greek island of Crete, the owners have installed a toy ‘choo choo’ train to shuttle between the two family-sized villas and their own home, where they cook dinner for guests. If you prefer a bumpier ride, you can borrow one of their horses (it's a working farm) or ride a mountain bike to the top of rocky Mt Yiouhtas, sacred to Zeus
Prices for Villa Despina start from £156 per night, and it sleeps up to five
7. Best for carnivores –
Lion Sands Lodge, South Africa
Lion Sands River Lodge dinner menu includes some unusual meats: crocodile kebabs in lemon butter and apricot sauce, or blesbok fillet stuffed with peanut butter and coriander. You can also start the day with a cooked breakfast which offers a choice of five different sausages, including gemsbok or warthog meat! Tried all that? What about Eland Bobotie (this is not the name of the chef: eland is a large antelope, bobotie is a spiced minced meat dish).
Prices start from £245 per person per night and include two game drives, all meals and airport transfers from Shukuza, plus as many sausages as you like for breakfast!
8. Best bathtub –
Fumba Beach Lodge, Zanzibar
There are some strong contenders here, with Heritage Suites in Cambodia and bb22 in Sicily topping the list of egg-shaped in-room tubs, while Periscope in Athens deserves an honourable mention for the rooftop Jacuzzi in its Penthouse Suite as well as Holm House in Wales for its shiny bronze monster of a tub in the "Flatholm" room. But the prize must go to Fumba Beach Lodge in Zanzibar, whose Baobab Suite has a treetop Jacuzzi, the perfect place for sociable sundowners after a day of strenuous snorkelling and sunbathing.
Prices for the Baobab Suite start from £83 per night for half board
9. Most appropriately named staff member –
Sanbona Wildlife Reserve, South Africa
At Sanbona Wildlife Reserve in the South African Karoo, the Wildlife Manager is called Ryno Erasmus - there is no better name, surely, for a scholar of our big unicorned friend. Priceless!
Prices start from £230 per person, which includes full board and all game drives and nature walks
10. Only hotel in the world on its own time zone – literally!
Six Senses Hideaway, Vietnam
Six Senses Hideaway sets all the clocks in the hotel one hour ahead of the rest of Vietnam and urges guests to do the same with their watches. The reason? To encourage visitors to get up in time to catch the stunning sunrise over the 2km crescent beach where the resort is set.
Doubles start from £372 per night
...And lastly, a special prize for a hotel which didn’t make the grade with the i-escape reviewers...
11. Best for car spotters (hotel rejected): Casas Cuevas de Pedro Alarcon, Spain
We arrived at the Casas Cuevas de Pedro Alarcon near Granada expecting rustic seclusion. Instead we found a 4-lane highway roaring past the prison-like perimeter fence; and in our roadside cave-room (for that's what they are), burrowed under the asphalt, we had the alarming sensation of a stream of juggernauts rumbling quite literally over our head as we slept (or not).
When we emerged bleary-eyed and blurry-brained, and asked to speak to the said Pedro Alarcon, we were told it was "not possible". Only later did we discover that he's been dead 100 years – he's not the hotelier but a 19th-century author!
Key to Moon Awards:
endearingly quirky – an unusual theme, an unfortunate name or a moment of madness in the decorative scheme, this kind of thing is often an accident which just sticks. It's fun, but not worth changing your itinerary for.
decidedly zany – a wacky location, weird and wonderful construction or a deliberately outlandish design concept, this requires some innovative thinking and innate stubbornness, but shouldn't stop you getting a good night's sleep. Worth changing your itinerary for.
totally extraordinary – a one-off among hotels across the world, that makes you think the entire boardroom may have been ‘under the influence’ when they dreamed it up. To achieve full moon status is no accident, but the result of years of counter-intuitive consideration and perverse planning. Worth planning your trip around.
For further media information as well as high quality images please contact Fiona Reece at Fiona Reece Public Relations, fiona@fionareece.com,
0117 330 7282 or 07702 684 682
Back to top
New Year, New You
...or "Holiday ideas to help you keep your resolutions"
Thousands of us have welcomed 2008 with countless New Year's resolutions to get fitter and healthier, or to learn a new skill during the year to come.
The ‘i-escape.com New You’ guide includes ten holiday ideas to help you stick to some of these vows over the next 12 months:
1. Learn Spanish in Chile
 The guide kicks off with the chance to learn the lingo in Chile. The delightfully relaxing hillside retreat of Casa Chueca near the town of Talca is the perfect location for learning Spanish. This colonial style house set in vibrant tropical gardens offers week long Spanish courses with local teacher, Pato. The course is made up of five three hour long lessons, giving you plenty of free time to enjoy the stunning surroundings of beaches in one direction and Andean peaks in the other – as well as practising what you have learnt on the local residents.
The seven day course costs £170 per person based on two sharing. This includes bed and breakfast, and all lessons.
2. Get fit the eco way in Brazil
 For the ultimate healthy break i-escape suggests heading to Sitio do Lobo Eco Fitness in Brazil for a six night eco-fitness programme that promises to detox and de-stress. The programme runs from March to October and involves hiking, kayaking, yoga and healthy eating, all set on the paradise island of Ilha Grande, just south of Rio de Janeiro. This breathtaking nature reserve has no roads, only mountain trails and unspoilt beaches, making it the perfect location for Sitio do Lobo’s team of experts to help nourish mind, body and spirit.
Running one week a month from 23 March until 19 October, these seven day courses cost £1,250 per person based on two sharing, including accommodation, meals, activities, yoga and massages and expert guides/trainers.
3. Thai cuisine
 The luxurious Aleenta hideaway in Phuket, Thailand, is situated on a pristine 10 km beach and offers personal cooking courses for guests. The lessons are tailor made for two and a typical day involves a trip to the local market to buy exquisite local produce before heading back to the kitchens for a hands-on class in Royal Thai Cuisine. At the end of the afternoon enjoy the fruits of your labour on the villa rooftop, as you drink in the wonderful, unspoilt sea view.
A two day course, including accommodation and breakfast, taken between now and 16 April, costs from £275 per person.
4. Touch up on Tai Chi
 For an Asian experience a little closer to home, head to La Serrania in Mallorca for Tai Chi and Mountain Walks. This beautiful and tranquil retreat near Pollenca is the perfect place to take a pause from your usual routine and try something refreshingly different. From the 8 to 15 March 2008, La Serrania is offering the opportunity to try your hand at Tai Chi, as well as taking in the magnificent mountain location. Each day starts with a pre-breakfast session of Tai Chi to stretch and warm up your muscles, followed by mid morning classes discussing the principles of this Eastern practice, which aims to strengthen, balance and enliven the body. The afternoons are spent in the mountains enjoying the wonderful scenery and clean air on a walk led by Serrania’s owner, Tim Pennell.
