Anything designed by Grayson Perry is sure to have more than a touch of the kooky about it, and this holiday house, inspired by fairy tales, shrines and baroque architecture, is no exception. Perry, in conjunction with architectural firm FAT, created the two-bedroom home based on a character called Julie, for whom he produced an entire backstory.
It’s just one of a number of homes in a series by Living Architecture, an organisation that aims to increase appreciation of architecture by offering immaculately designed properties at reasonable rates. We love everything about it, from the ceramic green and while tiles (depicting safety pins, cassettes and hearts) covering the exterior to the Lego-like kitchen.
For 120 years this building housed the area’s nastiest inmates. Then, in 2007, it got a new lease on life and is now one of the city’s finest places of accommodation. Guests are warmly welcomed and escorted to their contemporary furnished rooms featuring floor-to-ceiling windows with stunning city views.
To add to the charm the architects retained some of the building’s character features, including the granite exterior, exposed brick walls, historic catwalks and striking wrought-iron chandeliers. The Liberty Hotel is the only time in your life you’ll spend a night in jail and not be in a hurry to escape the next day.
Arizona is the land of red rock formations and three-pronged cactus growing from the desert soil. It’s kinda the last place you might think to go on a houseboating holiday. But the azure waters of Lake Powell, on the Colorado River near the border of Utah, offer extraordinary beauty and the chance to get splashing. Here, you can hire one of a number of vessels, from a budget-friendly 46-foot number that sleeps up to eight to a far more luxurious offering. The 75-foot Odyssey houseboat has six staterooms, a hot tub and slide that takes from the deck and plunges you into the lake.
Regardless of whether you skimp or splurge, you can slip through secluded canyons and dramatic Navajo sandstone cliffs, before plunging into the water for a refreshing dip. Add a couple of kayaks to your rental and paddle through still coves and under Rainbow Bridge, the world’s largest natural stone bridge. Fish for fresh bass and catfish to cook on board. Watch the rusty rock blaze during sunset, and stargaze from the deck with a cold craft brew in your hand. It’s a desert holiday you’re unlikely to forget.
Step into the future – a world of clean lines and of white, black and blue – at Mar Adentro. With a whopping 198 rooms, the hotel is way bigger than the type of stay that usually catches our attention, but, somehow, this architectural wonder manages to make it feel as though you’ve got the place to yourself.
Its white, cubic buildings rise from a constructed lagoon, with a black-tiled infinity pool and the nest – a lounge partially sunk beneath the liquid – accessible via an inky walkway that cuts across the water. When the light is right the buildings cast reflections, giving the illusion that you’re floating somewhere in the middle. It’s all rather fitting for a place with a name that means ‘sea inside’.
In the rooms wood softens the monochrome palette and your lighting, music and curtains are all controlled with the swipe of a tablet. When you’re not lazing on your terrace or on the white sands that stretch between the hotel and the Sea of Cortez, there’s a lounge and art gallery to keep you entertained. Basically, it’s bliss.
Lord it up above the turquoise waters of the Amalfi Coast and play king of your very own castle with a stay at Torre Trasita. Jutting from a rocky cliff near the Italian town of Positano – once a small fishing village favoured by Romans on vacay – this former watchtower has been part of the landscape since the sixteenth century. Restored this year with all the trimmings of a seaside hotel, the torre sleeps six in style.
Order insalata di frutti di mare (seafood salad) to be delivered from a local restaurant to the blue-tiled terrace up top, and wash down 360-degree views of the town that inspired Picasso with a chilled glass of bubbles. If your creativity stirs there’s even a piano for you to play – after all, all nobles fancy a tinkle on the ivories from time to time.
Fab accommodation in Fiji isn’t hard to come by; there are more beachfront bures (huts) than you can poke a kava root at. But often they come with hordes of raucous tourists. Step from the seaplane at Paradise Cove Resort and you’ll discover a tropical sanctuary. Located about 70 kilometres north of Nadi, the resort is one of the newest arrivals in the Yasawas.
Nab a beachfront paradise suite with plunge pool and hanging day beds, and contemplate one of travelling’s great first-world problems: swim first, or siesta? Throw in snorkelling with manta rays, a picnic on a deserted beach and sunset drinks at the lookout and your holiday just got complicated.
When you want to explore the famous Sacred Valley while enjoying the finer aspects of life, check in to one of Sol Y Luna’s 43 casita-syle rooms, built from local materials and splashed with Federico Bauer’s colourful artwork.
Explore 10 hectares of lush gardens brimming with butterflies and hummingbirds, before heading to the property’s edge. Here you’ll find the stable complex, home to Peruvian Paso horses that can be taken out for a ride, but also perform for guests enjoying a meal at the Wayra restaurant.
Stroll into the village and visit the lively market, organise a trip to Salineras de Maras (the local salt mines) or catch the train from nearby Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu.
Imagine sitting in your own private hot tub watching the sun dance off the water of a picture-postcard bay. You’ll never want to leave.
That’s the secret to a brilliant pousada, and Maravilha sets the bar high when it comes to gorgeous lodgings you’ll want to call home forever. There are only eight rooms here, so you’re guaranteed privacy and tranquility. Sink between Egyptian cotton sheets in your king-size bed, lounge in the hammock on your balcony and don’t forget about that alfresco tub.
When it’s time to venture beyond your room (go on, you should), cool off in the infinity pool, feast on mango shrimp salad and island fish at the restaurant, and rejuvenate at the spa, all while enjoying spectacular views of Sueste Bay.
Maravilha is located on the island jewel of Fernando de Noronha in the 21-island archipelago of the same name. Brazilian beauties don’t come much better than this.
If you look hard enough on Fiji’s main island of Viti Levu you’ll find a select few bungalow resorts offering an escape from the all-inclusive, buffet-serving, cookie-cutter behemoths that have somehow taken up most of the Coral Coast. The Uprising Beach Resort is one of them.
Perfectly positioned bures along the beachfront and larger villas off the sand make up the resort. It is small enough to give you space on the beach, but large enough to offer all the amenities you might need. The food is good and the bar lively. There’s a field on the resort grounds where the Fiji Rugby 7s train and volleyball courts where the local villagers play each evening. They welcome new players, but be aware: they are serious.
The friendliness of the staff is second to none and they can arrange some amazing nearby activities, from shark feeding off Beqa Island to whitewater rafting in the untouched hinterlands.
“It’s not perfect, it’s paradise” is the motto and it sums the whole place up, well, perfectly.
Located on Lexington Avenue – the heart of Manhattan – the Gramercy Park Hotel is the Big Apple at its best. Each of the one-of-a-kind rooms has lush drapes, custom-designed furniture, mahogany drinking cabinets, velvet upholstered beds and walls showcasing the work of world-famous photojournalists. If you can’t get enough, keep your eyes peeled in the public area, where the ever-changing collection features the work of Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
There’s a stunning rooftop terrace that features views of the city that never sleeps, but one of the main reasons to check in is your access to a special slice of Manhattan. Guests have access to the keys to Gramercy Park, one of only two private gardens in all of New York (the other is in Queens). If you want to go all out, check in to the penthouse – it comes with its own kitchen, dining room and library.
(
