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Hotels

24-Hour Room Service: Gilpin Lodge, Lake District

June 15, 2011 – 12:59 pm

You can’t swing a Wellington boot in the Lake District without hitting a country house hotel. With a rival at the turn of every country lane, hotels always have to raise their game – a wing refurbished here, a new spa there – if they’re going to keep up with the competition. A shining example of this is Gilpin Lodge, which steps up to the challenge with aplomb.

My weekend started badly when, 20 minutes outside London, we got stuck behind an overturned lorry and sat still for two and a half hours. I rang the hotel to say we wouldn’t arrive until after midnight and would certainly miss dinner. No trouble: they’d leave sandwiches and wine in our room. The road then cleared and we arrived in time for a late dinner. The staff took all this in their stride and could not have been more accommodating – a common theme at this charming, cosy hotel. Family-owned and run, the lodge originally belonged to Great Grandma Cunliffe, who bought it in 1917 and lived in it as a private home.


It was turned into a hotel by John and Christine Cunliffe 70 years later and is now run by their son Barney, leaving his mother free to indulge in her passion for the interior décor. The latest string in their bow is the Lake House, which opened in September last year. It was lit by gas lanterns until the Eighties but has now been turned into a luxurious little bolthole with six suites (to add to the Lodge’s 20) overlooking a private lake set within the sprawling grounds.

This new addition is designed to feel a little more private and exclusive than the main hotel, with a maximum of 10 other guests for company. Inside, the design echoes the Lodge. It is contemporary without being modern; an English country feel is retained through natural, earthy colours. As always, the driving principle is comfort, so lighting is soft, shelves are full of good books and sofas are deep and plentiful. The idea is that this is a home away from home. As you enter the hallway, there is a wicker basket full of umbrellas, a lovely old-fashioned sideboard, a gentleman’s desk and chair and heaving log baskets.

Carry on into the drawing room and you’ll find other guests sitting on the sofa, reading the paper and looking quite at home. Both breakfast and afternoon tea are served in the conservatory overlooking the woods and you can see the chef pottering away in the open kitchen next door.

At this time of year, there’s also the chance to swim in the Lake House’s indoor pool, soak in the outdoor hot tub overlooking the lake, have a spa treatment in your room, or go rowing on the lake. In the evening, a chauffeur will take you three minutes up the road to the Lodge for a five-course dinner.

I was a little apprehensive, fearing it would be too fussy and full of amuse-bouches. In fact the food is first class. Chef Russell Plowman cut his teeth under Alain Roux (at The Waterside Inn in Bray) and Alan Murchison. This is his first gig as head chef but his mix of simple (roast chicken and bread sauce) and sophisticated (three cuts of local lamb – roasted, braised and as sweetbreads) dishes works beautifully. Added flair comes from the odd unusual addition such as plum crumble soufflé: you cut the slightly crunchy, crumbly soufflé open and pour the hot plum sauce inside – delicious.


Location

Situated in the southern Lake District, the hotel is two miles from Lake Windermere, but the immediate countryside is no less spectacular. Rooms have views over hills and woodland up to the often snow-capped Hargill Mountains to the east and, on clear days, all the way to Morecambe Bay to the south.

Nearby, Wray Castle was built as a private house in 1840 (and rented by Beatrix Potter and her family as a holiday home in 1882), it is now owned by the National Trust; the grounds are magnificent and run right down to the shores of Lake Windermere. Closer to home you can wander down the lane to the Brown Horse for good food and local ales. Or do nothing: until summer, most guests do exactly that.

Comfort

Much like the main hotel, each of the Lake House’s six suites is decorated quite differently. Ours, Gertie (all six are named after the owners’ Victorian great aunts), had an elegant country house feel, with gold wallpaper covered in white blossom, white armchairs with footstools and antique-style furniture. The bed was superbly comfortable and, combined with lots of lamps and sloping ceilings, this was a cosy haven.

Personal touches such as framed photos of the ancestors and family china on the dressing table reaffirmed the familial feeling. Of the other suites, Adgie is the lightest with pale grey walls and a grey button back headboard, plus its own patio on to the garden. Beatrice and Maud are more colourful with pinks and reds introduced to the otherwise muted palette; and while Ethel is the smallest, it has a wonderful lake view.

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Hotels

Stay The Night: Aphrodite Hills, Cyprus

June 2, 2011 – 6:18 am

We can all kid ourselves, for a time.