The week long course costs £665 per person, based on two sharing, and includes workshops, accommodation and full board.
5. Write that novel with Patrick Gale’s help
 If 2008 is the year that you vow to write that novel you have always planned, then heading to the Grand Hotel des Bains could be just the thing to get you started. From 6-12 April 2008 this sumptuous, designer hotel set on Brittany’s craggy coast is running a creative writing course with British novelist, Patrick Gale. Aimed at those who love reading and would like to write themselves, the five day course is divided between discussing literature and developing writing skills. Each morning is based around group discussion while the afternoon consists of one-on-one writing ‘clinics’ with Patrick. There is also plenty of time to enjoy the heated pool, spa facilities and cosy bar, or head off for a bracing coastal walk or two.
Prices from £758 per person, including tuition and B&B accommodation, based on two sharing a sea view room.
6. Surf the waves
 Learn to surf at the stylish eco retreat of Vida Sol e Mar in Brazil. Perched on a hillside, this hotel overlooks the perfect surfing beach of Praia do Rosa – a large sweeping crescent of soft sand unspoilt by development. The beach has top class waves to suit all standards and Rodrigo who runs the surf school teaches groups of up to four people. He promises to get you standing by the end of your first lesson, if only for a few seconds, and wetsuits and boards are provided.
A three day surfing package costs from £160 per person based on two sharing. This includes bed, breakfast and surfing lessons.
7. Throw a pot in Italy
 The gorgeous Umbrian hotel of Palazzetta del Vescovo in Italy offers guests the opportunity to have pottery lessons with one of the master craftsmen at the Deruta workshops. You can throw pots, decorate ceramics, improve your enamelling skills or learn Eastern lustre techniques. All materials are provided and you get to keep whatever you make. English translators are provided, and you can do anything from a single 4-hour lesson to an advanced 5-day course. When you’re done playing around with clay, then head back to the beautifully restored ‘little palace’ - formerly a summer residence for the bishops of the nearby town of Todi. Take a dip in the huge swimming pool, walk the two hectares of grounds filled with olives and vines, and delight your taste buds with the authentic, four course Umbrian dinners.
A three night stay costs from £221 per person, based on two sharing and includes bed and breakfast, welcome drink, all soft and hot drinks, plus taxes. Pottery lessons cost £70 for 4 hours, or £250 for 20 hours (divided into 2- to 4-hour sessions, as you prefer)
8. Thai adventures
 Head East to Lisu Lodge in Thailand for a four day adventure extravaganza. This eco lodge set in the hills above Chiang Mai offers hill treks and activity tours that are a cut above the rest. The four day itinerary includes a five hour trek to the Lahu village of Kup Kup, an hour long elephant ride, a rafting excursion to the village of Muang Gurt, cycling along jungle roads, fascinating tribal village tours, an ox cart ride, temple visits, cookery lessons and swimming in crystal clear waterfalls.
The four day/three night package costs £216 per person, based on 2 people sharing a room. This includes accommodation and meals, all tours and activities, and an English-speaking guide.
9. Learn to dive
 Matemwe Beach Village in Zanzibar is a well run budget guest house set on an idyllic beach and home to an acclaimed dive school, One Ocean. Beginners initially take lessons in the new swimming pool before heading out to sea. The school uses a traditional dhow with a motor to take you to the best dive spots on the Mnemba atoll, where the clear waters teem with colourful reef fish, as well as going further a field for deep ocean dives. On most days a double dive is offered with lunch in between, while evenings are spent relaxing and enjoying the fun, social atmosphere of Matemwe.
A five night stay costs £162 per person, including bed and breakfast.
10. Walk the jungle
 Sri Lanka’s Tree Tops Jungle Lodge borders Yala National Park and offers a three night package of jungle walks, which bring you face to face with the local fauna. You walk morning and afternoon, accompanied by experienced trackers, and then head back to camp in the evening to enjoy wonderfully tasty Sri Lankan food, freshly prepared by the lodge’s cook. Observe the Asian elephants at sunset, hike through the virgin jungle, wonder at the Buddhist caves, take in the stunning views and watch the marsh crocodiles at Weliara Wewa. The final day is yours to kick back in a hammock, relax and enjoy this unique wilderness location.
The three night package costs £120 per person and includes accommodation, all meals and experienced trackers to guide you on three jungle walks.
Back to top
Winter Sun - Our 2007/8 Hotlist
As the nights draw in and the days start with icy car windows, i-escape.com prescribes a bout of winter sunshine to lift spirits through the months ahead.
Here are our favourite 10 new and stylish retreats in the sun, spanning from Brazil to Zanzibar, with budgets ranging from £34 to over £200 per room.
 1
First stop on the winter sun trail is the newly opened Hindu mansion of Raj Angan in Goa, India. Possibly the funkiest retreat in Goa, this 150 year old house in the village of Siolim has been recently restored and is truly magical. The fusion of traditional Sanskrit architecture and 21st century touches, such as modern lighting and a ‘full moon’ terrace, will make this place a hit with rock stars and creative types. Sleeps 8 adults and 2 children.
From £2600 per week for the whole house, excluding food
 2
Catch some rays on the glamorous Surin Beach on the island of Phuket, Thailand. Stay at the boutique but affordable Manathai, which has just expanded to create another 30 rooms. This elegant, design conscious hotel has a distinctly laid back vibe and a modern feel. Enjoy watersports or simply relax around the pool.
From £46 per double per night including breakfast
 3
Escape from it all at the Unguja Resort in Zanzibar. Opened less than a year, this small and personal lodge offers barefoot luxury and total seclusion from the outside world. The thatched villas are beautifully designed and the bourgainvillea-fringed pool is the perfect place to absorb the sunshine.
From £80 per person per night, including breakfast, tea and dinner
 4
Head to the Uruguayan village of Jose Ignacio for a spot of sunshine. Located in the middle of the village is the beautiful Arbol Casa Loft - new to i-escape. With just five spacious, modern rooms and a two bed apartment, it offers a ‘shabby chic’ getaway which is perfect for couples. There is a choice of two virgin beaches within walking distance, one for surfing and a calmer one for swimming.
From £170 per double per night including breakfast
 5
Take in the ocean views and relax in designer surroundings at Bay Lodge in Plettenberg, South Africa. Another new find for i-escape, Bay Lodge is the creation of a well known South African interior designer – something which is very apparent in its cool, contemporary design and the artistic touches throughout. This place offers a uniquely laid-back, relaxing experience with the most incredible views of the Indian Ocean.
