array of fun objects underneath their beds
including autographed footballs, magazine
drawers and fl oating tires for swimming.
On the top fl oor, the architects have designed
what is now the Azotea Bar and pool area.
Two petroleum water tanks serve as pools,
offering superb views of the Caribbean Sea.
www.designhotels.com/basico
Baby Grand in
Athens, you're
greeted by an
amazing art garden,
which leads you
through to the
famous Mini Cooper
reception desks.
have transformed the rooms; from fantastic
street and Japanese art to fairy tale creations,
each room tells its own story.
www.slh.com/babygrandhotel
Kemp's largest project. This shrine to
eclecticism boasts unusually large rooms,
some of which feature fl oor-to-ceiling
warehouse-style windows. The two
private cinemas are a must see.
www.designhotels.com/soho
Thorngrove Manor Hotel's fl amboyant interiors.
Antiques, hand painted friezes, stencils and
artwork exploit its diverse room shapes to
create an escapist's dream, and all can be found
in Adelaide. www.slh.com/thorngrove
in the form of seven petite, three-level
gabled cottages, each with living room
and kitchenette. Staying here, on the
reclaimed site of an 18th-century gun-
powder factory, is the closest you can
come to inhabiting the studio of one of
Europe's most acclaimed young design-
ers, Marcel Wanders, artistic director of
the Netherlands-based design collective
Moooi. Although the exteriors remain
true to their 18th-century origins, each
suite is a reconstructed wonderland.
two suites, the bedroom is a tent-like
nest beneath the roof, connected to
the mezzanine via a ladder. To `wrap'
the collector furnishings, surfaces are
composed like decoratively crafted gift
boxes: wallpaper has a Baroque pat-
tern, a ceiling is painted gold, and fl oors
are made with inlaid steel and Bisazza
mosaic tiling. With Johnny Loco bikes,
canal boat for rent and private chef on
request, a unique and whimsical stay is
guaranteed.