DEPARTURES TRAVEL ON
DEPARTURES TRAVEL ON THE RADAR 24 Europe HIGH IN THE Austrian Alps, the village of Bad Gastein is finally having its long-awaited moment. Fresh off the opening of The Cōmodo (thecomodo. com) earlier this year comes the Straubinger Grand Hotel (travelcharme. com), a long-abandoned yet supremely elegant grande dame that returns to the heart of the village with a renewed sense of style and energy, along with an outdoor infinity pool. Across the mountains – and border – the new Rosewood Munich ( rosewoodhotels. com) has taken up residence in two historical buildings – the former State Bank of Bavaria headquarters and the Palais Neuhaus-Preysing. For a twocentre trip, sister hotel Rosewood Schloss Fuschl ( rosewoodhotels.com) will open in 2024 in a 15th-century castle on the banks of Salzburg’s Lake Fuschl, just a two-hour drive away. Meanwhile, Six Senses Rome (sixsenses.com), housed in the 15thcentury Palazzo Salviati Cesi Mellini, is one of a few new hotels in the Italian capital to welcome guests with a blend of history and modernity, and there’s also a Roman bathing circuit including caldarium, tepidarium and frigidarium experiences. Over on the Tuscan coast in Porto Ercole, the new La Roqqa (laroqqa.com) embraces its location between the hills of Maremma and the waters of the Mediterranean to offer sunny Above: the generous terrace of the two-bedroom Mellini suite at the Six Senses Rome; right: the atmospheric Library Bar at Nolinski Venezia spaces filled with pieces inspired by 1960s and 1970s-era Italian design. Further inland, surrounded by the winelands of Chiantigiana, Pieve Aldina (lesdomainesdefontanille. com) is a peaceful haven where vinotherapy massages and yoga in the gardens meet revisited Tuscan cuisine and local fine wines. Back in the city, Venice’s Nolinski Venezia (nolinskivenezia.com), housed in the former Stock Exchange building dating back to 1929, combines elements of Art Nouveau, Stile Liberty and Modernism across 43 rooms, a courtyard restaurant and an indoor rooftop pool with views across the canals. The Athenian Riviera is now home to One&Only Aesthesis Son Balagueret, one of two heritage villas on offer at Son Bunyola, on Mallorca’s western coast (oneandonlyresorts.com) in the upscale neighbourhood of Glyfada. Backed by a stretch of protected woodland, the resort’s bungalows, villas and private pools combine mid-century design inspiration with Greek glamour and serene views over the Saronic Gulf. In 2024, the resort will be joined by One&Only Kéa Island, located on the closest of the Cyclades islands to Athens, just an hour’s boat ride from the mainland. Athens’ The Dolli (thedolli. com) is a calm oasis amid the noise and traffic of downtown, a converted early 20th-century department store with a breathtaking rooftop pool that reflects FROM TOP: © SIX SENSES, GUILLAUME DE LAUBIER, © SON BUNYOLA
FROM TOP: MILO BROWN, © THE PENINSULA HOTELS, © MANDARIN ORIENTAL the Acropolis on its surface. In the heart of the Peloponnese, surrounded by the fir forests of the Menalon mountains, Manna ( mannaarcadia.gr) is breathing new life into a former sanatorium, offering hikes, rafting and mushroom hunting alongside comfy, cosy sleeps in earth-toned rooms. Down on the southwest coast, the new Mandarin Oriental, Costa Navarino ( mandarinoriental.com) is the first Greek outpost for the brand, offering a collection of sleek suites and villas alongside marine and land activities as well as expansive spa and wellness facilities. Paris, too, is rife with hotel happenings. The long-awaited Le Grand Mazarin (legrandmazarin.com) has now opened its doors, bringing flamboyant eccentricity to Le Marais courtesy of designer Martin Brudnizki. Over in Faubourg-Montmartre, La Fantaisie (lafantaisie.com) is another whimsical Brudnizki-designed newcomer, home to California-inspired cuisine at Golden Poppy by Dominique Crenn. For those seeking the charms of Provence, Domaine de Chalamon (lesdomainesdefontenille.com) has opened its chic doors on the outskirts of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence with 19 pastelcoloured minimalist rooms, six hectares of gardens with a heated swimming pool, and a table d’hôte offering dishes based on seasonal ingredients