From £157 per double per night, including breakfast
 6
Live like a king at The Bale in the upmarket enclave of Nusa Dua in Bali. In June 07 this hip, modern and minimalist hotel opened nine new single bedroom Deluxe Pavilions with views across the lagoon. Each secluded pavilion has its own pool, garden and butler - with armies of staff, a funky restaurant and buckets of style; it doesn’t come much more luxurious than this.
From £210 per pavilion per night including breakfast and access to beach club
 7
Enjoy the paradise of miles of white-powder beaches, cobalt sea and a zen-like atmosphere at Shambala Petit Hotel, Mexico. This relaxed, friendly hotel has been newly renovated in August 07, following Hurricane Dean’s rampage. The 10 simple yet stylish cabanas are set in a horse shoe on the edge of the white sands, surrounded by coconut palms. Swim, kayak or simply relax in one of the many hammocks.
From £46 per double per night, including breakfast and bottle of champagne
 8
Soak up the sun at Pollethai Beach in Kerala, India. Pack books and sun cream and prepare to seriously unwind on one of India's prettiest coastal stretches. With just 12 rooms, Beach at Pollethai, which is new to i-escape, is an idyllic hide-away not far from the hustle and bustle of nearby Cochin. Laze on the beach, lounge by the pool, admire the tropical gardens and feast on delicious seafood.
From £167 per double per night, including breakfast
 9
Looking for an unspoiled natural environment? Head to the Golden Buddha Beach Resort in Thailand's Andaman Sea, now fully open again post-tsunami. With 10 miles of empty golden beaches, this really is the antidote to the high density resorts such as Phuket. Canoe the tidal river, snorkel in the lagoon or walk the endless beach - staying on Golden Buddha is as close as you can come to having your own tropical hideaway in paradise.
From £34 per double per night
 10
For pure escapism, catch your winter rays in Fazenda da Lagoa near Ilheus in Bahia, the much talked about northern state of Brazil. It's set on 7 miles of deserted beach, and backed by rainforest. Renowned Carioca artist Mucki Skowronski and her husband Arthur Bahia have established a wonderfully stylish resort, whose 14 airy cabañas offer swathes of bright colour, outdoor showers and private decks for hammock snoozes.
From £146 per double per night
Back to top
Chic But Cheap
With the cash-strapped, style-conscious traveller in mind,
i-escape.com has trawled its worldwide hotel collection to show how it is still possible to travel chic but cheap (CBC) around the world for under £25 per night (£50 for a double or twin).
The CBC recommendations are ten properties out of over 650 bookable through
i-escape.com, which offers discerning travellers the option to stay in well designed and located hotels on a tight budget.
Nikki Tinto, director of i-escape.com said, “Because we focus on searching out smaller hotels with individual character, we are often uncovering, in my view, some of the world’s best value accommodation. These hotels are usually run by the owner with lower overheads and can be a fantastic alternative to bland chain hotels or drab backpacker accommodation.”
i-escape.com’s ‘chic but cheap’ worldwide journey starts in Chile at the recently opened Hotel Patio in Santiago, offering swanky loft-style accommodation at £34 for a double room. The penthouse patio overlooks a lively shopping and dining plaza in Bellavista, Santiago's bohemian quarter.
Drop in on Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires for a stay at the Art Hotel, a 1927 townhouse turned European-style boutique hotel just a couple of blocks from shop-til-you-drop Avenida Santa Fe. Twin rooms are just £32 per night.
Lie back in the sunshine on the island escape of Bali and check into Puri Madawi, a funky new lumbung-style hotel in up-and-coming Petitenget (next to Seminyak). There are stylish rooms (doubles are £30 per night) close to a secluded beach and Bali’s party capital.
Avoid Bangkok’s Khao San Road and stay on a shoestring at Luxx, which represents a new wave of quirky budget digs in the Thai capital. This shophouse conversion is one of Bangkok's smallest hotels with just 3 doubles from £46 per night.
 Find Sri Lanka’s own best kept secret in the guise of a guest house aptly named the Secret Garden, hidden in a tropical paradise a stone’s throw from the beach near Galle. Doubles cost from £23 per night.
 Explore India’s rich culture in Rajasthan and save the pennies staying at Rohet Garh, a charming, family-run fort in the small village of Rohet. Doubles from £49 a night.
 Heading home, call in on the White River Cottages in Crete for some rustic chic, a delightful hamlet of 13 restored stone cottages in a secluded valley by the island’s southeast coast. £50 a night for a studio cottage.
 Search out the best souks in Morocco staying at Riad Al Jazira, a beautifully restored trio of 17th century riads hidden in Marrakech's medina, keenly priced and very chilled. Doubles normally cost £53, but book 7-nights-for-6 through i-escape and your budget squeezes in under £50/nt.
 For pure escapism from city life, head for Italy’s Tuscan hills and stay in a converted farmhouse on a 500-hectare organic farm, just 30 minutes from Florence and Siena at Fattoria Barbialla Nuova. Doubles are £47 a night.
 Nearly home! On your way through France, pop in at the newly renovated Villa Fol Avril, an unlikely hotel de charme in an untouched corner of Normandy, less than 2 hours from Paris and just £44 for a double.
Back to top
Insider's Shopping Tips: Asia and Australia
Our roving reporters have been sending us so many fabulous shopping tips through the years - selflessly gathered as part of our mission to bring you the "complete hotel review" - that we thought it was high time we shared them with you, the lucky public. From where to buy a bespoke engagement ring in Sri Lanka, to how to emulate Harry Potter with a specially crafted "spell" in Melbourne, here are our top 10 tips in Asia and Australia - and details of hotels to maximise your retail therapy.
1. Paperworks, Panjim, Goa, India
What does it sell? Paper - in every conceivable shape, size and form
Why is it so special? Everything is handmade from locally produced paper: notebooks, picture frames, lamp shades, wrapping paper, folders, gift boxes... And it's fantastic value - a pack of five gorgeous cards costs less than 50p.
Where is it?
10 minutes' drive out of Panjim, overlooking Miramar beach. At Campal, near the hospital, look up to your left for their purple logo.
p-2 Pinto Parade, D.Bandodkar Marg, Campal, Panjim; Tel: 2425841; Open 10-5pm (closed Sundays)
Where should I stay?
Vivenda dos Palhacos is only a 40 minute drive away, and the owner Charlotte Hayward knows the shop well. She can arrange their Ambassador car to take you to Panjim on a shopping spree, including Paperworks and other top shopping gems which you would not find alone.
2. Ibrahim Jewellers, Fort Galle, Sri Lanka
What does it sell? Beautiful local gems made into stylish and interesting jewellery.
Why is it so special?
