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30 T E L E G R A P H
LUXURY
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Lake Garda Historic palauo
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With little clusters of turrets and
opulent gold omamentation,Villa
Feltrinelli near Gargnano on the
shores of Lake Garda looks like an
illustrationfrom a children's story.
Built as a grand family home in 1892,
and where Mussolini residedfor
several years, Villa FMnelli was
transformed into a spectacular
21-room hotel h e years ago by Bob
Bums, the hotelier behind the Regent
Hotel Group. Antique elegance and
modem comforts have been
combined and the exquisite, slightly
eccentric spirit of the original villa
and many of its features, including
stained-glasswindows, marble
staircases, huge Venetian mirrors
and antique photographs, have
remained. Set in extensive gardens
filled with olive, orange, magnoliaand
ancient oak trees, the sense of peace
is augmented by the gentle lapping of
water on the edge of the lake. Guests
can eat anywhere from the diningroom, overseen by the former El Bulli
chef, Stefano Baiocco, to under a
tree by the shore. A grey-green slate
pool surrounded by sun-loungers
is set within the ltalianate gardens.
Is there a spa? No, but you can
have massages in your room,
and a swim in the lake does wonders
for the circulation.
Best hotel feature The smallest
original architectural details have
been immaculately restored and the
attention to detail is everywhere - in
particular the bedrooms, where
there are exquisite bedspreads and
linen of the highest thread-count.
When to go The hotel is open from
April to the end of October.
Best room Tone (the Tower), for
its hexagonal shutteredwindows
looking out over the lake, or
Bob's Boathouse, a self-contained
one-bedroom cottage with an
open fireplace.
Best for Honeymooners, older
couples, lovers. No children under 12.
Gettingthere BritishAirways (0870850 9850; b a . m ) from Heathrow
(from £97.70) and London C i Airport
(from£81.60) to Milan Malpensa.
BookingJunior suites from €700 (00
39 0 36 57 98 000; villafeltrinelli.com).
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Barcelona Urban chic
Sandwiched between El Bom
and the Gothic Quarter in a 1920s
building modelled on a Chicago
skyscraper, the 147-roomGrand
Hotel Central has been Barcelona's
most talked-about hotel opening
this year. While its classic facade and
foyer have been retained, the rest of
the interior has been transformed into
a moody, candle-lit space with dark
walls and chocolate-leather sofas.
The W - g r o u n d floor houses Actual
Restaurantand Cafe, run by R
m
Freixa, named Spain's Best Chef in
2001, who serves imaginative
Catalan cuisine three times a day
plus delicious afternoon tapas.
Modem bedrooms have huge beds,
flatscreen TVs, DVDs, MP3s and
workstations.There's also a library.
Is there a spa? There's a iitness
centre and a rooftop pool.
Best hotel feature? The rooftop
terrace has a very glamorous
infintty pool framed by sunbeds and
truly spectacular city views.
When to go Barcelona is a winner
any time of year, although it is
pmbeyy best to avoid August.
Best room The Loft it's up high
-
so has the views and the space of a
small apartment.
Best for Hip young media types;
children are welcome and there is
a babysittingservice and an
informative guide on how best to
explore Barcelonawith kids.
Gettlng there BritishAirways (0870850 9850; ba.wm) from Heathrow
(fromC95.80)and Gatwick (from
E57.40), or Easyjet (0905-8210905;
easyjet.wm) from Gatwick, Luton
or Stansted (from£33.98).
Best package Kirker Holidays offers
three-night breaks from E518pp
includingflights, transfers and
Barcelona guide notes (0870-112
3333; kirkerholidays.com). Doubles
from €215 (00 34 9 32 95 79 00;
grandhotelcentral.com).
TELEGRAPH
LUXURY
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converting the main part of the
house into a 15-bedroom hotel.
When they're at home, which is
often, you'll probably bump into
them around the castle. The Knight
co-founded the lrish Georgian
society and is an avid art historian,
so every room is crammed with
furniture and paintingshe has
collected over the years. A flying
staircase leads up to the bedrooms
local beef are heavenly. The garden
is great for rambling, as is the
surrounding countrysideand the
characterful pub in the local village
is allegedly the oldest in Ireland.
Is there a spa? No.
Best feature The feeling that
you're a personal guest of a grand,
interesting family.
Best room The Wedgwood Blue
Room with fantastic four-poster bed
and enormous bathroom.
When to go Anytime. When the
weather is bad it's a great excuse to
stay by the fire and drink whiskey.
