WORDS
SIMON KURS, SOPHIE BICHENER
HOTELS LISTED BY AIRPORT DESTINATION
H O T E L
R E V I E W S
V I E W P O I N T S
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welcoming, desirable
and stylishly self-
assured: that’s how you’d describe Lola,
if she was girl and not a hotel. Her fictional
personality is the inspiration for the
newest addition to the Room Mate family.
Styled as a tribute to the summer hotels
of America’s East Coast (think the East
Hamptons), designer Lorenzo Castillo mixes
contemporary with vintage touches. While
zebra-print stools and chrome staircases
give punch to the slick, black reception
and dining area, a laid-back ambience is
maintained throughout.
Spacious, pretty rooms provide a
comfortable place to rest before heading
out to explore the nearby attractions,
including the Picasso Museum and beach,
plus an abundance of restaurants. The ideal
hang-out for a girl like Lola.
Book at
hotels.easyJet.com
The Halkin by Como
London
|
Design
|
From €384
it’s safe to say
that the first guests through the Halkin’s doors
must have gawped in wonder at the skyscape on the atrium
ceiling above their heads. Part of an overarching design
philosophy referred to, somewhat pretentiously, as ‘expansion
of space’, such notions were unheard of when this swish
Belgravia bolthole opened in 1991.
That’s because the Halkin was London’s first design hotel.
Envisioned as a haven of airy, feng shui-friendly spaces with
black, wood-panelled corridors flowing pleasingly through
each floor and mod-cons on every corner, it was intended as
an antidote to the stuffy grand hotels of yesteryear.
Today, more than two decades on, there is a
preponderance of such hideaways in the UK capital, but the
Halkin still manages to stand out. Of course, its location is
excellent for a certain type of traveller, close to Hyde Park
Corner and the shops of Knightsbridge and Mayfair, but
there’s been an effort to keep moving with the times too. The
41 rooms, all luxuriously uncluttered, include touch-screen
consoles to control the selection of lighting profiles and
on-demand entertainment as standard, while downstairs
on the ground floor the new addition of a Michelin-starred
restaurant confirms the Halkin’s status as a top modern hotel.
Book at
hotels.easyjet.com
RoomMate Lola
Málaga
|
Budget
|
From €50
01
01
Deluxe rooms have
movies on demand
and a CD jukebox
02
The hotel is in a quiet
side street
03
Relax in the bar
02
03