Because it's hard to find original, stylish settings among the many gemstores - and someone who can design it to your precise spec. Ibrahim is a third generation jeweler and he’ll help you choose and design a gem unique to you, which you can watch being made in the tiny workshop round the corner. Choose from white gold and sapphire rings, silver belt buckles inset with moonstones and funky oversized necklaces made from brightly coloured garnet and citrine. Rumour has it that Donna Karan stocked up here on her recent trip to Sri Lanka, and if you decide to get married here it’s the perfect place to get your rings made!
Where is it? Just down the road from the Galle Fort Hotel. The fort is tiny - just five streets - so it's easy to find. Enter through the front gate and veer left into Church Street.
47 Church Street, Fort Galle, Sri Lanka; Tel: 091 2234253
Where should I stay? The Galle Fort Hotel is the perfect place to sip cocktails after a day’s shopping. Hosts Karl and Christopher are happy to walk guests around the fort, dropping in on their favourite shops (which include Ibrahims) on the way.
3. Almeta Silk, Bangkok, Thailand
What does it sell? A magnificent array of silks from Thailand.
Why is it so special? Tucked up a quiet side street off Sukhumvit is this tiny shop - easy to miss but an Aladdin’s cave inside. We were gobsmacked by the sheer number of stunning silks: 1000 different colours, 12 different weights, 4 different yarns, 50,000 combinations. They will weave anything from suits to wallpaper, cushions to ties, all made to order; and can ship worldwide.
Where is it? Best by taxi - head towards Sukhumvit and then turn into Soi 23. If you're staying at the nearby Davis, they'll offer you a ride on their "stretch tuk-tuk" (like a limo 3-wheeler taxi). The shop is in the same district as the vast Emporium Shopping mall.
Almeta Company Ltd,
20/3 Soi Prasarnmitr,
Sukhumvit Soi 23,
Bangkok 10110.
Email: almeta@almeta.com;
Tel: 66-(2) 204 1413;
Open daily 10-6 pm.
Where should I stay? The Davis is a smart, stylish hotel in the heart of Sukhumvit, perfect for shopping. Book 3 nights or more through i-escape and you get a free Luxe city guide containing further recommendations for retail- and gastro-therapy in southeast Asia's most vibrant city.
4. Macan Tidur (Sleeping Tiger), Bali
What does it sell? Beautiful new and antique artifacts from all over the Indonesian Archipelago
Why is it so special? The owner, Susi Johnston, has lived in Indonesia since 1995 and has spent much of the last 10 years travelling around the country collecting textiles, 2000 of which are displayed in her shop. You'll find everything from small batik keepsakes to historic felt  appliqué worthy of a museum collection (in fact, Susi acts as a consultant to curators, art dealers and designers).
Where is it?
It's in Ubud - ask your hotel/driver for directions.
Macan Tidur,
Puri Muwa,
Monkey Forest road,
Ubud; Tel: +62 361 977 121;
Susi Johnston: 081 2366 5669;
www.macantidurtextiles.com;
info@macantidur.com; open daily 10am-7pm
Where should I stay? Uma Ubud is a boutique hotel and spa set on hillside on the edge of Ubud, Bali's cultural hub.
5. Spellbox, Melbourne
What does it sell? Magic spells and the ingredients to make your own spells.
Why is it so special? Because it's magic! Spellbox is a half-serious, half-playful shop for those interested in the Wiccan pagan belief system or those looking for an unusual gift. Buy pre-made spells for courage, new beginnings or birthdays; or have a spell made for you in the nearby witches’ house. Pre-packaged spells range from $25-45 AUD
Where is it? If you’re in the centre of the city you’ll be just a few minutes walk from either store.
Spellbox,
17 Royal Arcade,
331-339 Bourke Street Mall; Tel
9639 7077; Open daily
Spellbox Witches’ House,
Level 1,
387 Little Bourke Street;
Tel 9670 2668; Fax 9670 2308;
Open Monday to Saturday;
www.spellbox.com.au
Where should I stay? Robinsons in the City is one of Melbourne's smallest hotels, more of a glorified B&B. It is centrally located on the edge of the CBD and near the Telstra Dome and the man at the helm, Paul Humphreys, supplies top tips on what to do in the city.
6. The AllThingsNice Spice Company, Bali
What does it sell? Very special gourmet foodstuffs, all sourced from organic farmers in Bali and Java.
Why is it so special? Because they bring the very best Indonesian flavours back to your kitchen at home. Try the "Secret Spices from a Balinese Palace", the "Heavenly Nutmeg & Mango Preserve" or Baliroska (Arak & Raw Honey Marmalade). And if you don't know what to do with all these ingredients, you can book a cooking lesson!
Where is it?Jalan Danau Poso 55, Sanur. Tel: Pak Wisnu 081 2465 3666; open
Friday to Sunday and by appointment.
Where should I stay? Puri Ganesha Villas is an extraordinary, laid-back luxury hideaway on the north coast, whose charismatic owner Diana von Cranach also runs the AllThingsNice Spice Company, and can tell you all about their products, as well as organising cooking lessons and special detox and dietary holidays.
7. The Wooden Toy Stall, Chiang Mai Night Market, Thailand
What does it sell? Handmade wooden toys of all shapes and sizes
Why is it so special? The vivacious English-speaking salesman gives a running explanation of the cleverly-designed, naturally-made puzzles and games. There are infinitely expandable toy trains,  frogs which croak when you rub their serrated back, carved animals which climb strings (with a bit of help from the string-holder), a beautifully painted Snakes and Ladders board with coloured pegs and dice, elephants on wheels which a 3 year old can dismantle and piece together, weird-shaped puzzles which a 30-year-old can dismantle and not piece together! And, best of all, not a scrap of plastic in sight. Most pieces cost just a few pounds sterling, and if you buy several toys, don't be shy to haggle – it's all part of the fun.
Where is it? Intersection of Chan Klan Road & Loi Kroh Road. Most people get around Chiang Mai on foot or by tuk-tuk (3-wheeler taxi), but if you're staying at the Lanna Mantra (see below) you can be whisked in by private boat along the River Ping; the night market is 2 minutes' walk from the river bank. Open 6pm to Midnight daily
Where should I stay? Lanna Mantra is a tranquil, family-friendly hotel right on the River Ping, with a private boat to shuttle you into the town centre in style. It's a great escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.
8. Crumpler, Melbourne
What does it sell? Custom-designed bags in all shapes, sizes and colours.
Why is it so special? Crumpler started as a humble manufacturer of "impossible to destroy" bicycle courier bags. Now they produce and export hip and hard-wearing bags for laptops, cameras, mobile phones, daypacks and satchels. Look out for their spiky-haired-boy logo on a bag near you: it won't be long before it becomes a global brand.