A five-bedroom villa in one of Cyprus’s swankiest resorts, one of those fabulous swimming pools where the water drips over the edge, and an astonishing Jacuzzi. Why not enjoy life’s finer offerings? If we don’t deserve it, who does?

But it was Mark: Mark, the rather personable guide from the letting agency, in the kitchen, with his gesticulations, who brought me back to earth. He pointed around him: to the handsome granite surfaces, to the burnished wood, and to the gleaming appliances, including a fridge that could surely hold several of a serial killer’s victims, standing. As he did so, he said: “And the kitchen, you’ll find it’s just like home.”

That very morning, I had watched with no little alarm as a large rodent had strolled with studied nonchalance across our scuffed kitchen floor, stopped, turned to gaze at me, as if to take a couple of casual drags on a fag and ask: “What’s your problem, pal?”

So, no. This sumptuous house in the Aphrodite Hills resort, a 15-minute drive from Paphos airport, is hardly a home from home. On the market at just over £1m, it hardly would be, would it? And that’s just the point. For this is holiday, a time to escape and to spoil ourselves.

The rooms

Villa Anatoli isn’t even top-of-the-range at Aphrodite Hills. They go up to £4m, but it’s hard to imagine one four times better than this. The views over the Mediterranean are stunning, and the gardens and patio both large and gorgeous. Inside, it’s all marble finishes – cool on even the hottest of days – oak panelling, and painstaking detail. The downstairs – the aforementioned kitchen, dining area and living room – is open plan, with two bedrooms and the first two of five (yes, that’s right, five) bathrooms. There are two more bedrooms upstairs, another on the bottom floor, and you could easily sleep 10. Usually, when they claim that, you’d be tripping over each other. Not here.

The food and drink

There are even two places to eat outdoors at the house: the patio and the upstairs terrace – which has more, and better quality, furniture – than my living room at home. And you can eat well and pretty cheaply: fish is inexpensive and particularly good, locally, and you can cook it all on the turbo-charged barbecue. You can, of course, make the odd schoolboy error. Wine-wise, stick to the Vasilikon – about a whole fiver in the supermarket – and you’ll avoid our early week debacles. Guests can book tables at the resort’s restaurants.

The extras

Then there’s the golf – around which Aphrodite Hills has been built. The par 71 course is beautiful, integrated throughout the resort via a cunning highway of golf cart lanes. The emphasis is on leisurely enjoyment rather than the fiendishly challenging, though the par seven, the course’s signature, a par three played across a ravine, causes a fair degree of frustration. We know, because our villa overlooks it, you can hear the anguish when that seven iron goes astray. There is a really good driving range, a decent pitch and putt – as we called it in my youth – for the kids, and even beginners’ lessons. You’ll also have access to the riding and the tennis academies, fitness centre, spa, kids’ clubs. You could live your entire holiday in an expat’s parallel universe and that would be a real pity. For what is fantastic – and, to me, rather unexpected – about Cyprus is how much beyond soaking up the sun there is to do.

I had somehow supposed it was all fish-and-chips-and-pints-of-lager where you’d be in trouble in the event of a little rain. Wrong. Aside from kiddie favourites, such as go-karts, horse-riding, a fabulous water park, a decent zoo (five albino snakes, including two pythons and a rattlesnake. Is this normal? Is this some kind of record?), there is a wealth of historical attractions and distractions. Even my kids enjoyed the fort at Paphos – owned by everyone, at one point or another. There’s Aphrodite’s rock, where the Goddess of Love rose from the sea. A word of warning: Be careful with the swim-round-the-rock-anti-clockwise-at-midnight-three-times-and-achieve-eternal-youth thing. My wife, a very good swimmer, it should be said, found it tough going – and it didn’t work. And there are the ruins at Kourion, where the centrepiece is a fully restored Greco-Roman theatre with awesome views. Or there is always the flat-screen TV, with Sky, games station with Wii, and Wi-Fi back at the ranch.

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Hotels

Stay The Night: Hotel Ranga, Iceland

May 4, 2011 – 11:48 am

At first sight, Ranga looks nothing like a luxury destination. A low-level building standing remote on a treeless, wind-blasted plain, it hardly screams “welcome”, let alone “indulgence”. But what lies behind the simple façade makes this independent design hotel well worth the almost 60-mile drive from Reykjavik – indeed, Ranga is the only four-star accommodation you’ll find outside Iceland’s capital.

