Hotel news
A Florentine artist’s residence, Frankfurt’s latest offering and Phuket palaces with pools
On Phuket’s paradisiacal shores, luxurious Iniala Beach House inialathailand.com is welcoming new features along with the new decade. Two one-bedroom pool suites and a brand-new restaurant are opening this spring. Positioned with endless views over the Andaman Sea, the suites feature glittering private plunge pools and spacious roof terraces, while the restaurant (helmed by the resort’s new executive chef, Seumas Smith) will feature a unique mix of Scandinavian and Hebridean flavours. Expect a menu focusing on smoking, curing, dehydrating and fermenting tropical ingredients.
Alternatively, swap coconuts for culture this month with a city break to Frankfurt, staying at the new 133-room Ameron Frankfurt Neckarvillen Boutique ameronhotels.com a short stroll from the noteworthy museum embankment in central Bahnhofsviertel. Occupying four well-preserved Wilhelminian villas, the hotel is filled with art deco and mid-century influences. Rooms (by Italian designer Luigi Fragola) blend heritage features with contemporary brass accessories and herringbone Calacatta Oro marble bathrooms, while ground-floor restaurant Le Petit Royal Frankfurt has proved an instant hit for its edgy fusion of classic elegance, modern art and updated takes on French bistro classics.
The cooler months call for a spot of far-flung fabulousness. The big news in Africa is the arrival of the Seychelles’ North Island north-island.com as part of The Luxury Collective. The exclusive private island, first pushed into the spotlight by the Cambridges (who honeymooned there in 2011), is home to just 11 gorgeous villas. Tucked away among palm trees and time-worn boulders, each is built from local materials and provides a front-row seat to the endemic wildlife that benefits from a cutting-edge wildlife programme. While still punchy on the pocket, its absorption into The Luxury Collective has knocked North Island’s base price down by around £1,000 per night.
Meanwhile, in the heart of Florence, just a 10-minute walk from the Uffizi Galleries, Palazzo Gaddi dahotels.com will fill two 16th-century palazzos. Currently undergoing extensive restoration and set to open this spring, the ormate palaces once belonged to influential aristocratic families who had a long legacy of hosting artists. Such history is reflected in the elaborate frescoes – some by Florentine artist Ranieri del Pace – as well as the jewel-coloured velvet furnishings and baroque sculptures found in the 86 suites and vibrant lobby bar. Crowning it all is the rooftop terrace overlooking the Duomo, sure to become the next hot spot for aperitivi.