The latest hip hotels for your wishlist |

published 28 June 2019

Healing Stay Kosmos

South Korea

Those minded to make the journey to Ulleungdo, an island off the east coast of South Korea, will be richly rewarded with a destination that can genuinely be described as ‘off the beaten track’.

Apparently the island emanates energy fields tied to the philosophy of yin and yang, a feature that drove architect Kim Chanjoong and The System Lab to develop a resort here. The paths of the sun and moon informed the design, resulting in a series of white, organically shaped villas that contain tranquil spaces and soaring ceilings.

Guests are encouraged to immerse themselves in the island’s abundance, whether that’s by taking a trek or just admiring the scenery from the clifftop infinity pool.

In the know:

Relax in the undulating curves of the timber-lined saunas.

Drink an aromatic siphon-brewed coffee at on-site Café Ulla.

Experience the resort’s Yin and Yang Ring chairs, co-ordinated with the sun and moon to bathe those sitting in them in chi.

Book itDouble rooms from £240 a night.

Can Bordoy

Mallorca

One of Europe’s most popular cities for a chic weekender, Palma is enjoying a boutique hotel moment with several stylish spots popping up over the past year. Among the best is Can Bordoy, a grand home converted into luxuriouslodgings with a botanical theme.

The action is based around the hotel’s garden where you can take a dip in the heated pool, be pampered at an outdoor wellness pergola or indulge in a bottle of rosé on the terrace.

Interiors are a lesson in Mediterranean opulence, with stonewashed walls setting the scene for elegant furniture, glittering chandeliers and, up in the 24 bedrooms, sumptuous velvet beds.

Downstairs, restaurant Botànic serves up Mallorcan breakfasts of sobrasada sausage with eggs and chef Andrés Benitez’s all-day dining menu of tempting tapas.

In the know:

Explore Palma’s old town, La Lonja, where the hotel is located.

Pack a copy of Tomas Graves’ book Bread and Oil, an intriguing account of Mallorcan history, gastronomy and tradition.

Stay in one of the hotel’s impressive Premium Suites.

Book itDouble rooms from £270 a night.

Hotel Peter & Paul

New Orleans

Cobbled together from the buildings of a former convent school, Hotel Peter & Paul looks like it has always been there. A labour of love between design studio ASH NYC and New Orleans local Nathalie Jordi, the 1860s complex required yearsof restoration.

Inside, you’ll find swag curtains in jewel-box hues, oil paintings sourced from Louisiana estate sales and gilt furniture from antiques fairs in Europe.

The eccentric interior has a vibrant, curated look that matches the Marigny locale – a cute neighbourhood on the Mississippi noted for colourful Creole cottages, live music venues and a laid-back bar scene.

In the know:

Drink the Bamboo, an old-school concoction of sherry, vermouth and bitters, at hotel eatery The Elysian Bar.

Visit Frenchmen Street, three blocks of live music venues.

Take a free vinyasa yoga class in the hotel’s converted church.

Book itDouble rooms from £120 a night.

The Rooms of Rome

Italy

Alda Fendi, scion of the great Italian fashion house, had been looking for a home for her arts foundation when she found Palazzo Rhinoceros, a neglected 17th-century mansion in Rome’s Velabro quarter.

The brief was to turn it into a space where her ethos of ‘living with art’ could be put into practice. Architect Jean Nouvel was brought in to realise the vision, and together they’ve created a cultural hub with 25 rooms, a rooftop restaurant and exhibition galleries for artists and enthusiasts to engage with classic and contemporary Italian culture.

The Rooms of Rome, as the suites are known, feature exposed brickwork, trompe l’oeil panels, bold mid-century furniture and art curated by Fendi’s foundation. For sophisticated travellers dreaming of a Roman holiday, this is the address to know.