Travel News
Striking architecture and stylised interiors go hand-in-hand at these world-class escapes
BRITISH LUXURY
In celebration of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s upcoming wedding, Hotel Café Royal is offering nuptial packages that let you have your very own “happily ever after” fairy tale. Check into the hotel’s grandest historical suite, The Empire, and have tea in the gilded Oscar Wilde Lounge, before embarking on a VIP, behind-thescenes tour of the capital’s finest landmarks, including Windsor Castle, where the royal wedding will take place. Shopping is also a highlight, with specially arranged experiences at known royal favourites like Fortnum and Mason and House of Garrard.
SOVEREIGN SETTINGS
Check into these stately accommodations with serious appeal
RAAS DEVIGARH in RAJASTHAN, INDIA
This grandiose hilltop citadel, with its battlements and turrets, was once a palace, built in 1760. A thoughtful restoration took 750 people 15 years to complete, transforming the building into the elegant hotel it is today, with an Ila spa, fabulous food and an outdoor pool overlooking the mist-covered Aravalli hills. The bedrooms feature marble bathrooms, teak shutters and unique artworks. At dusk, petals and tealights are scattered around the paths and staircases, adding to the romance.
MANDARIN ORIENTAL in BANGKOK, THAILAND
The Bangkok outpost was the first of the illustrious Mandarin Oriental group and, for more than 140 years, the hotel has played host to literary luminaries including Joseph Conrad and Graham Greene, along with Hollywood’s A-list like Audrey Hepburn and Lauren Bacall. The setting on the banks of the Chao Phraya River affords expansive views of the city’s skyline, while the woodpanelled spa, with its tropical gardens and flower-bordered pool, awaits across the water. Don’t miss the chance to prepare local cuisine by hand at the on-site Thai cookery school.
THE PIERRE, A TAJ HOTEL in NEW YORK, USA
The Pierre is as recognisable a component of the New York City skyline as the Empire State Building or Rockefeller Centre, thanks to its upper storeys, which were inspired by Versailles’ Royal Chapel. On its opening in 1930, the landmark hotel was lauded for its prime Fifth Avenue position and unobstructed views of Central Park, and went on to play host to guests as varied as Prince Philip and Yves Saint Laurent. With the recent resurrection of the stunning Rotunda Room, featuring its famed floor-to-ceiling trompe l’oeil mural, and the opening of a new French-American restaurant, Perrine, The Pierre has been restored to the height of its former glory.