Inside, this hotel is as cosy and calm as a sauna cabin, with thick, Canadian pine-log walls and terracotta tiles throughout the rambling ground floor. The interior is simple and unfussy, all natural textiles and neutral shades, with a few quirky touches (such as Hrammur, the 10ft tall stuffed polar bear in reception), but its cocooning warmth and peaceful, intimate atmosphere banish the bleak outdoors.


The service is spot-on: warm, personable and obliging, and the charming owner mingles affably with his guests to ensure a good time is being had. The staff also have that knack for discreetly blending into the background, so it sometimes feels as if you have the whole place to yourself.

Ranga is named after the fast-flowing river alongside it, which teems with wild salmon in season. The only other signs of wildlife are the stout and hairy native ponies that roam the extraordinary volcanic landscape, which can be explored by Jeep from the hotel. Life indoors also invites close observation, as this subtly chic hideaway is an under-the-radar retreat for celebrities: Hollywood star Jake Gyllenhaal and British explorer Bear Grylls have stayed here recently; Kirsty Allsopp and Phil Spencer made it their base while filming an episode of Vacation, Vacation, Vacation, which is due to air on Channel 4 later this month.

The rooms

There are 44 standard doubles in one wing, modest but comfortably spacious, and well laid out, with a sofa and wall-mounted TV. Room service and laundry service are available and there are ironing facilities and hair dryers in all rooms. The en-suite bathrooms have large Jacuzzis. In the opposite wing is the World Pavilion, which has seven truly astonishing luxury suites with daring decor themed on the different continents and featuring masses of genuine artefacts from each. Jake Gyllenhaal stayed in “North America” which, with its cowhide upholstery and a bison head and kayak mounted on the walls, ought to be renamed “Brokeback Mountain”. You’ll be too busy gaping in wonder at the bearskins, butterfly cases, didgeridoos or Aztec wall-hangings to switch on the TV or be distracted by the free Wi-Fi access. The showcase suite is the Master Royal – a dazzling shrine to monochrome minimalism, complete with life-size model penguins.

The food and drink

Restaurant 4 is a large, glass-walled cube with a panoramic view of the river, plains and distant mountains, which you can contemplate as you eat breakfast. (Children of all ages cannot resist the make-your-own waffle iron at the buffet counter.) The sophisticated, Nordic-inspired menu is heaven for any gourmet who likes to eat local and seasonal: try venison carpaccio with truffle oil, Arctic char with fennel salsa, or a surf’n'turf mountain-lamb-and-lobster combo, served with potato terrine and blueberry demi-glaze. If you’re offered the delicacy of fermented shark, go for it – it tastes way better than it smells. In the stylish bar, or mezzanine lounge, you can try fine wines, locally brewed beers, an Eskimojito cocktail made with Icelandic schnapps, or a dram from the hotel’s £3,000 bottle of extremely rare Dalmore Aurora whisky – named in honour of the aurora borealis.

The extras

The aurora borealis is the most spectacular feature of this hotel. This landscape, free of light pollution, is one of the world’s best settings for viewing the natural phenomenon and it’s even better from one of the three outdoor geothermal hot tubs, an Eskimojito in hand. A noticeboard on the reception desk allows you to state if you’d like to be woken should the legendary solar activity burst into action after you retire for the night. There is no spa, but you can book in-room massage treatments in advance of arrival, from £30 per half hour. Jeep excursions to waterfalls, glaciers and geysers, and helicopter flights over the Mount Hekla volcano can also be arranged.

The access

There is good access for guests with disabilities because all standard rooms are on the ground floor, as are the restaurant and the bar. Children are welcomed. No pets allowed.

The bill

A standard double costs from £180 per night, up to £600 for the Master Royal suite. Discounts up to 30 per cent apply to three- and four-night stays booked online for May 2011.

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Hotels

The Big Six: Venetian hideaways

May 2, 2011 – 11:39 am

Bloom & Settimo Cielo, San Marco

A fridge stocked with prosecco and a roof terrace with dreamy views: this pair of chic B&Bs – the upper floors are Bloom’s, the lower Settimo Cielo’s – has six individually-styled rooms. One is a sea of cream, with billowing organza curtains, painted beams and an ornate wooden headboard. Another (right) is decked out in sumptuous pink and gold with a plush velvet sofa, gilt mirror and flocked wallpaper.

