You're in town for business and have a few hours
between meetings.
Not long enough to head out sightseeing, but too long to swipe aimlessly
at your iPad in the lobby.
Luckily, some of the world's best city hotels offer the kind of leisure
facilities that let you fool yourself into thinking you're kicking back at a
resort -- at least until your reminder app tells you otherwise.
1. Palacio Duhau -- Park Hyatt (Buenos Aires)
Just 15 minutes from the central business district, this gorgeous hotel
was once the palace of the aristocratic Duhau family.
Built in 1934, more than half the Palacio Duhau's land is dedicated to
a cascading garden, where you can slow down and smell the roses
(literally).
To aid procrastination on that report, there's an indoor pool -- heated to
a constant 28 degrees Celsius (82.4 F) -- while the hotel's Duhau
Restaurante & Vinoteca features 7,000 bottles of Argentinean wine.
For the more culturally inclined, there's the hotel's underground art
gallery.
Palacio Duhau - Park Hyatt Buenos Aires , Avenida
Alvear 1661, Buenos Aires, Argentina; +54 11
5171 1234
2. The Siam (Bangkok)
In a city notorious for its traffic, this riverside urban resort offers
guests a scenic way to commute -- via converted rice barge from the
hotel's private pier on the Chao Phraya River.
You can watch the world float by from a poolside sun lounger next to
the river, or better yet, from the private rooftop terrace of the river
view pool villa, which also comes with an internal courtyard garden and
plunge pool.
With the hotel's art deco design accents, antique collections, a Musee
d'Orsay-inspired main building and a restaurant housed in a series of
ancient teakwood houses, you'll soon forget you're in the heart of a big,
chaotic city.
The Siam , 3/2 Thanon Khao, Vachirapayabal,
Dusit, Bangkok; +66 2206 6999
3. Hotel Molitor (Paris)
Ever since it first opened in 1929 as a public swim and socializing
hotspot, this art deco-meets-industrial chic hotel has been synonymous
with fab pools.
On a fine summer's day, one can relax by the 46-meter outdoor pool,
enclosed by the building's high floors of rooms -- each with porthole
windows -- and imagine you're sailing the seas in a luxury cruise
liner.
There's also a glass-roofed 33-meter-long indoor pool.
Its pools are so legendary that the main character of "The Life of
Pi" (full name Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel) was named after the place.
A rooftop garden terrace overlooks another Parisian icon, the Eiffel
Tower.
Hotel Molitor , 13 Rue Nungesser et Coli, Paris;
+33 1 5607 0850
4. The Castle Hotel (Dalian, China)
Who would've guessed there's a mountaintop Bavarian getaway just 15
minutes from the CBD of this major Chinese metropolis?
Inspired by Neuschwanstein Castle, once home to Germany's King
Ludwig II, the Luxury Collection hotel was originally built in 2002 to
house a museum.
Everything about the place is over-the-top.
Statues of Greek gods pepper the magnificent gardens, an extravagant
marble lobby features a grand double staircase and opulent
chandeliers.
The Yellow Sea views are best enjoyed from the Royal Cellar pub with
a frothy pint, or from the 4,850 square foot (450 square meter)
indoor heated pool.
The Castle Hotel , 600 Binhai W. Road, Shahekou
District, Dalian, Liaoning, China; +86 411 8656
0000
5. The Houstonian Hotel (Houston, Texas)
Proving that everything is big in Texas, guests of The Houstonian Hotel
enjoy unlimited access to a sprawling 175,000 square foot fitness
club, touted as one of the nation's best, and a 17,000 square foot spa.
The hotel is set amongst 18 acres of wooded landscape and has three
outdoor pools.
To make your boss question if you even bothered to get any work done,
Instagram a photo of the Resort Pool, complete with waterfalls and a
slide, or the tranquil Garden Pool, set amongst beautiful landscaping.
The hotel is so relaxing that U.S. former President George Bush Sr. and
his wife Barbara made it their official voting residence for more than
10 years.
The Houstonian Hotel , 111 N. Post Oak Lane,
Houston, Texas; +1 713 680 2626
6. Hotel Santa Teresa (Rio de Janeiro)
Business travelers looking for an alternative base might be tempted to
make a beeline to the sexy shores of Copacabana or Ipanema, but for
another side of Rio, there's the winding pebbled streets and bohemian
neighborhood of Santa Teresa.
