60 Thompson Hotel

New York, USA

60 Thompson is one of the highest buildings in the area and is also no slouch when it comes to design. The architect, Steven Jacobs, was a pioneer in turning SoHo’s industrial spaces into residential lofts.

Interiors are by Thomas O'Brien, whose past work includes apartments for high-profile clients such as Giorgio Armani and Donna Karan. The primary inspiration for the lobby space - a long rectangular hall on the first floor was, oddly, an old photo of Burt Lancaster lounging on an impossibly long couch at his home in Malibu. Hence the deep-buttoned velvet banquette that stretches the entire length of the hotel!

Here the guest is most definitely King. The guest rooms are very comfortable, the high-tech end is well catered to and you have an ideal location on a rare quiet stretch right in the heart of SoHo.

Great views from the hotel's rooftop, where the terrace bar has become a SoHo summer destination in its own right.

Photos of 60 Thompson

Prices from:

£1,029 pp

The ideal place to keep warm this winter

Cocoa Island

Maldives, Maldives

Cocoa Island is for people who want their paradise experience pure. No bling, no shopping, no underwater bars; just a great beach, great snorkelling and simple but delicious food.

The beach, in fact, is better than great. It is possibly the whitest sand ever seen and it takes up more surface area than the island itself. It is, literally, brilliant, particularly when combined with the turquoise shade of the surrounding water.

The snorkelling is definitely pure – pure Nemo. Just swim from your terrace and you will soon be in a giant aquarium. Big turtles, fish of every colour and pattern, and the odd baby sharks just to keep it interesting.

Explore the water, explore the beach, read all the books you thought you never would, and that is the closest you will get to an agenda on this island.

A pure paradise experience.

Photos of Cocoa Island

Prices from:

£1,899 pp

Includes 2 free nights!

Dream

New York, USA

From Ethiopia to the cover of Asian Forbes, the story of Vikram Chatwal is surely the quintessential American dream. But he had a more surreal definition in mind when he commenced the overhaul of the former Majestic. That’s how a suspended crystal galleon, a monumental copper statue of Catherine the Great in Mongolian clothes, and the largest tropical fish tank in the northern hemisphere ended up being together in one place. The contribution of author and physician Deepak Chopra whose New York headquarters is within the hotel is effective and authentic ayurvedic treatments and complimentary yoga and meditation. At the other end of the dosha scale, Dream’s Ava bar has one of the best views of Times Square anywhere in New York.

Dream was conceived by Vikram Chatwal to facilitate dreams, and the hotel’s slogan, “You provide the dream, we provide the service” says it all.

A bold bit of fantasy and imagination with a rock and roll attitude in the heart of Manhattan’s Midtown.

Photos of Dream

Prices from:

£715 pp

Reduced rates throughout the year

The Gansevoort Hotel

New York, USA

With all the different bars and lounges on the roof, the new age Japanese restaurant Ono on the ground floor, the bamboo pavilion Chinese-inspired bar, and the day spa that turns into a subterranean lounge after hours, there’s no shortage of entertainment on offer. The elevator to the rooftop must log more miles each night than a yellow cab during rush hour. With a big swimming pool and a view of the setting sun over the Hudson River, it’s not hard to understand why.

The Gansevoort is not just a ‘scene’ but a collection of scenes. You don’t ever need to venture out of the building to enjoy the hedonistic energy of Manhattan. By contrast, considering for instance the enormous paintings of Yakuza tattoos in the restaurant, the rooms themselves are a sedate.

Too much is never enough. If this is your mantra, then Gansevoort is your hotel.

Photos of Gansevoort

Prices from:

£789 pp

This Hip hotel is in a great location

Hotel on Rivington

New York, USA

Built from scratch by a creative team, The Marcel Wanders designed entrance is a hit, the completely off the wall Thor restaurant on the ground floor is consistently voted in New York’s top 100, and the rooms, with their all yellow or all black bathrooms are a sumptuously spacious alternative to smaller spaces elsewhere in Manhattan.

Thor is the Viking God of the area, a thunderbolt of a restaurant enhanced by Wanders’ wild wallpaper and his outhouse in the middle of the space. But the real plus of Hotel on Rivington came as a surprise to everyone, including the owners. There had never been a tower in this area, so no one knew that it would have such an amazing view. A view of New York’s famous skyline from a completely new perspective.

Situated right in the middle of the Lower East Side, Hotel on Rivington is a study in contrast; a shiny glass and steel tower in a neighbourhood of tenement buildings

Photos of Hotel on Rivington

Prices from:

£749 pp

with a complimentary room upgrade!

