NewsThelatestcoastalretreat plus museum and gallery openings

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TRAVEL/ RESTAURANTS/ CULTURE Edited by CAT OLLEY

BAO DOWN

It’s been a busy few months for everyone’s favourite Taiwanese chain. The arrival of Café Bao in Kings Cross has been swiftly followed by Bao Noodle Shop in Shoreditch (pictured), which sees a hint of Wes Anderson whimsy in its timber-clad walls and punchy red stools. As well as bowls of the good stuff, there are new versions of the brand’s signature buns, such as a sweetcorn congee bao with spring onion tofu sauce, plus dumplings and cocktails (baolondon.com).

SEA CHANGE

Buoyed by the great British seaside revival, this contemporary new coastal retreat is set to make waves

If you were to launch a chain of chic seaside hotels in the South East, where would you start? Perhaps Margate, Deal, Hastings... Brighton for a really safe bet. Instead, the inaugural Port Hotel has landed in Eastbourne.

‘It’s a beautiful Victorian town, ’ says co-founder Peter Cadwallader of the seaside resort, which once had a decidedly sleepy reputation. Occupying a smart row of black townhouses on the seafront, this 19-room boutique hotel and restaurant has been shaped by London-based interior designer Imraan Ismail with a quiet modernity.

Perhaps the formula is by now a familiar one – cork floors, poured concrete sinks and terrazzo tiles – but it’s minimalism at its most cocooning, evoking calm rather than coolness. That’s partly thanks to a well-judged selection of Scandinavian furniture and lighting, from the Ferm Living ‘Rico’ chairs in the snug lounge area to pieces by Gubi, &Tradition, Muuto and Hay.

If it all seems rather far removed from the quintessential British seaside experience, let Ismail explain his influences. The round brass bedside tables are a nod to the Eastbourne Pier dome, while the pastel colour palette, he says, reflects ‘the soft pinkish hue that bounces off the sea at sunset’ . The putty-toned restaurant sources almost all ingredients within 30 miles, and there’s a fluted wood bar (crafted by local artisans, who also had a hand in the bedrooms’ matching headboards) stocked with tipples by Sussex makers such as Rathfinny wine and Ditchling Gin.

The result is a retreat that’s subtly rooted in place – and we do like to be beside the seaside. From £140 per night (porthotel.co.uk).

FromleftAcalmandquietmodernityensues atPortHotelinEastbourne,asseeninthe restaurantandoneofits19rooms,below

E G D I R E T T U G A M M E S : E R U T C I P

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THREE TO SEE AT FOLKESTONE TRIENNIAL After a four-year hiatus, the free public art showcase returns to the Kent seaside town from 22 July to 2 November 2021. More than 20 new outdoor installations will be joining dozens of works on permanent display (creativefolkestone.org.uk)

Morag Myerscough’s welcome pavilion is a spiritualgatewayforthe formergasworkssiteat Ship Street, which has become the focus of an urban regeneration campaign. The artist worked with local residents who have been excluded from the site for decades.1

Head down to2 the seafront on Lower Saxon

Way to take in a colourful stretch of over 100 new and refurbished beach huts by Rana Begum (above), who offers a 3 vibrant, geometric interpretation of this iconic British image. Turner Prize-winning art collective Assemble’s ‘Skating Situations’ – at the railway viaduct and the restored Harbour Arm promenade – are a collaboration with local skateboarders in anticipation of Folkestone’s new indoor skate park.

MAKING HISTORY

The waterside Derby Silk Mill, widely regarded as the site of the world’s first factory, represents a precious piece of manufacturing heritage. Now rebuilt with the addition of a spectacular tripleheight glass atrium, it has itself been remade into the new Museum of Making, a showcase of 300 years of industrial innovation and a celebration of craftsmanship today. Its extensive collection includes 30,000 objects, while an earnest desire to support modern-day makers has seen the inclusion of a co-working space and workshop with specialist equipment. The hope is that this makers’ mecca will become a community hub and inspire the next generation, too (derbymuseums.org).

What’ s your pleasure?

The Wellcome Collection’s new season ‘On Happiness’ will offer a meditation on ‘one of life’s most elusive and slippery concepts’ . It explores what it means to feel good – from gentle reverie to full-blown bliss – via a programme of free events and concurrent gallery displays on ‘Tranquillity’ and ‘Joy’ , which includes new work by David Shrigley (pictured). The scientific slant of the London museum is sure to bring weight to its latest exploration of the human experience. From 15 July 2021 to 27 February 2022 (wellcomecollection.org).

Head for the HILLS

It’s hard to imagine a setting more sensational than a thousand-yearold castle set on an Umbrian hilltop. And the new Hotel Castello di Reschio, slowly and sensitively restored by Count Benedikt Bolza and wife Donna Nencia, is only one part of a vast estate, which includes forests, olive groves and vineyards, as well as nine rental properties coaxed from crumbling farmhouses. Expect original stone fireplaces and bespoke pieces by Benedikt’s own furniture brand BB for Reschio in the 36 rooms – one even has its own olive press –which are sumptuous but allow the building’s incredible bones to shine through. Much of the magic, though, is in the surprises, from the courtyard palm house to the restful spa hidden in the old wine cellar. From approx £656 per night (reschio.com).

Tower of London

This starry Knightsbridge hotel is a fixture on the capital’s five-star scene. Now, it’s been reimagined for the next generation

When the Carlton Tower opened in 1961, it was a beacon of luxury for a buzzing London – quite literally, too, as the capital’s tallest hotel at the time. ‘It was the epitome of glamour. The place to see and be seen, ’ says Ailsa Connery, design director of interior and architecture studio 1508 London, who were charged with masterminding the most extensive makeover in its history. Now complete, the new-look Carlton Tower Jumeirah features a new foyer, restaurant and cavernous spa, which houses a swimming pool swathed in natural light.

‘Working with the structural constraints of a 1960s building was challenging, ’ admits Connery. ‘To open up the lobby we removed a central column and raised the ceiling to create a double-height entrance. ’ With decorative Italian marble flooring and a bespoke chandelier by Lasvit, it hopes to capture what she calls ‘the return of the

arrivals moment’ . It’s clear that carving more space has been a real focus of the renovation, which included a reduction in the overall room count to accommodate a larger number of suites. Furniture is soft and sculptural, with deep blues, greens and maroons, while balconies overlook leafy Cadogan Gardens.

There are heritage stories here, too. Retained above the entrance to new Mediterranean restaurant Al Mare is the modernist copper installation Four Seasons by British sculptor Elisabeth Frink, which was commissioned for the hotel’s opening. It’s been joined by a new bronze and pewter relief map of London, in collaboration with applied arts studio Rima & McRae, which decorates a full wall of the Chinoiserie tea room.

‘Luxury has evolved to become more than beautiful finishes and bespoke furniture, ’ says Connery.

‘LUXURY HAS EVOLVED TO BECOME MORE THAN BEAUTIFUL FINISHES’

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FromtopThenewAlMare restaurant;thenaturallylit, 20-metreswimmingpool,whichis partofalargespaarea;andthe Chinoiserietearoom,allatthe renovatedCarltonTowerJumeirah