Ever fancied sleeping in an ice cave? Sweden’s Icehotel has to be one of the globe’s most wildly dreamy buildings, constructed from scratch every year entirely out of ice and snow deep in the Arctic Circle. Each year artists from all over the world come together in the village of Jukkasjärvi, next to the Torne River, to take part in creating designs out of snow, ice and the magical light. You’ll tuck in for the night atop a bed frame expertly carved from ice and under a snug reindeer hide, naturally.
Not only can you stay in this beautiful sub-zero structure, but you can also learn the art of ice sculpting too. If that all sounds a little too much like hard work then perhaps retire to the Icebar instead for a cocktail served up in a chiselled ice glass.
And if you can’t visit during Europe’s winter, then fear not – you can still have the Icehotel experience. As of December last year the new Icehotel 365 opened earning the property the grand claim to fame of world’s first permanent ice and snow hotel.
When we first went to Italy’s capital as teenage backpackers, we stayed in spare rooms in a nun’s quarters. Not exactly party central. You canunderstand, then, our excitement arriving at this treasure. Around the corner from Piazza Navona and with five-star features, G-Rough is anything but. Within the raw concrete walls of each of its 10 suites, set in a building from the 1600s, are pieces of furniture by famed Italian designers including Giò Ponti. The wine bar is a much more luxe space, but its best-kept secret is the tiny roof terrace. Wait until the sun is dropping from the sky and head up here with an Aperol spritz to watch the sky, with its horizon of tiled roofs and cathedral domes, turn golden.
Like everywhere else in the world, the working waterfront in Cape Town isn’t working as hard as it once did, so for the past three decades – give or take a few years – there’s been a move to convert sections of it into mixed-use residential, tourism and retail developments. The latest addition, opening this March, is the Silo luxury hotel. It has just 28 rooms located in the elevator tower of a grain silo that was decommissioned in 2001. It will sit above the six-storey Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, due to launch in September 2017, with views of the harbour, city and Robben Island. The glass rooftop swimming pool and bar is sure to become the must-chill destination for the city’s most stylish denizens.
Get the best of both worlds at Isleta El Espino. This off-grid island eco-lodge feels far from civilisation but is, in fact, just a 10-minute boat ride from the historic city of Granada. With only three boho-luxe rooms – two in thatched tree houses, the other in a bungalow – dotting the island, staying here is all about blissful exclusivity.
Wake to birdsong, welcome the day on the yoga deck with monkeys watching from the trees above, and keep your eyes peeled for the chef in the garden gathering mangoes for your breakfast. Once you’ve fuelled up, take your pick of adventures: head out with a local fisherman, go to the artisan markets in Masaya, or take a cocoa plantation tour on horseback. Or you could while away the day prostrate on a deck chair overlooking Lake Nicaragua and the dormant Mombacho volcano.
It’s time to add ‘stay the night on a crane’ to your bucket list, just so you can tick it off here. Perched beside the Wadden Sea, the crane, which was built in 1967 and unloaded timber until 1996, offers 360-degree views of historic Harlingen from its retreat for two in the machine room. Head up a set of stairs and you’re in the cabin. Here, you can tentatively swing from left to right like you’ve always seen but never done. If you can pull yourself away from your real-life Tonka truck, head down the lift to the ground and explore the beautiful ports and Harlingen lighthouse.
You may not have heard of this Chinese city, but we’re going to give you an excellent reason to add it to your itinerary. Sure, its Old Town is listed by UNESCO – it has some of the best preserved Ming and Qing architecture in the country – but you can pretend you’ve entered another era in this renovated mansion once owned by a silk merchant. The 19 rooms at Jing’s Residence – all arranged around a courtyard – have a local air: bed heads are crafted from lacquer or silk, floors are made of bamboo and ceilings of rice paper, and beds are fashioned like traditional kangs, the heated, raised sleeping platforms of northern China. Take part in a hotpot meal in the courtyard, relax in the spa or spend some time wandering the streets of Pingyao and browsing in the curio shops.
You already know Berlin is one of the coolest cities in Europe – if not the world. With its creative culture, gritty bars and high-octane nightlife, the place has urban style sorted. The new 58-room Hotel Provocateur – a Design Hotel – has been shaking things up since its opening in February 2017. Forget the industrial look that’s swept through the design scene lately and enter a world of burlesque that channels the glamour of 1920s Paris. Once your eyes adjust to the light you’ll spot glimmering chandeliers, shadowy corners perfect for whispering sweet nothings, blood red, onyx and gold furnishings, and fabrics begging for your touch. Don’t forget to visit the restaurant run by star chef Duc Ngo, because playing temptress is ravenous work.
Set up shop on the east Coast of Upolu, Samoa’s main island, and spot tropical fish from your beach hut. Spend your days cooling off in the shallows or kayaking around uninhabited Nu’utele Island, rising dramatically from the water just a kilometre off shore. Lonely Planet lists Lalomanu among its top 10 Paradises on Earth and not without reason – the powdery sand remains deserted, save some simple fales (huts) for hire, a couple of restaurants selling fresh fish, coconuts and cocktails, and the verdant tendrils of vines creeping towards the lagoon.
Dating back to 1198, the Brazen Head is reputed to be Dublin’s oldest pub and one of the best for live tunes. Kick back next to a flaming open fire, with a pint of Guinness and tuck into one of the hearty meals in any of the pub’s three rooms.
During the warmer months you can soak it all up in the cobbled-stoned beer garden, or you can always huddle up under a gas heater and muse over the locals who used to haunt here. Rumour has it that this is where the Irish rebel Robert Emmet planned his uprising.
The Brazen Head has an extensive collection of Irish whiskies, Guinness, gins and vodkas from around the world, as well as a selection of wines, and a fully stocked bar. There’s traditional Irish music to warm the cockles of your heart and a fine selection of trad Irish food on offer. Try the Irish stew, bangers and mash or if you really want authentic Irish fare go for the Clonakilty Black Pudding Salad.
It’s easy to feel drained in our overstimulated society, but here the motto is sem hora marcada – take your time – and Areias do Seixo delivers in spades. The design and architecture ooze intimacy and ambience in the hotel’s 14 rooms and three villas, creatively transforming each space using elements of concrete, steel, wood and glass. Here it’s all about savouring the moment, so you won’t find TVs and gadgets in your abode – they’ve been swapped for private jacuzzis, plush bedding, stylish fireplaces and a waterfront terrace, all carefully curated for a sensory experience. Wander through the dunes to the beach, enjoy wine and nibbles at the nightly bonfire, or catch some rays by the infinity pool. Expect to embrace what it means simply to feel; don’t expect a desire to leave.
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