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Monocle eyes up 2008
When style pundit Tyler Brûlé speaks, the worlds of design, interiors and travel listen - carefully. The international success of Wallpaper magazine was proof enough of Brûlé’s entrepreneurial and cosmopolitan cachet. So, when his latest venture, Monocle magazine, aired its “Travel Top 50” we stopped by at some of the venues tipped for 2008. (28 Dec 07)
Best hotel gymnasium and spa - The Park Hyatt, Tokyo
"We've worked-out, soaked and steamed ourselves in many properties around the world, but we have come back to Shinjuku for its stunning views, super-deluxe dressing rooms and peerless spa."
The most tastefully over-the-top hotel - George V, Paris
"The guests in the bar are always a delight to study, the club sandwich never disappoints and the spa does a good massage."
Best hotel lobby - Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong
"There are many lobbies to make an entrance in, but the Mandarin Oriental on a cool winter's eve still forces you to alter your step."
Best new restaurant - The Grand, Stockholm
"For a big corporate dinner, the dining room does everything it's supposed to with a bill to match, but we prefer the cosier, less formal food bar. The menu is firmly local and the crowd is always as tasty looking as the dishes."
Five
Five best bars - K Bar (Copenhagen),Kronenhalle Bar (Zürich), Kita-Aoyama Salon (Tokyo), Durrants (London), Schumann's (either branch, Munich)
" "Having just completed a round of renovations, Copenhagen's K Bar is our top spot for a good glass of pretty much anything in northern Europe.
Jumping over to London, it's nice to get cosy with the papers and a robust red in the tiny bar at Durrants. Up to Zürich it's always the Kronenhalle's bar (pictured) because the art's nice to look at, the room an icon and the crowd interesting media-minded locals."
Top hotel for a breakfast meeting - The Shilla, Seoul
"Why haven't more hotels figured out that many breakfast meetings need to be private? Privacy aside, the buffet is a strong feature, too."
Best venue for a business lunch - The Savoy, Helsinki
"The Savoy feels right for lunch at any time of year - whether dark and cosy in mid-December or when the city centre below bursts to life in late June."
Best high-altitude retreat - Bad Dreikirchen and Briol hotels, Bolzano, Italy
"Three-and-a-half hours from Munich, these family-run alpine retreats offer cosiness in spades."
Europe's top weekend escape - Hotel La Minervetta, Sorrento
"This tiny hotel perched on a cliff-face is usually booked solid, but don't let this put you off. More rambling home than hotel, the food is perfectly prepared and the terrace will demand you book again later in the year."
Cosiest city hotel concept - Hotel Cortiina, Munich
"It may not boast a gym, treatment rooms or sprawling bathrooms but it does have a delightfully cosy bar, a hearty breakfast buffet and the buzzy Bar Central across the street. It's the hotel that you're always looking for in other cities but can never quite find."
Best service we never knew we needed - Terence, Grand Hyatt butler
"We'd long been sceptical of hotels with butler services until we met Terence at Hong Kong's Grand Hyatt. Now we just need a Terence in every port."
The complete concierge - Adrian, George V, Paris
"What do you want from a concierge? Someone who complies but also challenges? Adrian Moore at the Georges V manages both of these brilliantly. If he wasn't manning the desk, we'd have him looking after our affairs on the continent."
Any venues you'd like to add? Suggestions to editorial@redkarpet.co.uk
Stop Press -
Virgin Atlantic awarded 'Fastest Airport Check In’ by Wallpaper magazine
From Monocle back to Wallpaper again, the Wallpaper Awards saw Virgin Atlantic awarded Fastest Airport Check In.
This accolade follows the opening of Virgin Atlantic’s new Upper Class Wing at London Heathrow in November 2007, which enables business class passengers to whizz from their limos, through a dedicated security channel and into the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse in a matter of minutes.
RK