The Hotel Richmond, Adelaide, Australia

Don't be put off by the exterior of the Richmond Hotel, which has been painted entirely grey and has a small entrance door wedged between two discount shops on busy Rundle Street Mall in downtown Adelaide. This boutique hotel is definitely not to be missed.

The facilities

Wander cautiously down a darkened corridor of this boutique hotel and you might feel as if you're entering an avant-garde theatre: into the dark you go, grey walls on either side, before you arrive at a small reception area hung with spot-lit gauze curtains. The Oscar Wilde feeling is compounded by a décor of peacock feathers. On the wall a huge purple portrait reminds you of a Hindu goddess.
Confused by the varied cultural references? So is the Richmond Hotel. The building was Art Deco once, but it's had a modern makeover and is now scattered with medieval Buddhist prayer tables, Paul Smith striped couches, and wrought iron-gates that look as if they've been purloined from the abbey in The Sound of Music.
Somehow, it all works: this small luxury hotel is wonderfully quirky and very stylish. With wireless Internet access, fax/modem ports in guestrooms and a function room holding up to eighty people, this boutique hotel is well-suited to business visitors, but its convenient downtown location also makes it perfect for a trendy Adelaide weekend.

The rooms

A total refurbishment of this historic building has added modern comforts without distracting from the quirky layout; there are no perfect rectangles here, and some rooms come with sloping attic-style ceilings. The 30 boutique guest rooms have a simple chic that's deceptive, since in fact they manage to pack in flat-screen TVs, fax/modem ports, leather chairs and ottomans, and desks carved in American oak.
French champagne and plunger coffee tempt you from the minibar. A charcoal and brown décor with huge white blinds at the windows of this small luxury hotel is enlivened by cushions in bright shades of aquamarine. Bathrooms are marble: take your pick from grey-and-white, red or tan, depending on the room. All but two have separate showers and baths, and the complimentary Aveda products are lovely.
If you can afford it, the Deluxe Suite is the best room type in the boutique hotel, with double vanities and a bath big enough for two, and a private balcony overlooking Rundle Mall and the Adelaide Hills. (Alas, you cannot see the hills from the bath.)
Guestrooms can only be accessed by swiping your magnetic key in the lift and the security is welcome given the boutique hotel's location on a busy shopping street.