Where is it? There are 14 stores in NSW and 25 in Vic. Biggest and best is 87 Smith Street (Corner of Gertrude Street), Fitzroy 3065, Melbourne. Take tram #86 from Bourke St. Tel: +61 (0)3 9417 5338; www.crumpler.com.au
Where should I stay? The Hatton is a quirky hotel set in an Italianate mansion between South Yarra and the City, with its finger firmly on Melbourne’s urban pulse.
9. Purl Harbour, Sydney
What does it sell? Knitted summer- and winter-clothes as well as homewares.
Why is it so special? John Macarthur has been Sydney’s hottest knitter ever since he appeared in Australia’s top fashion magazines way back when. His quirky, individual designs range from matching bed socks, blankets and lampshades to knitted bikinis (yes, you read that right) which are perfectly suited to the studio’s Bondi Beach locale.
Where is it? 2/ 2 Jacques Ave, Bondi Beach 2026. Take a 20 minute bus ride from circular quay. Tel: +61 (0)2 9365 1521; www.purlharbour.com.au (still in development at this stage..); open Monday to Friday
Where should I stay? The Dive Hotel in laid back Coogee a few beaches south of Bondi, is a funky hybrid of boutique beach villa and friendly guesthouse.
Retail content for Melbourne and Sydney by Michelle Matthews of Shopping Secrets
10. Parisilk, Holland Village, Singapore
What does it sell? All kinds of electrical goods, from cameras to coffee machines, from Apple to Zuiko.
Why is it so special? Because there's no bartering, so you won’t get stressed about the prices (which are fixed but very competitive: ipods are 30% below standard retail). And the products are the very latest. Owned and run by the friendly Primalani family since 1952, this is something of an institution among expats and locals alike, who make a half day of the trip to Holland Village, breaking for lunch in Chip Bee Gardens. Famous figures, from John Major to Jonah Lamu, have been spotted stocking up here.
Where is it? No 15A Lorong Liput, Off Holland Village
(Behind Holland Shopping Centre), Singapore 277730 Tel: (65) 6466 6002; www.parisilk.com; open Mon-Sat 11am-9pm, Sun 11am-5pm.
Where should I stay? Hotel 1929 in China Town. It’s a quirky retro-styled hostel-cum-boutique hotel and great value for money at £60 for a double per night, leaving more money to blow in Parisilk
Back to top
i-escape's Good Snooze Guide
After sleeping in more than 2000 different places in over 30 countries around the world, i-escape's team of roving reviewers select their 10 best nights' sleep.
1
Bedtime stories at The Elephant House, South Africa
This country lodge located in Addo, just off the Garden Route, eases guests into sweet dreams with bedtime stories. How did the elephant get his trunk? Well, my dear, it’s a long story and you might find the answer in an envelope on your pillow. And, next day, you can see a real elephant and judge for yourself in the nearby game reserves.
 2
Well oiled sleep at Number Sixteen, London
This elegant residence supplies guest with blended aromatherapy oils for bathing – one for inducing sleep and one for waking up.
3
Handcrafted snoozing at Scotts Hotel, Mallorca
Scotts has oversized handmade beds, all with goose down pillows and cotton percale sheets. And if you need more help getting to sleep, you can sample the island's finest wines right on your doorstep, in the cavas of Binissalem.
 4
Sweet dreams at La Sommita, Puglia, Italy
Here, perched in a 16th century palazzo in the white hilltown of Ostuni, you can snuggle down to cashmere blankets, 400-count sheets and pocket sprung latex mattresses, all from Milanese boutique Culti. Every bedroom is a private chapel of meditative monochrome and at a press of a button your motorized window blind will ensure complete darkness.
5
Nods of the Gods at The Gecko, Lefkas, Greece
From your galleried bedroom, you look out, Zeus-like, over endless blue horizons. Flip the motorised blinds and humanity disappears, so you can appreciate the Egyptian cotton, goose-down pillows and pashmina blankets. Outside is a mini-paradise for two: rimless pool, sundeck, herb gardens.
6
Well-aligned sleep at Lama di Luna, Puglia, Italy
This organic working farm offers thick vaulted rooms with feng shui aligned beds - including radial electric wiring to avoid magnetic fields. The environment is totally hypoallergenic (unbleached cotton sheets and 100% olive oil soap made on site), with soft eco-lighting and total silence assured.
7
Urban sanctuary at Fasano Hotel, Sao Paulo, Brazil
A tranquil contrast from the madness of bustling Sao Paulo. Each room’s huge bed is sublimely comfortable with crisp Trussardi 300-thread count linens and a frankly excessive number of goose down pillows.
 8
Geothermal blackout at 101 Hotel, Reykjavik, Iceland
In winter the nights last forever in Iceland. But to cope with summer’s non stop daylight, each guestroom has blinds that completely block out all light. There is also a plentiful supply of piping hot geothermal bathwater to relax guests into a deep sleep.
9
Best turn-down at The Bale, Bali
This hip, modern hotel is located on the south coast of Bali in Nusa Dua. Each guest staying in one of the 20 hillside pavilions has a personal butler; and the turn-down service would put a team of Formula 1 mechanics to shame. We counted a team of 8 housekeeping staff trooping in to smooth the sheets, plump the pillows and stock the beautiful bathroom caskets with ylang ylang massage oil, handmade bath salt and other balms.
10
Dreamy babysitters at Pimalai, Koh Lanta, Thailand
The pool villas, set high on a forested hillside, give parents a chance to relax over dinner, knowing that their children are in good hands and sleeping soundly. The resort's English-speaking babysitters are gentle, patient and never stop smiling (ours was called 'Dream' and lived up to her name!). And 3 hours' babysitting costs the same as a pint of beer back home.
Back to top
Top 10 spas for 2007 pampering and relaxation
i-escape.com, the online guide to the world’s best kept secret hideaways, has compiled its Top 10 Spas for stylish pampering in 2007. The New Year is the perfect time to detox, refresh and generally recover from the excesses of the party season, and what better way to do that than to treat yourself to a spa break in a beautiful location.
The selection caters for all, from die-hard detoxers looking for yoga and Ayurveda to stressed-out city slickers just wanting some down time.
Back to top
i-escape brings you Gran Canaria with an aristocratic twist
There’s a distinctly aristocratic feel to i-escape’s new Gran Canarian additions, a far cry from the plastic-fantastic resorts often associated with the archipelago, these four newly discovered hidden gems include the oldest Hacienda in the Canaries, an elegant colonial mansion and a home belonging to Spanish nobility.
i-escape’s dedicated team of experts have hunted out Gran Canaria’s most exclusive and elusive offerings, rural retreats away from the crowds but never far from the beach. Starting from just £41 per room per night, these island boltholes are perfect for those wanting some winter sun without the long-haul flight.
