Fancy staying somewhere a bit different? Check out these five quirky hotels from Small Luxury Hotels of the World…
Hotel Viura, Rioja (pictured above)
The WOW Factor: Striking avant-garde architecture contrasting with its traditional Spanish village setting
Set against the backdrop of the charming Spanish village in Rioja Alavesa wine country, Viura is an architecturally flamboyant, modern hotel with dramatic mountain views of the Sierra de Cantabria. The hotel resembles a pile of precariously placed cubes that give way to a series of balconies and terraces, plus a spectacular outdoor lounge on the top floor. The 33 rooms’ huge floor-to-ceiling windows offer superb views of the quaint village, the mountains and neighbouring 16th century church, as well as the surrounding wine country where wines have been produced since medieval times. The fine dining restaurant serves Riojan and Basque cuisine, which in keeping with the hotel’s quirky interior design, has wine barrels suspended from the ceiling.
Rooms are priced from £90 per night based on two people sharing including breakfast
Le Bellechasse Hotel, Paris
The WOW Factor: Eccentric interiors by no less than Christian Lacroix
Set in Paris’s trendy St Germain district, the hotel has ravishingly eccentric interiors designed by Christian Lacroix and inspired by the 18th century artistic and cultural influences of Paris’ left bank. If ever there was a hotel where a high-fashion dress code had to be enforced, this haute couture gem of a hotel would be it. The chic hotel is hidden away in a narrow street in St Germain, allowing travellers and aesthetes to meet privately in its relaxing lounge or attractive courtyard.
The hotel rooms are full of character and colour and are based on seven design themes that reflect the glamour of the local area, including Saint-Germain, Tuileries, Quai d’Orsay and Jeu de Paume. Expect bizarre subjects and figures that reflect both bohemia and neo-classicism such as bizarre 19th-century gentlemen with butterfly wings, giant playing cards as well as Italian-style and astrological frescos.
Rooms are priced from £191 per night room-only based on two people sharing
Le Bellechasse Hotel, Paris has interiors by Christian Lacroix
Kirawira Camp – Western Serengeti, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
The WOW Factor: Step back to the Edwardian era for a savannah experience with a touch of luxury and glamour
The classic safari experience from this camp on the Western Corridor of the Serengeti is given a twist with an injection of 1900s’ glamour. Kirawira is a highly exclusive and truly elegant camp, where guests stay in hunting tents typical of the Edwardian era and evocatively furnished with old style smoking chairs, chaises longues, rocking chairs, writing desks and four-poster beds. The tents are raised on timber flooring and have their own deck from which to view the commanding views of the savannah. Glampers can view ‘the big five’ from the camp’s action-packed safaris and game drives or take a balloon safari over the plains followed by a champagne breakfast at the bush-landing site.
Stays at this camp from Small Luxury Hotels of the World are from £425.59 per night based on two people sharing on an all-inclusive basis
Kirawira Camp, Tanzania, grants you a Savannah experience with a touch of luxury
Cappadocia Cave Resort & Spa
The WOW Factor: Natural stone walls and a magical lunar landscape
Located in the magical lunar landscape of Turkey’s Pigeon Valley, this property reflects the unique cultural heritage of the region, and is known for its spectacular cave structures and the 30 million year-old volcanic rock cones, (known as ‘fairy chimneys’). The beautifully designed rooms and suites have a succinctly romantic, cave atmosphere with natural stone walls, yet provide lavish comforts with embroidered pillows, rich carpets and dark wood, adding an Oriental accent. Each room has a hydro-massage shower or tub and a digital jukebox, and suites offer a private patio or balcony. The spa offers a large heated indoor pool, hammams, saunas and snow and steam rooms. Guests can enjoy an early morning hot-air balloon ride across the ancient rock formations or head to Goreme Open-air Museum, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with early Christian churches carved out of the rocks and decorated with frescoes.
Rooms with Small Luxury Hotels of the World are from £218 per night, based on two people sharing and with breakfast
Cappadocia Cave Resort & Spa is set in the lunar landscape of Turkey’s Pigeon Valley
Entre Cielos, Mendoza, Argentina
The WOW Factor: Stay in a futuristic space pod sitting high above Mendoza vineyards
This wine resort sits in the foothills of the Argentinean Andes and is surrounded by cherry trees and vines, producing some of Argentina’s most exquisite wine. To really make the most of the spectacular wine location, choose to stay in a vineyard loft, resembling a futuristic space pod and standing above the hotel’s own vineyard on stilts. The Limited Edition Vineyard Loft has a bath on the terrace and a window in the roof offering first-class starry sky views. Entre Cielos is also home to the first authentic hammam and spa in Latin America, where vinotherapy uses wine in a more unusual intoxicating experience. Its signature wine treatments invite guests to experience the magic of grapes and harness the revitalizing qualities of the vine with grape-based treatments in Argentina´s leading wine producing region. The Bacchus treatment offers the hammam circuit with full body exfoliation using grape seed, a wine bath with grape extracts, vitamins and minerals, and nourishing grape extract facials. The Beneath the Grapes experience not only uses wine in the bath treatments and massages, but also finishes with a glass of the beloved concoction and light snacks.
Rooms are priced from £215 per night based on two people sharing including breakfast; The Limited Edition Vineyard Loft is priced from £328 per night based on two people sharing including breakfast
At the Entre Cielos, Argenti, you can stay in a futuristic space pod above the vineyards