Design Den

Architects’ wild imaginations can dream up some truly brilliant buildings. We’re celebrating the hotels that truly dazzle, both outside and inside

ARCTIC BATH, SWEDISH LANDLAND, SWEDEN

In the pantheon of hold-the-phone hotel designs, Arctic Bath takes some beating. Hidden in the forest of northern Sweden, architect Bertil Harström (part-mastermind behind the equally bombastic Treehotel, just through the woods) has envisioned a breathtakingly brilliant, floating bird’s nest-like structure, inspired by the timber that used to be transported downriver. Surrounding a giant oval ice bath, this wooden centrepiece is home to saunas, a steam room and hot tubs, with half a dozen floating guest cabins near the water’s edge and another six larger spaces on the treelined shore. Though it’s open year-round — with summer the perfect time to discover this part of the world’s famous midnight sun — Arctic Bath truly comes into its own in winter. That’s when the Lule river, on which the overwater spa stands, freezes over and the bravest guests can chance a post-sauna dip in the icy waters, before retreating to their own nest to watch the Northern Lights shimmer overhead. Jump in, the water’s lovely. From SEK9,354 (£820), half-board. arcticbath.se

RUNNERS- UP DEXAMENES SEASIDE HOTEL, ZAKYNTHOS, GREECE

On the sands of Kourouta beach, an abandoned wine factory has been reimagined as the most minimalist of island escapes. In deference to the area’s wine trading history, rows of 1920s cement silos are now a postindustrial-chic backdrop to the Aegean, emphasised with plenty of clean lines, stone hues and polished terrazzo. The result? An utterly stunning place to stay. From €144 (£130), B&B. dexamenes.com

AMAN KYOTO, JAPAN

Late Australian architect Kerry Hill is behind this string of sleek, blacktimbered pavilions. Set in the wooded outskirts of the former capital, the hotel lets nature take centre stage, and the interiors, too, are a similarly harmonious union of the Aman group’s style and Japanese design: calm and minimalist, with low-slung furniture and airy ryokan bedrooms. From Y140,000 (£1,010), B&B.

aman.com