The ultimate hotels for the discerning traveller who wants a truly special place to sleep in style
Text Guy Dittrich
Hotel Murmuri SPAIN
104 Rambla de Catalunya, Barcelona, tel. +34 93 550 0600, www.murmuri.com
There’s a new noteworthy hotel in the heart of Barcelona. The name, a loose translation of the Catalan word ‘murmur’, suits a hotel that is all understatement. With design doyenne Kelly Hoppen responsible for the interiors, this comes as no surprise. A textural treat in her beige-to-grey colour palette, expect luxury – fabrics (Hoppen’s own linen collection, velvet and suede) and materials (silver leaf and crocodile leather) of the finest quality, and Molton Brown toiletries in 
the bathrooms. The 53 guest rooms are individually decorated with unique artworks and refined elegance. Some have small sun terraces, while others overlook the quiet rear courtyard.
The subtle arched entrance of the 1890s façade features Catalan Modernisme Gothic-like detailing. The marble lobby leads to the tranquil aquamarine of the Bar Marfil and the eponymous hotel restaurant, with aubergine velvet covering a long wave of banquette. The kitchen, overseen by Thai chef Ian Chalermkittichai, delivers an array of Asian-influenced tapas.
Double rooms cost from €199 per night.
One Hotel ITALY
4 Via Diodoro Siculo, Syracuse, Sicily, tel. +39 093 141 1355, www.onehotel.it
Quite unlike anything else in Syracuse (about 50km south of Catania), the One Hotel distances itself from Sicily’s ancient heritage while offering modern referential interpretations. Fashionably black interiors offer cool, shaded sanctuary from the island sun. Fuchsia pink accents, sushi choices on the restaurant menu and a gym in the lobby all increase the disparity. Exposed steel beams and micro-perforated screening hint at a masculinity that is softened with light washes by night. The walls of the third-floor corridor are a frieze of shining black lava – lively Mount Etna isn’t far away. The rooftop sun terrace has views of the medieval lanes of Ortigia and east to the sparkling Mediterranean.
Beneath the gym, which spreads expansively over two glass-walled floors, is a spa zone. Built around a rocky grotto are a hammam, a Finnish sauna plus five rooms for cosmetic and massage treatments. Each of the 44 guest rooms is decorated in black and grey-green tones lightened by acres of white linen and wire-frame furniture. The suites have hydro-massage chairs and Nespresso coffee machines, several first-floor rooms have pebbled Zen garden terraces, while those rooms ending in 01 have circular beds. Surely enough variety, but the One Hotel doesn’t seek to be all things to all people. Like a double espresso, some will just love it.
Prices from €99 per night for a single room.
In the news
Carbon opens in Genk
Belgium’s latest design hotel Carbon (Europalaan 38) opened in Genk last month. The 60-room establishment plays on the coal-mining heritage of this Limburg town to the east of Brussels. Sharing in the regeneration of the city centre, the building’s rugged brick façade gives way to interiors dominated by black colour tones in a variety of textures and finishes that create both reflective and matt surfaces. The Taste restaurant offers selections of small dishes, while the top floor spa, Sense, is an all-white yang to the hotel’s black yin. Seated check-in on the mezzanine level, a champagne bar and private lounge up the stakes in this black diamond of a hotel. www.carbonhotel.be
No comments yet.