1. La Hacienda del Buen Suceso The eye-catching Finca Las Longueras lures you like a ruby parrot behind palm trees, a crimson colonial mansion dating from 1895. The property includes 12 elegant rooms set in fertile fruit groves, you could be peering over orange and avocado orchards, and as Las Longueras is in a deep valley, craggy mountains loom above you in a dramatic backdrop. Hiking or hanging out, Las Longueras covers both in grand style. From £42 per person per night,
2 people sharing.
2. Cortijo San Ignacio Distinguished family history, cultivated old-world décor and private golf course add up to a privileged and relaxing view of the island. This former Jesuit residence is owned by the impeccably-bred de Lara family and still retains the elaborate chapel and the elegant salon ringed by long verandas, but you also have a stunning huge swimming pool surrounded by tropical garden. This is a place to relax in patrician yet people-friendly surroundings, and even learn some history of Gran Canaria through the courtly hospitality of the de Lara descendants. From £41 per person per night based on 2 people sharing.
3. Finca Las Longueras
The eye-catching Finca Las Longueras lures you like a ruby parrot behind palm trees, a crimson colonial mansion dating from 1895. The property includes 12 elegant rooms set in fertile fruit groves, you could be peering over orange and avocado orchards, and as Las Longueras is in a deep valley, craggy mountains loom above you in a dramatic backdrop. Hiking or hanging out, Las Longueras covers both in grand style. From £42 per person per night, 2 people sharing.
4. Hotel Maipez Sophisticated little rural hotel created from attractive re-design of an elegant country house. It perches like a bright yellow canary in the twisting Guiniguada Valley, surrounded by chunks of solidified volcanic rock known as maipez. Hotel Maipaz is a winning combination of old and new with 10 airy and modern bedrooms, a glass-encased restaurant with panoramic ravine views, and tennis courts too. It's only 10 minutes from the capital Las Palmas, yet feels remote and utterly romantic. From £45 per person per night based on 2 people sharing.
Back to top
Move over Morocco - i-escape introduces boutique Tunisia
i-escape, the online guide for discerning independent travellers, has introduced Tunisia to its portfolio of the world's best secret hideaways.
With miles of white sandy coast, Cork forests, rolling mountains, dreamy deserts and flying time of only three hours from the UK, it’s no surprise that Tunisia is hot on the heels of Morocco to becoming the destination of choice for a chic weekend retreat or a stylish autumn sun break. i-escape’s team of dedicated experts have sought out three of northern Tunisia’s finest hidden holiday hotspots from as little as £68 per room per night, and will be adding more stylish retreats in the southern deserts over the next few weeks. Ideal for those looking for a taste of ancient exotica with a modern twist.
1. Dar El Medina
There’s no hotel like this in Tunis. Not only is it an elegant 12-room boutique in a gorgeous traditional house, but it’s right in the medina - Tunis’ Unesco-listed inner city, founded by the Arabs in the 8th century. Interiors mix Eastern richness and modern geometry and rooms are all different. There’s a terrace with city views over medina rooftops – a wonderful place to be at the time of the call to prayer. From £44 per night for a double room on a room only basis
2. Dar Said Housed in a rambling two-storey mansion and set around four courtyards The property overlooks the sea and sits at the top of an enchantingly pretty, chic, clifftop village, half-an-hour from Tunis. The small gardens are filled with vibrant flowers and bursting with colour and the pool is glimmering blue. Rooms are elegant, in pale colours, with traditional furniture. From £135 per night for a double room including breakfast
3. Villa Didon A Tunisian one-off, slickly stylish and coolly modern, with 10 huge minimalist suites. Situated in a stunning position, with jaw-dropping views overlooking the white villas of moneyed Carthage, ancient Punic ports, deep-blue sea and shadowy mountains and with a maximum of 20 guests, there's a personal feel that’s often absent in designer hotels. From £141 per night for a double room on a room only basis.
Back to top
Top 5 places for organic food
1. Milia, Crete, Greece
At this beautifully restored hamlet hidden in a fold of Crete's White Mountains, everything you eat has been grown or reared on their fields – most of it organically. They make their own jams and raki (grappa), raise pigs and hens, harvest local chestnuts, oranges and arbutus, and use fragrant wild herbs and extra-virgin oil. The ebullient local chef creates magical recipes, served on the terrace or by a blazing fire in the cosy dining room.
 2. Strattons, Norfolk, UK
A stylishly-decorated, ecologically-run country house in one of England's loveliest corners – and spectacular food to boot. The daily table d'hôte menu is locally sourced, largely organic, always imaginative, invariably delicious. Think wild mushroom pâté, monkfish and lemon mash, cranberry pudding with stilton ice cream, and a buzzing vibe in the rustic-chic dining room. Weekends away from London don't come much better than this.
 3. Son Gener, Mallorca, Spain
You know you're getting fresh food when the menu is short, the dishes seasonal - and when you see the chef picking veg from the hotel's organic gardens. At this chic finca tucked away on Mallorca's east coast, your tumbet (aubergine, courgette, potato and tomato ratatouille) is all home grown, your baked sea-bass still has a gleam in his eye, and your orange juice has pips in. Classic Med cooking with nothing added & nothing taken away.
 4. Jnane Tamsna, Marrakech, Morocco
Meryanne and her ethno-botanist husband Gary are so passionate about preserving Morocco's indigenous flora that they created a huge organic fruit and veg garden in the grounds of their stylish retreat in Marrakech's palmeraie. Their chef, Bahija, produces home-grown harira (soup), tfaya (onion-raisin confit), harissa (chillies, garlic, paprika, caraway and cumin) and kefta (spicy meatballs). It's enough to restore the most jaded palate!
 5. Damai Lovina, Bali, Indonesia
For organic food in exotic surroundings, you can't beat this gorgeous hideaway above Bali's north coast. Most ingredients come from their organic farm, the rest from local markets, and the result is an outstanding 5-course feast: honey-sautéed shrimps with chilli and garden salad, tomato soup cappuccino, lime granite, grilled red snapper in creamy pesto sauce, and ginger and strawberry ice tower to round off.
Back to top
Our inaugural 'Alternative Hotel Awards'
In the 5 years since we launched, we've visited over 5000 hotels, guesthouses and villas in more than 25 countries across the world. Along the way we've had some strange experiences, met some highly unusual people, and stayed in some totally eccentric places, from a Chilean hideaway where you shower inside a tree, to a city bolthole where you can ogle passers-by using a webcam. So we thought the time had come to honour the weirdest of the weird, with our inaugural 'Alternative Awards'...
