Articles > Five Favourite Hotels

The Scarlet, Singapore
Ex-1920s Chinese clan headquarters, tarted up with blood-red velvet, gold chinz, cascading water features and Italian Bisazza mosaics - the perfect antidote to soulless corporate Singapore. Kick back in the rooftop Jacuzzi, with an expertly mixed Singapore Sling.

The Shangri-La, Sydney
Not the only hotel to boast spectacular Sydney harbour views, but the only one to marry them with seamless Asian-style hospitality. Service is swift and faultless and the suites beat the competitors for size by a wide margin. The sommeliers in top floor restaurant Altitude are superb.

The SkyCity Grand, Auckland
A hotel experience as crisp as their Egyptian cottons. The Skycity Grand's spacious state-of-the-art suites - all vast plasma screens smart fridges and individually climate-controlled rooms - are a welcome glimpse into the future of five-star travelling. The views aren't bad either, neither is Œdine, the flagship restaurant from New Zealand boy done good Peter Gordon, which specialises in fresh New Zealand produce presented with Gordon's trademark fusion flair.

Arah's beach, Had Kun Ti, Koh Phan Gnan
Half beach life, half bushman existence. Arah opted out of northern European society at some point in the late Seventies and has lived since then in this tiny cove, just round from Koh Phan Gnan¹s party beach Had Rin. The tide of garish tourism is kept away, thanks to the Thai belief that Had Kun Ti is haunted, and the fact that the bay is only accessible by boat, or via a hair-raising rock climb. To stay in one of Arah¹s scattering of bungalows you have to be up for washing up, stripping off (Arah detests clothes) and befriending the roaming pack of dogs who jealously guard their master.

Casa Camper, Barcelona
The latest enterprise from the forward-thinking Mallorcan footwear brand, hot on the well-appointed heels of their bizarre FoodBall Barcelona snack bar. From private mini-lounges decked out in hammocks to free bike hire and jelly slippers, it¹s the last word in hippy chic.

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