BLACKBOOK The
BLACKBOOK The phantasmagoric atrium of the City of Dreams’ new Morpheus hotel, designed by the late Zaha Hadid; right, from top: the baroque stylings of a Villa du Comte room at The 13; bonito and porconmushroom umami served up at the MGM Cotai swimming pool ringed by lemon-yellow parasols, an opulent spa guarded by a pride of white stone lions and a clutch of finedining restaurants overlooking a 3.2ha performance lake. Not to be outdone, The Parisian Macao (parisianmacao.com) soon threw open its doors. Its half-scale replica of the Eiffel Tower, 1,200-seat theatre, pirate-themed waterpark and 3,000 colourful rooms are aimed squarely at families, offering diversionary opportunities for all ages round the clock. A far more grown-up affair and likely to be one of the most-talked about hotels of the year is The 13 (the13.com). Estimated to have cost somewhere in the region of .5 billion, it is currently the world’s most expensive hotel. To describe its 200 baroque-style villas, each sprawling nearly 2,800 square metres, as lavish would be a vast understatement. Throw open their golden doors to be wowed by chequerboard marble floors, curvaceous ruby-red sofas, glacial chandeliers, Renaissance-like art and roaring neoclassical fireplaces. Bedrooms feature velvet canopy beds, ornate ceiling frescoes and Estimated to have cost .5 billion, The 13 is currently THE WORLD’S MOST EXPENSIVE HOTEL antique mirrors, while vast black-marble bathrooms boast Roman baths (large enough for eight people, in theory) lit by gold sconces and a wall of stained glass. Other extravagant frills include a fleet of Rolls-Royce Phantoms, customised in pillarbox red, a spa fit for Marie Antoinette and the first and only outpost of three -Michelin-star Paris restaurant L’Ambroisie. And there are many more unveilings to come. Scheduled to open later this year is the MGM Cotai (mgmchinaholdings.com), a jewel-box-shaped haven which will house the first MGM Mansion, an invitationonly complex created in the image of a 16th century Tuscan villa – think Romeo and Juliet balconies, tumbling bougainvillea and love sonnets on the pillow. Meanwhile, 2018 sees the latest addition to the vast City of Dreams (cityofdreamsmacau.com) complex. Morpheus, a dramatic web-like exoskeleton with 780 suites, sky pool and VIP gaming tables, was overseen and designed by the late Zaha Hadid. Its arrival ushers in the next exciting chapter of this small city with larger-than-life aspirations. ♦ Fit for a King The monolithic Lisboa Palace, slated for unveiling in 2018, will feature a pair of striking towers, each housing a hotel spearheaded by fashion royalty. The Palazzo Versace will unsurprisingly be the brainchild of Donatella Versace while Chanel’s Karl Lagerfeld makes his hostelry debut with his first-ever property, a forerunner to an empire of restaurants and nightclubs. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: © ZHA, © THE 13, JOSE CACERES, © GRAND LISBOA PALACE 38 DEPARTURES-INTERNATIONAL.COM CONTACT PLATINUM CARD SERVICE FOR BOOKINGS