sourced from local organic growers. In Cognac, La Nauve Hôtel & Jardin’s 12 rooms (almae-collection.com) offer a calm base for exploring the surrounding countryside, with vineyard bike rides, boating and cognac tastings on offer. And on a clifftop overlooking the sandy beaches and surf of the Bay of Biscay, Biarritz’s Belle Epoque Regina Experimental (reginaexperimental.com) offers cheery light-filled rooms with marineinspired touches, Basque flavours from chef Gregory Marchand, and a large outdoor pool. Spain has seen a wave of recent openings, including Grand Hotel Son Net (sonnet.es) and Son Bunyola (virginlimitededition.com), two new arrivals in Mallorca. The former, a 17th-century Mallorcan manor house, offers suites and cottages surrounded by vineyards, orchards and lush gardens, while the latter sprawls across a 526ha estate with over four kilometres of coastline, and 26 rooms and suites in a 16th-century finca. Sitting among citrus and olive groves in neighbouring Menorca, Son Vell (vestigecollection.com) offers elegant rooms and suites alongside Menorcan flavours and opportunities to discover the island by horse, jeep and on foot. Christian Louboutin has brought his inimitable sense of style to 13 individually designed rooms at Vermelho (vermelhohotel. com), in Melides, Portugal. Each accommodation offers traditional Portuguese artisanal work, exquisite craftsmanship London Calling A flurry of hotel openings is bringing new verve to the streets of London. The UK’s first Raffles hotel has taken up residence in Whitehall in the iconic edifices of the Old War Offices, known as Raffles London at The OWO (theowo. london). Winston Churchill, among many others, once walked the four kilometres of corridors here, and the building is filled with tales of espionage dating back to its years housing MI5 and MI6, as well as its starring role in James Bond films. But the hotel isn’t only looking back in time, with three dining venues by renowned Argentinian chef Mauro Colagreco, Parisian Café Lapérouse in the courtyard, and a Guerlain spa with a 20m indoor pool among the many very good reasons to visit. The new Peninsula London (peninsula. com) sits handsomely opposite the Wellington Arch on Hyde Park Corner, welcoming guests into the kind of soaring lobby that one expects of Peninsula hotels around the world. Here, a sense of London’s Royal Parks is brought indoors through hand-painted de Gournay landscape murals, providing the perfect backdrop for the hotel’s signature afternoon tea. Head to Canton Blue for innovative Cantonese cuisine served in spaces that highlight the meeting of Asian and British cultures through the transcontinental sea trade. A 25m subterranean swimming pool and expansive Outside the new Peninsula London The spa at the Mandarin Oriental Mayfair The nostalgic ice-cream sundae trolley at 1 Hotel Mayfair spa are also on the way. In Hanover Square, the new Mandarin Oriental Mayfair (mandarinoriental.com) offers a sleek, contemporary alternative to the classic grandeur of its sister property on the edge of Hyde Park. Dining options here include Japanese and Korean flavours at the first UK outpost of chef Akira Back’s eponymous restaurant, as well as an intimate experience for 14 diners at DOSA, combining contemporary Korean dishes with culinary art. Nearby, 1 Hotel Mayfair (1hotels. com) is bringing its brand of sustainable luxury to the neighbourhood, with efforts to tread lightly including energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, reduced CO 2 emissions, live green walls, sustainable linens and organic mattresses. In Chelsea, One Sloane (onesloane.co.uk), from the team behind Paris’s Hôtel Costes, is a mix of Victorian design and French flair, resulting in a Gallic-Brit marriage combining the best elements of both over 30 individual rooms and suites. Last but not least, Broadwick Soho (broadwicksoho.com) channels the gritty-meets-glam side of the Soho neighbourhood with quirky, flamboyant design by Martin Brudnizki, and in Belgravia’s Old Barrack Yard, guests will find understated luxury at The Emory (theemory.co.uk), along with a private courtyard, residents’ rooftop bar, and restaurant by Jean-Georges Vongerichten. – Nicola Chilton 25 DEPARTURES