Best for sextuplets: Lloyd Hotel in Amsterdam
One room has a 4-metre wide bed which can sleep 8 in comfort - so long as no-one snores, sleeptalks or hogs the giant duvet!
Best for Big Brother fans: Periscope Hotel in Athens
A joystick linked to a rooftop 
camera allows guests to zoom in on any passers-by who take their fancy (happily, Kolonaki district is a magnet for the rich and beautiful)
Best for recluses: The Secret Ranchito in Chile
So remote that your luggage is brought in by oxcart, while your shower is built into a tree trunk; if you do get lonely, a cook can hike in and prepare dinner for you
Best for antique lovers: Millers Residence in London
There are 462 candlesticks, 217 oil paintings and 62 carriage clocks in its drawing room alone; owner Martin Miller used to publish the UK's premier antiques guide
Best for fashionistas: Casa Howard in Florence
There are 132 different fabrics in its 11 rooms, from exotic silks to casentino wool, all chosen by owner and fashion designer Jenifer Howard
Best for leprechauns: Hotel Budir in Iceland
Locals are convinced they regularly see the 'hidden people' resting in the neighbouring lava fields; and after a few days among the northern lights, you might start to see them too
Most rock'n'roll arrival: Villa Senang in Bali
They will send a roaring Harley Davidson to the airport to pick  you up for the 3-hour transfer
Most sedate arrival:
Lisu Lodge in Thailand
After a couple of hours among lush forest and riverside rice fields, the hill-lodge hoves into view from the (dis)comfort of an ox-cart or a bicycle saddle
Longest hotelier's name: Casa Numero 7 in Spain
 The owner is called Gonzalo del Rio y Gonzalez-Gordon, which is hard enough to say even before a glass of his excellent sherry...
Shortest name: Sensi Paradise in Thailand
The manager is known simply as 'A' (he also wins the prize for coming first in our alphabetical list of hotel staff)
Spottiest staff member: Puri Ganesha in Bali
 After a rigorous selection process by owner Diana von Cranach, one of her gorgeous Dalmatian dogs has been appointed as the 'guest relations manager'
Most divided opinions: Helgas Folly in Sri Lanka
Some things are clearly a matter of taste. Guest reviews range from "There should be a Helga's Folly in every country by law; what an amazing place to stay" to "Helgas Folly was the  biggest disappointment of our holiday - and that includes the Tsunami!"
Frilliest toilet: Nameless Hotel in Chile
Were it not for the frills covering every surface, this 'easy-loo' could have been branded by Stelios himself (sadly, the guesthouse didn't make the i-escape grade)
Most improbable hotel name: Tikli Bottom in India
 Enough said. Though clearly it's a very satisfying experience, as our guests have rated their enjoyment at 100% so far
If you would like to submit a hotel, villa or one of its staff for our 'Alternative Awards 2007', please email us details before 31 December 2006. Preference will be given to those featured on i-escape, and malicious or libellous submissions must be avoided.
Back to top
Healing Through Raw Food at Puri Ganesha, Bali
This September sees the first in a series of raw food cookery workshops offered by
i-escape.com at Puri Ganesha Villas in Bali.
Raw food nutrition is already popular amongst the celebrity set. This new way of eating advocates organic foods that contain living enzymes together with a selection of widely recognised ‘super foods’, alongside keeping a balanced diet of 80% raw/living food to 20% cooked, steamed or flash fried foods. This change in diet is thought to boost the immune system and provide more energy and an overall sense of well-being.
The Sunshine Food and Rawfully Good Live Food Workshop is an eight night break and starts on the 16th September 2006. Guests will attend six hands-on classes and learn from Syd Permberton, (famous Australian cookbook author), how to make the most of basic ‘live food’ preparation using ingredients available back home. Guests will sample alternative organic food menus and find how to optimise health by eating larger amounts of ‘live’ whole foods.
The price is £1080 per person (based on two people sharing) and includes eight nights full board beach villa accommodation.Price for a single is £1510.
A two week Rawfully Good Live Food Nutrition Workshop will be held at Puri Ganesha on the 4th November 2006. This course is run by well known Australian nutritionists Susan Famularo, and resort owner Diana Von Cranach. The holiday will include 12 days of hands-on tuition and 16 nights’ full board beach villa accommodation, as well as ideas for more sophisticated live food menus and entertaining.
The price for this retreat is £1710 per person based on two sharing. (Singles are available at £2320).
Both courses will have a maximum of 12 participants, to ensure a good staff to client ratio. Small groups (up to 12) are welcome, and can request exclusivity if over 8 people.
Puri Ganesha is a stunning luxury hideaway in Pemutaran on the North coast of Bali and offers four large villas all set a stone’s throw from the beach.
Back to top
5 stylish new hotels in southern Italy
Everyone knows of the stunning Amalfi coast, the most breathtaking sea vistas in the Med, and of the historic charms of Naples, once Europe’s largest city, with an artistic and architectural heritage to match, including Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Some people will also know of the gorgeous white towns and sandy beaches of Puglia – now accessible with Ryanair flights to Bari and Brindisi; of the jewels of southeastern Sicily, whose Baroque hilltowns offer are a ‘new Tuscany’ with sandy beaches and Greek temples; and of the crystal-clear seas of the volcanic Aeolian islands, a real ‘escape’ from the modern world.
But what few know is that some newly-opened boutique resorts now provide a seriously cool alternative to those famously overpriced and un-customer-orientated hotels which put the area on the map in the 60’s - and which have barely changed since. Here are our 5 favourite scoops, all of them new since 2005.
1. La Minervetta, Sorrento, Amalfi Coast
Sorrento is the grande dame of Amalfitan resorts, with a leisured elegance, fine seafood and excellent hydrofoil / train connections to Capri, Naples Amalfi and Pompeii. This 12-room hotel has been completely redesigned by an Italian architect couple to offer huge windowfuls of sea view across the bay of Naples to the still-smoking cone of Vesuvius. There’s also a new plunge pool overhanging the marina grande.
2. Villa Cervarolo, nr Ostuni, Puglia
Of all the converted ‘trulli’ houses, this 3-bedroom villa is the most stylish, the most lavish and the newest - it opened in June 2006. Based around 4 trullis (stone ‘igloos’ unique to Puglia), with a stylishly contrasting modern wing, it boasts a cosy arched sitting room, a superbly appointed kitchen, an outside BBQ, and (a first for Puglia) a funky beach-edge pool. Cool décor and an ‘inside-outside’ layout make it perfect for hot summers.
3. Talia, Modica, Sicily
Modica is the most stunning of Sicily's Baroque hilltowns, climbing the side of a gorge to its ‘citta alta’. And the best views are from the secret gardens of these lovingly-restored cottages, hidden within the old town. Inside are traditional painted-iron beds with new orthopaedic mattresses, and Grohe plumbing in brightly tiled bathrooms - all courtesy (once again) of an Italian architect couple, who serve the freshest of breakfasts under the fig tree.
