Sleep
Getting it’s vibes from the abundance of art in Brighton, the Artist Residence is a 23-bedroom townhouse hotel, with two restaurants and many of their cool, quirky rooms designed by street artists.
Built in 1928, The Peninsula is the oldest hotel in Hong Kong and carries an air of old school colonial grandeur. This is classic five-star service and elegance at its best, from the grand lobby, where a very British afternoon tea is still served every day, to the Roman-style indoor pool.
The hotel even has a fleet of 14 Rolls Royces in ‘Peninsula Green’, which can be booked for everything from airport pick-ups to day trips around the city. The majority of the 300 rooms are in a modern tower that ascends from the original building, bringing a more modern element to the classic style, with touch-screens galore, unlimited movies, and even a TV in the bath.
Ovolo Southside is Hong Kong’s first warehouse-to-hotel conversion, and it wears its industrial heart proudly on its sleeve. With polished concrete floors, exposed brickwork, steel furniture and exposed air-conditioning pipes, it’s a modern urban aesthetic to rival the best of London and New York.
Based far south of the island, we also enjoyed exploring an area that we otherwise wouldn’t have visited, and, after a hectic day in Central, it was great to escape the crowds and skyscrapers to the more relaxed environment of the Southside.
The hotel’s design is very swish, with a sleek minimal design by Andre Fu, complemented by several art pieces throughout the hotel. It’s all designed to create a very peaceful feeling from the moment you step inside – just as well in a hectic city such as Hong Kong. Service was five-star slick throughout, with in-room check in and nightly turn down service, making everything a breeze. For a luxurious, relaxing stay in Hong Kong, The Upper House is the house you want to live in.
East which is, you guessed it, on the East of the island in an area called Taikoo Shing. Although this is largely known as an area for business, it’s also a good shout if you’re just visiting for pleasure as it’s relatively calm compared with the more built-up areas. The area is also well connected to the rest of the island, just 10 seconds from the nearest metro. East has another major benefit over many of Hong Kong’s hotels – an outdoor pool! This was amazing to come back to for a relaxing dip after a long day pounding the pavements of the city.
Smart design, gadgets, and location, East hotel is well worth checking out for any Hong kong trip, business or pleasure.
The Amsterdam art’otel has 107 stylish rooms including 4 suites and a gallery including original works of art by the hotel’s signature artists. Located directly opposite Amsterdam Centraal Station, the hotel has excellent transport links and is within walking distance of the Royal Palace, Dam Square and the Jordaan district. There is also a lobby lounge with fireplace, open plan bar, library, fitness and swimming pool, bar and destination restaurant. Lovely!
This is the first Hoxton outside of London and they’ve done an amazing job of converting what was once the home of the mayor way back in the 17th century into a beautiful 111 room hotel…the whole place is looking seriously swish. With rates starting at 89 Euros which includes free Wifi, water and a breakfast bag drop filled with local snacks, The Hoxton, Amsterdam is well worth checking out – you’d be a DAM fool not too.
The hostel is everything you would expect from a Generator – cool, vibrant and affordable. Located in the trendiest part of the city (obvs), Generator overlooks Oosterpark and fits right into the up-and-coming East neighbourhood. Rooms start at €15 per night and go up depending on how many people you want to sleep with. If you want to experience Amsterdam without spending mega bucks then Generator is your answer.
The classic Parisian elegance of the Hilton Opera is found a short train ride away from Gare du Nord station. It’s a mighty impressive building (aren’t they all) and it’s definitely on the upper scale of what the Hilton brand offers. Yes darling, through the revolving doors are people in uniforms who are there to make your stay an experience you’ll keep on coming back to. We found our executive double housed the biggest bed in the world (no seriously) and the newly revamped decor is more than easy on the eye. We weren’t in the hotel much but our mini style apartment was full of perks…having your own coffee machine for that early morning start, rain shower for making sure you’re clean all over, turn down service with mini chocolates and anything else you might need or want to know either on the phone or available in person.
GENERATOR
Generator Paris opened in early 2015 in the fash 10th Arrondissement, offering a whopping 916 beds ranging from shared dorms to a penthouse suite…some rooms come with their own private terraces complete with hammock and outdoor seating. The design is slick, contemporary and pleasing to the eye…well this is Paris. There’s a restaurant, bar and outdoor area on the ground floor and up on the 8th you can chill out, shoot some pool or catch sporting events on the big screen throughout the night – yep it’s open 24 hours. Make this your base and spend the dollars you save on vin et fromage. Tres bon!