Laluna Hotel

Grenada, Caribbean

Special Offer

It’s not a surprise to discover that Laluna is the vision of an intrepid Italian; they seem to have a knack for places like this. Bernardo Bertucci arrived here just over 10 years ago, and fell in love with the island, and the fact that it was not as commercial as other Caribbean islands.

This hotel is far more colourful and ethnic than any of the other hotels. The owner decided to focus on a décor and design much more in tune with the surrounding jungle. Laluna is for people who embrace the chance to escape to a bungalow disguised by the verdant green of a tropical island, just above a beach that is hidden away for all but the guests of the property.

This is a place where you forget time, routine and protocol, and focus instead on the natural beauty of these volcanic Caribbean islands.

Photos of Laluna

Prices from:

£1,299 pp

Includes 1 free night

Necker Island

British Virgin Islands, Caribbean

Necker, Sir Richard Branson’s private island paradise, is situated in the British Virgin Islands, a stunning and unspoilt area of the Caribbean. At 74 acres, Necker sits in turquoise waters surrounded by coral reefs and fringed with beautiful white sandy beaches.
With a maximum capacity for 28 guests, Necker consists of 9 bedrooms in the Great House and 5 beautiful private Balinese Houses which are available for exclusive hire, however individual rooms can be rented during selected Celebration Weeks.

Enjoy lazy days on the beaches or swim in two infinity pools. Take to the ocean with some snorkeling or learn one of many water sports available with professional instructors. Perfect your tennis skills with the resident coach, get pampered by the therapists in the Bali Leha Spa. Dine by candle light, firelight or starlight in one of many stunning locations.

Necker can become your own private hideaway; away from the stresses and strains of daily life.

Photos of Necker Island

Prices from:

£9,395 pp

Celebration weeks throughout the year

Park Hyatt Hotel

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The same patch of palm trees and rolling green lawns that host the hotel is also the venue for Dubai’s yacht club and its premier golf course. Here you have the space and facilities to enjoy Dubai’s sunshine and climate,this is probably the best location in town.

There are three restaurants, choose from middle eastern, Thai or modern-European cuisine, or kick back on The Terrace, an indoor-outdoor venue with a raw bar and marina views. The Amara Spa is styled on a Moroccan palace and opens out onto a serene pool and deck; at night it’s torch-lit, perfect for a swim in the Arabian Night!

The guest rooms are among the most attractive in Dubai. They are like contemporary lofts with an Arabic twist. The bathroom and bedroom are open-plan, and blend seamlessly into each other.

Timeless modernity is mixed with Moroccan detailing - Park Hyatt Dubai is a luxury hotel in an Arabic style.

Photos of Park Hyatt Dubai

Prices from:

£849 pp

Round Hill Resort

Jamaica, Caribbean

Special Offer

Round Hill is where Jacqueline and JFK spent their honeymoon, where Rodgers and Hammerstein played chess, where Hitchcock got sunburned and where Noel Coward, if egged on enough, would sing for the guests.

After 50 years, Round Hill has a million stories to tell, but most impressive is how little it has changed. The place today offers the same blend of qualities that has always pulled the famous names and faces; namely a well-preserved slice of old Jamaica.

Today you still enjoy its stylish architecture and a predictably colonial pace of life, but with the added pull of an oceanfront spa and refurbished hotel rooms designed for beach living by Ralph Lauren, (perhaps whilst visiting his own villa at Round Hill).

A former pineapple plantation on the outskirts of Montego Bay, what is it about Round Hill that makes it such a magnet?

Photos of Round Hill

Prices from:

£1,499 pp

For 2 weeks with our Stay 14 Pay 7 in September!

Soho House Hotel

New York, USA

The rules are simple, if you’re not a guest you cannot eat in the restaurant, swim in the pool, lunch on the roof, have a drink in the bar, watch a film in the private screening room, throw a private party in the library, or chill out in the Cowshed – the club’s famous spa… unless you’re a member. But one thing it is not, is stuffy. As a club, it has managed to attract the kind of people that normally never belong to clubs. Film directors, writers, artists, creative types in all fields make up the member roster, and yet Soho is not painfully arty either.

The look, if it has to be defined as such, is a mix of laid back modern and iconic antique, with the odd bit of bling. The rooms are bohemian loft with soaring ceilings, exposed beams, chandeliers and big, baroque carved beds. The Playhouse and Playground rooms have giant egg-shaped baths big enough for two. But more important than how it looks is how it feels with just the right balance of cosy and trendy.

Soho House is not a hotel, it’s a private club – the hottest private club in New York – that happens to have a small hotel.