4. Capofaro, Salina, Aeolian islands
A unique concept: boutique resort + working vineyard + old lighthouse. Spread across 7 hectares of Malvasia vineyards, its white-cube buildings offer sparkling sea views and pared-down perfection: a few objets d’art in whitewashed niches, aloe vera toiletries in black-tiled bathrooms. There’s a decked pool draped in purple flowers, and a dining terrace where couples bliss out to fusion cuisine and chilled music.
5. Caol Ishka, Siracusa, Sicily
Ancient Syracuse is is the last place you'd expect to find a cutting-edge designer hotel. But these coolly converted barns showcase the latest furniture and lighting from Starcke, Groppi et al. There's a restaurant serving immaculate nouveau-Sicilian fare and a raised pool overlooking the river Anapo. Boat transfers into historic Ortigia compensate for its out-of-town location. A brave step, and one which deserves to succeed.
Back to top
Boutique Bed Boom for Rio de Janeiro
(Tuesday, 13th June 2006 ) Finally Rio has got its act together with a decent selection of imaginative and stylish B&B’s. These properties are brought together exclusively by i-escape.com, in the form of a new online Brazil collection. With Pele as your neighbour, and fashionista Giselle’s signature already in the visitor book at one property, you will be in good company.
Bookings go live today and start from just £20 per person per night for bed and breakfast, based on two sharing a double room at Relais Solar in Santa Teresa.
For years Rio de Janeiro has lacked the small chic places to stay found in so many other hip cities. It seems that the French are doing most of the driving behind this Rio Renaissance’ and the result is a handful of new B&Bs set in some of Rio’s more offbeat locations, from the exclusive surfer hideout of Joatinga to the arty hillside neighbourhood of Santa Teresa.
La Maison & La Suite La Maison & La Suite
Two French brothers, Jacques and Francois Xavier first broke the mould with La Maison in Gavea - a five bedroom bijou B&B looking out to the Christ. Having already hosted Giselle and other fashion icons, their latest venture is > La Suite in Joatinga. Just 10 minutes’ drive from fashionable Leblon and Ipanema, and above Rio’s secret surfing haven, it has a stunning cliff top setting and Pele as a neighbour. Its seven bedrooms use vibrant colours to startling effect: each comes with Warhol prints and matching marble bathrooms: yellow bedroom leads into yellow marble bathroom: pink bedroom leads into pink marble bathroom. All have spectacular views of Rio’s coastline. It has two fabulous pools (one an infinity that hangs over the ocean) and a private deck for massages.
Prices for a double room at La Maison: from £150 per night (£75 per person per night).
Prices for a double room at La Suite: from £210 per night (£105 per person per night).
Mama Ruisa, Santa Teresa
Up in the hills of Santa Teresa, you are in a world away from Rio’s beach scene. Instead of Copacabana’s 1960’s tower blocks, there is a more colourful village feel with a touch of bohemia (it is favoured by artists and musicians). Mama Ruisa owner Jean-Michel Ruis has made this old colonial home into a one-off six bedroom retreat. Still preserved are the huge walk in wardrobes, stained glass ceiling, tall wooden shutters and swimming pool, but now it has crisp French fabrics, contemporary touches and all the mod cons. Bedrooms have names such as Jean Cocteau, Josephine Baker and Colette, and old photos to match. It is close to Rio’s best nightlife and the owner will help you find where’s “happening” in Lapa.
Prices for a double room: from £150 per night (£75 per person).
Relais Solar, Santa Teresa Also in Santa Teresa, French-Canadian owner Gwenael Allan, one of the key players behind Cirque du Soleil, has turned his energy into producing an alternative guesthouse - both in style and concept. Together with his Brazilian wife, Relais Solar has been created with five bedrooms showcasing top-notch contemporary Brazilian handcrafts which you can buy. The largest is a bungalow set up in the treetops where you are visited by toucans, parrots and small friendly monkeys. A fun stylish hideout to meet like minded creative people is only part of the picture. The owners can put you in touch with experts to match your special interests whether, football, favelas or forro music. The guesthouse also has its own cutting room for media guests and a snug DVD room in case it rains.
Prices for a double room start from £40 per night (£20 per person).
Casa32, Cosmo Velho Rio's past rarely reveals itself but this 19th century mansion is steeped in history. King Edward VIII once stayed here as did Le Corbusier, Neimeyer, Portinari and other key Brazilian figures. After years lying derelict, Brazilian owner, Lucio, has renovated it back to its former splendour. Today it is a wonderful jigsaw of modern and antique styles: 21st century design pieces sit beneath original baroque ceilings. Its two suites are beautifully and imaginatively decorated - one with bright orange velvet chairs and white muslin drapes, the other with deep red recliners and sitting room.
Prices for a double room start from £170 per night (£85 per person).
All prices quoted are for accommodation and breakfast.
Back to top
Da Vinci Chic Parisien Hideaways
The long awaited Da Vinci Code hits the big screens from the 19th May 2006. Fanatics eager to follow hot on the heels of Robert Langdon, ‘aka’ Tom Hanks, can check out some of i-escape.com’s hidden Parisian gems for the ideal safe-haven. The online secret hideaway guide offers an eclectic mix of accommodation within a short walking distance of all the trail’s main action.
The Swell Apartment in Montmarte, close to The Louvre, the opening scene for the action, could have been an ideal bolthole for Langdon and Neveu to spice things up a little. This one bedroom apartment, situated in an art nouveau block, is beautifully decorated with translucent drapes, Christian Dior linen and the fronds of a chandelier to create the feel of a cosy Moulin Rouge boudoir. Prices for the apartment start from £193 for 3 nights based on 2 people sharing (minimum stay 3 nights).
The stunning Hotel Le Sainte-Beuve is located in Montparnasse, minutes from the Saint Sulpice, the location of the Rose Line used by Robert Langdon in his quest for the Holy Grail. The hotel is delightfully warm and welcoming with crisply elegant bedrooms classically decorated with plush curtains, oil paintings and upholstered chairs. Prices start from £93 per night for a standard double/twin room.
Alternatively, The Hotel Verneuil is also located near the church of Saint Sulpice. This hotel is a meticulously renovated 17th-century townhouse and could fairly claim to be one of the most charming buildings on one of the most enchanting streets in one of the world's most beautiful cities! Owner Sylvie de Lattre has chosen every framed engraving, carved bedhead, and inch of fabric wallpaper, to create a beautiful and bustling interior with wi-fi connections. Prices start from £107 per night for a double.
Back to top
|
|