The boutique Hotel Santa Teresa was once a colonial coffee ranch. It's
since been transformed into a tropical chic property with 40 rooms
and suites.
This one's a bit far from Rio's Centro business district -- 40 minutes
by car -- but worth the extra commute time.
For the most stunning views in Rio, we recommend heading for the
outdoor pool during sunset, which overlooks Santa Teresa Hill, Centro
and down to Guanabara Bay.
Caiprinihas optional but highly recommended.
Hotel Santa Teresa , Rua Almirante Alexandrino,
660, Santa Teresa, Rio de Janeiro; +55 21 3380
0200
7. The Berkeley (London)
Granted, London's weather might not be ideal for al fresco poolside
lounging -- hence the prevalence of subterranean pools -- but on
beautiful summer days, nothing beats lounging by the only rooftop hotel
pool in the city at The Berkeley.
At 10 by 5 meters, it's not the largest, but the views over
Knightsbridge and Hyde Park make up for it.
A selection of poolside light bites and drinks will be enough to tide you
over while you top up your tan before your business lunch at the two-
Michelin starred Marcus downstairs.
The Berkeley , Wilton Place, Knightsbridge, London;
+44 20 7235 6000
8. The Ritz-Carlton (Singapore)
Situated steps from Marina Bay, this hotel features a 25-meter
outdoor pool surrounded by enough tropical foliage that you'd never
know you were in the heart of the lion city.
If you'd rather indulge in watery pleasures in the privacy of your own
room, there's the butler-drawn bath -- treatments complete with
accompaniments (Champagne, strawberries and roses for one, Cohiba
cigars and Cognac for another).
Marble bathrooms in the bay view rooms overlook the iconic Marina
Bay Sands, the Singapore Flyer ferris wheel and city skyline through
exhibitionist-friendly windows.
The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore, 7 Raffles
Ave., Singapore; +65 6337 8888
9. W Santiago (Santiago)
Following the fashionable formula of designer hotels with heavy tints of
cool, W Santiago pops with colors and design quirks that will snap you
out of suited-and-booted work mode in no time.
You can't escape the Andes, wherever you are in the city, but the
contrast of majestic snow-capped peaks and the trendy rooftop pool
area on the 21st floor -- bathed in electronic lounge music and shrink-
wrapped within the city/mountain panorama -- is as sweet as a year-
end bonus.
To include the LED-lit infinity pool in your sights, the so-cool rooftop
bar is a great place for a deserving nightcap.
W Santiago , Isidora Goyenechea 3000, Las
Condes, Santiago, Chile; +56 2 2770 0000
10. Hotel Arts Barcelona (Barcelona)
Aside from being the tallest building in the country, Hotel Arts
Barcelona is easily identifiable thanks to a Frank Gehry-designed
golden steel installation.
The outdoor pool, set amongst a palm tree-landscaped garden, sits
under the shimmering shadow of said fish statue, overlooking the Med.
The recently-launched 43 the Spa offers even better vistas from the
sauna room, plus therapies such as a technology-detox treatment to
counter the effects of smartphone appendage-itis.
Stay in one of the club rooms and you'll have use of a Smart electric
car to make that five-minute drive into the city center for meetings.
Hotel Arts Barcelona, Carrer de la Marina, 19-21,
Barcelona, Spain; +34 93 221 10 00
11. Villa Kennedy (Frankfurt, Germany)
Unusual for a city residence, this restored former banking family's
home features a verdant central courtyard (the "Villa Garden") with a
giant oak tree as its centerpiece.
Terraced suites and deluxe rooms overlook over this urban oasis, while
over at the serene 1,000 square meter Villa Spa, you can turn off your
phone and pretend you're on a luxury wellness retreat as you lounge on
the mezzanine relaxation area overlooking the 15-meter Portuguese
marble pool.
The hotel is located just 5 minutes from the city center and 10 minutes
to the airport, which makes getting back to reality a bittersweet
convenience.
Villa Kennedy, Kennedyalle 70, Frankfurt,
Germany; +49 69 7171 20
No comments:
Post a Comment