Photos of Soho House

Prices from:

£1,039 pp

Upgrade to a Playroom from £89pppn

Soneva Fushi by Six Senses

Maldives, Maldives

Quite apart from an abundance of white sand beaches, green water and coral reef, Soneva Fushi by Six Senses also offers what most other islands can't – a verdant jungle. The villas are all just a few feet away from their own stretch of beach and are tucked into their own private patch of jungle. Naturally canopied sand paths crisscross the island like a network of tropical boulevards, connecting its various facilities. These include three bars, a library and three restaurants located at opposite ends of the island. Above all the jungle gives guests complete freedom to decide just how much Robinson Crusoe-style isolation to go for.

There are no museums, ruins or historical ‘must sees’ … nothing to do but lie, guilt free, in a hammock by the beach

Photos of Soneva Fushi by Six Senses

Prices from:

£1,899 pp

The real robinson crusoe experience

The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel

New York, USA

The Carlyle is the Upper East Side, and vice versa. All the values of patrician New York are the qualities that define The Carlyle. Woody Allen can often be found jamming on his clarinet with the Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band in the Café Carlyle (resident caberet jazz/venue) on a Monday night. A neighbourhood that has a world class museum on practically every other corner, not to mention the proximity of Central Park, The Upper East Side is interesting precisely because it's not like the rest of New York. The doormen with their traditional brass-buttoned coats and caps, school children in blazers and ties, discreet little restaurants tucked into the brownstones on gentrified side streets, and, of course, the shopping, all give this part of New York a signature as distinctive as the tenement housing of the Lower East Side.

One of New York's most genuine and charismatic experiences.

Photos of The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel

Prices from:

£869 pp

Stay in this Classic New York hotel

The Clift Hotel

San Francisco, USA

Special Offer

Clift’s stone exterior opens onto a glowing purple entryway that prepares guests for the Phillipe Starck designed wonderland within. The soaring lobby contains one of the most eclectic furniture collections in all of California including chairs from Eames, a Salvador Dali coffee table and a surreal stool by Renee Marguerite. The striking centerpiece is the fireplace commissioned from French artist Gerard Garouste, a towering bronze relief that sits perfectly with the lobby’s moody atmosphere. This is a hotel of dramatic contrast. The rooms are pale and full of light where the lobby, the restaurant and the library are dark and seductive in an elegant contemporary way that attracts both guests and locals to linger over lunch, hang out in the lobby and the bar starts to fill up at 4.30 in the afternoon!

Just one block from Union Square, the Clift is in a historic building, with a listed bar and the famous Nob Hill tram just around the corner.

Photos of The Clift

Prices from:

£789 pp

Includes 1 free night

The Metropolitan Hotel

Bangkok, Thailand

The Metropolitan is a three dimensional metaphor for the city itself; a heady combination of cool contemporary with reinvented tradition. Beautiful wooden floors are combined with pieces by Thai artist Natee Utarit and an ultra-slick lighting scheme from London’s Isometrix.

Of all the hotels in Bangkok, the Metropolitan is the first in step with the city’s new energy. The Met Bar is at the cutting edge of Bangkok’s appetite for the contemporary and the restaurant, Cy’an, is Asia’s answer to Nobu, serving some of the best and most inventive food in Bangkok.

Guestrooms that feel more like a downtown studio than a box, understated splashes of Jim Thompson silk, a gym that is not just an afterthought, an alternative health food restaurant called Glow and COMO's trendsetting Shambhala spa, it's more than just a look that sets this hotel apart.

Unapologetically modern but distinctly Asian, the interiors are the work of Singapore-based Kathryn Kng. The Aesthetic is a pared down mix of East meets West.

Photos of The Metropolitan

Prices from:

£839 pp

Includes 1 free night!

The Standard, New York

New York, USA

The 18-storey structure consisting of two concrete-framed glass slabs recalls mid-century modernist but the most interesting aspect is how this building interacts with the High Line, an abandoned 80-year-old elevated freight railroad running down Manhattan’s west side that has been converted into a park for locals and tourists to kick back.

The glass means the interiors have floor-to-ceiling views; of the Hudson to the West, MePa topped by the Empire State to the East and the High Line directly below. Every room maximises its view, none more so than the double height glass-encased space on the 18th floor that will open up in 2010 as an exclusive venue for guests and those on the list!

In an area now so well known for its food, its obvious that even the most eye-popping architecture and a view will only get you so far. The rest is up to the restaurant.

Located in MePa - currently New York’s hottest restaurant and bar scene – the new Standard is described by the New York Observer as "the most unusual and significant New York building in years".