Casa Martini, Cannaregio

From your bedroom balcony at this quirky little B&B – just a stone’s throw from the Rialto Bridge – you can gaze down over the bustling fruit and vegetable market. Choose from 18th-century Venetian or Provençal, 19th-century Tuscan, or contemporary designed rooms – some featuring rich damask fabrics and Murano chandeliers. There is also a couple of flower-covered terraces where you can sip an espresso in the day or a drink in the evening before heading out for dinner.

iQs, Castello

Hidden behind Piazza San Marco, iQs is the younger sibling of design hotel, DD724 and private house DD694. It’s a stylish bolthole reached from the canal via a private pier. The interior features four ground-floor suites that mix cutting-edge Italian design and technology with sculptures, contemporary art and photography. The look is sleek and modern and offers an interesting alternative to more traditional Venetian hotels. The dramatic ambience is rounded off with a gothic courtyard, around which the suites are arranged.

Leonessa, Dorsoduro

This gorgeous apartment in a Renaissance palazzo is all soaring white beams, bleached walls and pale floors, offset by modern artwork, Le Corbusier-style sofas and a large steel dining table. Bedrooms are putty-pale (walls, beams and floors) with vivid blood-red coverlets on the beds.

Locanda Novecento, San Marco

Tucked down an alley, this higgledy-piggledy boutique hotel has bags of charm. The nine rooms have oriental accents and exotic fabrics, there’s a cosy lounge and breakfast is served in a walled garden. The owners also host regular art exhibitions.

Calle dell Erbe 272, Giudecca

Interior designer Ilaria Miani has created a contemporary, sumptuous hideaway on Giudecca Island. Bedrooms come with apple-green walls and red velvet pillows. In the kitchen and living room, the palette is paler: mustard-hued walls, sofas and stainless steel fittings. Outside, the decking offers views across to St Mark’s Basilica.

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The Big Six: Heritage hotels in Istanbul

April 29, 2011 – 11:25 am

Pera Palace, Beyoglu

Istandbul’s grande dame hotel awoke from some much-needed beauty sleep late last year. Rooms are a medley of marble, antique dressers, classic portraits of the city and monogrammed pillowcases. The suites are in a class of their own: some overlook the Bosphorus, while the Agatha Christie suite is where the author supposedly penned Murder on the Orient Express. The hotel has a spa with an indoor jet-streamed swimming pool and Turkish bath.

Tomtom Suites, Beyoglu

As European traders colonised the Golden Horn’s northern shores, they left behind a legacy of grand embassies, churches and bourgeois residences. Tomtom Suites was a French law court annexe in the 1850s; evolving into a Franciscan nunnery; then bank archives. Since 2008 it has been a sumptuous mansion with Carrara marble bathrooms and an Ottoman library. The gardens of the Italian Consulate opposite ensure night-time tranquillity, and the top-floor restaurant overlooks the Bosphorus.

Naya, Buyukada Island

The Princes’ Islands take their name from a grisly exile story: unwanted heirs to the Byzantine throne were blinded and shipped here a millennium ago. For the last few centuries these leafy islands in Istanbul’s bay have been a place of ritzy retreat instead, the wooden mansions welcoming Wallace Simpson, Leon Trotsky and other eloping celebrities. On Buyukada Island, the seven-bedroom villa Naya was given an overhaul in 2010 by its German owner. Expect sparkly suspended trinkets, a plunge pool and a garden with sea view.

Villa Denise, Arnavutkoy

Villa Denise is a 200-year-old yali, one of the pretty wooden houses that line the Bosphorus’s shores. It has five rooms decorated with jewel-toned fabrics. The owner can arrange for guests to be taken on a tour of the city in a classic car from his collection.

W Istanbul, Besiktas

This swanky hotel started life as the dormitories of the nearby Dolmabahce Palace. The building bends around a huge courtyard which most of the chic guestrooms – think goose-down pillows and rainforest showers – overlook.

I’zaz Lofts, Beyoglu

The new face of Istanbul is summed up by I’zaz Lofts, a chic suite-only concept hotel. It’s housed in a bourgeois apartment block next to the old British Embassy, amid a warren of boutiques and hip hotels. Each of the four designer suites boasts fine linen, fresh flowers and a draped-off Ottoman boudoir.

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