march-2013

16
It was Frederick the Great who built
Sans Souci
the original Sans Souci in Potsdam,
Museumstrasse 1, Vienna
near Berlin – an opulent summer
+43 1 522 2520; hotel-
palace whose name translates as
sanssouci.at
“without worries” or “carefree”.
That, too, is the idea behind Vienna’s
latest hotel, the Sans Souci Wien.
words Adrian Mourby
Opened last December, it sits just
beyond the Ringstrasse, in a neighbourhood nicknamed “Boboville”
in honour of its Bourgeois Bohemian residents.
The block was constructed as a hotel in the 1890s, lost its way in
the 20th century and ended up as offices after World War II. Recently,
a Viennese businessman by the name of Norbert Winkelmayer bought
it up, and encouraged his design team to let their creativity run riot.
It begins with a dazzling foyer of marble and chandeliers, which
gives way to more sober, spacious bedrooms with parquet flooring
airy white walls and antique-style rugs. Windows, triple-glazed against
the roar of the Ringstrasse, look out on to the MuseumsQuartier.
The stygian dining room is along the same stately lines, with
even more chandeliers, while the bar is not to be missed: a gloriously
rococo concoction of painted panels, marble and gold, where the
specialty is champagne cocktails.
Down in the basement, meanwhile, is the extensive fitness and
sauna area. Its revamp of the traditional Austrian sauna owes more
to Terence Conran than the Tyrol, while the centrepiece is a vast
swimming pool, lit by five crystal chandeliers.
MARCH 2013
sleep
romantic retreats in Brussels, new york living for less, and a decadent stay in Vienna
This relatively new Midtown
Ace Hotel
address – it’s been open since
20 W29th Street, New York
2010, in a building that dates from
212 679 2222
1904 – has cool credentials that are
acehotel.com
hard to beat, even in New York. The
hotel’s lobby music, not usually a
celebrated genre, is a handpicked
selection from indie record store
words Sophy Grimshaw
Other Music, for instance. There’s a
discreet entrance from within to hip boutique Opening Ceremony next
door, and another to Stumptown Coffee Roasters (always packed out,
but it’s worth waiting in the early morning queues).
You can dine in-house at The Breslin, brought to you by Ken Friedman
and April Bloomfield, the people behind New York’s hit gastropub The
Spotted Pig. It’s all very trendy, but it’s also extremely good, with one
Michelin star no less. “Rich salty roasted flavours predominate,” says
the blurb, and you can expect a nose-to-tail dining experience, as befits
Bloomfield’s St John London connection.
Bedrooms run the gamut from surprisingly modest bunk bed
set-ups to huge lofts with hardwood floors and vintage furniture.
The best bathrooms have big ol’ tubs that make them much more
soulful than your average hotel facilities. Even the laundry bags, made
to look like an old US Post Office sacks, are cool. I had no idea a laundry
bag could be cool; it’s that sort of hotel. Rooms from €60/$79.
It makes for a luxurious retreat after browsing the city’s museums
or the shops in nearby Kohlmarkt (dubbed Kohlingrad by locals, due
to a preponderance of well-heeled Russians). Doubles from €209.
FLY TO new york daily; vienna three times daily. brusselsairlines.com