Best for Those wanting to
explore the west coast is not far
-each one a unique shape, size and from Listowel, famous for its
literary festival), golfers (there are
character, many with four-poster
several courses close by) and
beds - all filled with fascinating
romantic weekenders.
objects. A series of cosy drawingGetting there Ryanair
rooms with fireplaces and outsize
comfortable sofas on the ground
(ryainair.com; 0971-246 0000)
floor are ideal for pre-dinner drinks.
flies from Stansted (from £29) and
Three delicious hearty lrish meals
Gatwick (from £32) to Shannon.
a day are served in a wood-panelled Booking direct Doubles from
dining-room- both the smoked
€280 (open between March 1
salmon from the river and the
and November 30).
Rajasthani saris. All rooms have
Bose sound systems (in the
bathroom as well as the bedroom),
flatscreen TVs and an internet
connection.The roof terrace, with
plunge-pool and day beds, is
a great place to flop in the sun with
a gang of friends and sip mojitos.
Is there a spa? Yes, but it's a few
blocks away, down at the hotel's
recently opened PuroBeach
complex, which sits on a peninsula
overlooking the Bay of Palrna.
Best feature PuroBeach basically
a hip beach 'hangout' with resident
DJs - is accessed via a free shuttle
bus that runs between it and the
hotel every 15 minutes. In addition
to the spa it also has a restaurant,
bar, terrace, a beautiful pool lined
with flat black Balinese pebbles
and regular yoga classes.
When to go There are plenty of
cultural sites in the city so in that
respect, any time of year. If it's good
weather you're after, April or May,
before it gets too hot and to avoid
the hordes of tourists.
Best room The 60sq m Puro Oasis
Suite. It's a duplex and has a
terrace overlooking the street so is
fantastic for people-watching.
Best for The late-twenty-and-thirtysomething chilled party crowd.
Gttingthere From the end of
March until the end of October, GB
Airways (0870-8509850; ba.com)
ties from Gatwick to Palma from
£49.40. BA and Easyjet liy yearround from Gatwick, Luton and
Stansted to Palma from £40.98.
Booking There's a three-night
minimumstay, which starts
from £680(00 800 37 46 83 57;
designhotels.com).
colours and feature original wood
panelling, Venetian mirrors, antique
armoires, huge beds, oversize
cushions and dramatic black and
white marble bathrooms. There
is also a privacy hatch into every
bedroom so that room service can
be delivered without disturbance.
The hotel has a Terence Conran
restaurant and bar on the ground
floor, Senso, sewing French
seasonal cuisine.
Is there a spa? There's a fitness
centre, two treatment rooms offaring
everything from massage to makeup lessons, a sauna and jet shower.
Best feature Quality consistency.
The only difference m e e n the
cheapest and the most expensive
rooms is the size.
Best room For a bigger-than-kingsize bed and a balcony stretching
the length of the suite where you
can sit and gaze at the EiffelTower,
book Deluxe Suite 516.
when to go ~ t ' i ~ a r iso
s , all year
round except August, unless you
don'fwant to meet any Parisians.
Best for Anyone with a bi of
money. Couples; friends on a girly
weekend; young hip international
families -they have special adjoining
rooms with children in mind.
Gettingthere Eurostar from
London Waterloo to Paris from £59
(08705-186 186; eurostar.com).
Booking direct Doubles
from £448 (00 33 1 40 70 01 08;
hotel-tremoille.com).
ti
Glin Cutle
H a n d Stately pile
Perhaps it's not surprisingthat the
fairytale Glin Castle on the banks of
the Shannon in County Limerick
feels so homely -after all, the same
family has lived there for 700 years.
Thirteen years ago, the owners,
the 29thXnight of Glin and his wife
Olda, decamped to a wing,
Hotel Pam
Palma, Mallorca Ethnic chic
Marrakesh-meets-Miamiat the
26-room Hotel Puro, two minutes
from the harbour in Palma's old
town. Housed in an 18th-century
mansion, the hotel was designed by
its Swedish entrepreneur owner.
While being modern and funky it has
retained all its original arches and
courtyards and has a bohemian feel.
Bedrooms have enormous,
comfortable beds with ceremonial
hats from the Bandjon tribes of
Cameroon suspended above them,
Guinea-goosefeatherbedside
lamps, hand-carveddoors from
Burma, cushions made from
-
&Tramoills
Paris Urban townhouse
A Right Bank hotel with Left Bank
sensibilities, the sophisticated,93room La Trernoille is housed in two
adjoining 19th-centurytownhouses
just momentsfrom the Champs
E l y W in the heart of the 8th
arrondissement, close to Nobu Paris
and Johnny Depp's nightclub, Man
Ray. It is classic-contemporarywith
a theatrical twist - public spaces are
filled with plush red velvet cushions,
low-hanging chandeliers and vibrant
blue carpets. Bedrooms are painted
in gorgeous, muted Georgian
86
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LUXURY
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