AMALFI IN BLOSSOM Uncluttered human stabling Tilty Hill Barn, designed by John Pawson
IT’S ALL WHITE NOW U
rban types who cite the plethora of chintz, magnolia paintwork and clunky furniture as a reason for not renting holiday cottages might need to rethink. Following Alain de Botton’s lead in creating architecturally interesting rental homes (living-architecture.co.uk),
holiday-rental companies have started to take on properties with serious contemporary design credentials. New spaces with an edge include Tilty Hill Barn in Essex (above), a John Pawson-designed house with interiors that are minimalist and totally white, so inhabitants can focus on the natural world outside (from £7,200 a week, sleeping 12); the Miami-style converted 1930s Beach House in Shoreham-by-Sea (from £2,700, sleeping 12); and Bowmoor Lodge, the Yoo-designed, double-storey lakeside cabin on Bowmoor Lake in Gloucestershire (from £3,000 a week, sleeping eight), all from The Wow House Company (0800 171 2156, thewowhousecompany.com). Appealing to the same market is the newly restored Marver House in Mawgan Porth (01637 860322, marverhouse.co.uk): a 12-bed, interior-designed pad whose Danish retro furnishings are almost as appealing as its views over a big sandy bay (from £2,500 a week).
Something that might bring back the warmth of summer is Close to Paradise by Robert Fisher. The glossy tome brings to life 21 gardens on the Amalfi coast – considered by many to be the most beautiful in the world – and features such blue skies and luxuriant foliage that one can almost smell the lemons and hear the waves. £30, franceslincoln.co.uk
GOTHENBURG FOR GOURMETS
W
hat does Swedish cuisine bring to mind? IKEA meatballs, rollmops and a heaving smorgasbord? No longer.
NATURAL GEMS OF THE JUNGLE
Gothenburg may be Sweden’s second city, but it boasts
no fewer than five Michelin-starred restaurants, with a sixth rumoured to be on the cards next year – not bad for a city of 500,000 inhabitants. Camilla Parkner, chef at Gothenburg’s charming and
The Galapagos islands may be
unfussy Basement and the only woman in the country to preside over
Ecuador’s greatest tourist attraction,
a Michelin-starred restaurant, thinks Gothenburg’s location by the sea
but the country’s interior is a nature-lover’s
has helped. “We are born with the fish,” she says (although, confusingly, the signature dish on her rustic/modern menu is suckling pig cooked
paradise, too. Its forests are thick with rare plants and
for 16 hours with rhubarb and ginger). At the nearby Thörnströms Kök,
wildlife, from orchids and 500 species of bird to the elusive puma. A
which achieved Michelin status this year, chef Håkan Thörnström
new retreat from which to explore the forests is Mashpi Lodge
thinks it is the blend of “raw, marinated food and slow-cooked dishes” that makes Swedish cuisine special.
(mashpilodge.com), set in a 2,600-acre reserve two hours from Quito.
“We have been able to pick the raisins from the bread,” he adds, eliptically. There is an almost reverential
The lodge, sustainably built and run on hydroelectric power, has 22
attitude to the food in his restaurant, which offers nine types of bread and desserts which are an art form.
slickly designed suites, spa treatments using forest plants, and dishes
Swedish cuisine is no longer an upstart; it’s time to take it seriously. Simon Horsford Gothenburg’s fab five: Basement (00 46 31 282 729, restbasement.com); Thörnströms Kök (00 46 31 162 066, thornstromskok.com); Sjömagasinet (00 46 31 775 5920, sjomagasinet.se); Fond (00 46 31 812 580, fondrestaurang.com); and 28+ (00 46 31 202 161, 28plus.se).
using local ingredients. However, it is the forest itself that is the real star, with trails to hike along, waterfalls to bathe in and wild creatures to admire – from butterflies in the reserve’s vivarium to snakes. Original Travel (020 7978 7333, originaltravel.co.uk) is offering seven-night trips, split between the forest and Quito, from £2,555.
NEW BRITISH Boutique THE MONTPELLIER CHAPTER Cheltenham Spa Why is it special? The Montpellier has cleverly reinvented the
BEAUTY AND THE BEACH
market-town hotel with its winning combination of contemporary
There is no shortage of resorts with a spa in the Maldives – at last count, there
furnishings, quirky interior design and fashionable young staff.
were more than 100. However, a new spa resort opening there next month will raise
Where is it? In the heart of the elegant Regency district of
the bar for lovers of luxurious treatments – and particularly those with children.
Montpellier, within strolling distance of independent shops.
Ayada Maldives will have not only a 3,500sq ft Espa spa, but also seven restaurants
The look Behind its white neoclassical facade, the hotel opens
and a children’s club, so little darlings can be painting faces while their mothers are
like a Tardis to reveal an airy combination of lounge, reception area, library and a cosy cocktail bar leading on
pampered. A bonus for spa agnostics is
to a surprisingly large 74-seater restaurant. The spaces are unified by contemporary classics from Matthew
that the resort is five minutes from one
Hilton, Eames and B&B Italia. There are two styles of sleeping quarters: for traditionalists, high-ceilinged period
of the only surfing beaches in the atoll
bedrooms within the main villa and, for modernists, pale Scandinavian-style bedrooms in the hotel’s extension.
and has sports facilities ranging from
Boutique bonus In keeping with the town’s heritage, there is a tip-top spa and, best of all, hotel guests are
tennis and badminton courts to a dive
free to use the magnificent Olympic-sized swimming pool at nearby Cheltenham Ladies’ College.
centre. The dilemma will not be
Top tip First Great Western trains (firstgreatwestern.co.uk) take two-and-a-quarter hours from London
whether to have a facial or a
Paddington to Cheltenham Spa. Only a few are direct, so check to avoid waiting at soulless Swindon station.
massage, but whether there is time
The details The Montpellier Chapter, Montpellier, Cheltenham Spa (01242 527788, themontpellierchapterhotel.
for either (00 90 216 688 0825,
com); doubles from £125. Johnny Morris
ayadamaldives.com).
HOT NEWS... Just launched: Hotel Lone in Rovinj, the first Croatian member of Design Hotels (designhotels.com)... The spacious Galapagos Grand Odyssey yacht (galapagosgrandodyssey.com)...
Mas Can Rigall eco-friendly resort in the Pyrenees (basecampexplorer.com)...
Light-filled new suites at Blakes hotel in London – and menus featuring moreish
blackened cod (blakeshotels.com)