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Hotel suite - Source: Reuters
Trying to renew your romance this Valentine's weekend, or surprise a new partner with a gasp-inducing getaway?
Boutique hotel experts Mr & Mrs Smith have rounded up a list
of the top 10 sexiest hotel bedrooms.
This list is not endorsed by Reuters.
1. IL SALVIATINO - Florence, Italy
Standing amid lush gardens perched on the hills of Fiesole above
Florence, this 15th-century villa has all the ravishing good looks
and debonair charms of a Merchant Ivory hero. Sweeping candlelit
staircases, comely button-back sofas and cherub-sweetened frescoes
soften an architectural grandeur that recalls the severely sexy set
of "Eyes Wide Shut".
The Ojetti Suite has to be the ultimate room with a view: its
dramatic glass-floored sun room hovers above the massive main
stairwell. Even if you only have eyes for each other, you won't be
able to resist peeking at the stunning vistas of the Florence
skyline from the jacuzzi on your private terrace. Thrill-seekers
may prefer the Salviati Suite, which gives you the use of a Ferrari
sportscar for the day.
2. THE STANDARD, New York, US
The latest addition to super-hotelier Andre Balazs' stable is
developing something of a reputation as the sexiest stopover
Stateside. This gloriously glassy high-rise lords it over the
Meatpacking District, with witty minimalist interiors and
gob-smacking views. Standard Suites steal the top prize for
over-the-top glamour, with floor-to-ceiling glass walls on three
sides.
Make the most of the spectacular sunsets from the free-standing
bathtubs with a glass of champagne, but bear in mind that daring
dashes from bath to bed may be visible by stollers in the High Line
park.
3. SAL SALIS NINGALOO REEF, Australia
If you're a die-hard lounge-lover with an aversion to synthetic
fibres, the thought of camping will be as arousing to you as cold
showers, torn tent flaps and tinned baked beans.
Allow us to disabuse you of your preconceptions: fringed by
coruscating coral and lapped by warm Indian Ocean waves, beachside
bush camp Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef offers get-back-to-nature charm
in intimate under-canvas enclaves. Tent 5 is a 'suite' with an
extended deck and living area.
4. KANOPI HOUSE, Jamaica
This sky-skimming treetop trysting spot between the Blue Lagoon and
the Blue Mountains has more green credentials than you can shake a
sustainably-sourced stick at, so eco-tourists can enjoy its
staggering skyline views and locally caught lobster guilt-free.
Sat deep in the rainforest, flanked by 100-foot, vine-wrapped
banyans, Kanopi House's beautifully crafted in-canopy cabins take
treehouse living to new heights. Almond Tree has a huge,
hand-carved four-poster and doors that open onto the rainforest.
Spanish Elm is the largest treehouse, with its own dining and
lounge area, an alfresco shower and a wraparound deck fit for a
filmstar.
5. CHATEAU DE ST PATERNE, Normandy, France
All the world's a stage, according to Shakespeare, but nowhere
provides a more fitting setting for your own romantic drama than
this French fairytale castle in the heart of the Loire, where
mediaeval King Henri IV once laid his head.
Every room is dressed with individually-sourced vintage props -
a floral garland here, a needlework footstool there. With an open
bathroom, vast wooden bed and a wall covered in a hand-painted
19th-century backdrop from Barcelona, the self-contained Superior
Suite L'Orangerie is theatrical, seductive and soundproof.
6. PONTA DOS GANCHOS, Santa Catarina, Brazil
An unparalleled private paradise on a secluded stretch of Brazil's
southern coastline, this relaxed rainforest retreat is set on its
own peninsula, fringed by tropical trees, oyster beds and sparkling
blue sea. Each individual bungalow has a king-size bed, walk-in
wardrobe and hammock on the veranda.
Steam up in the sauna of a Super Luxo Bungalow then head out to
the wooden deck for bubbles and bay views in the jacuzzi; or live
the high life in the Special Emerald Villa Bungalow - pick your own
wines from its cellar, pretend to work out in its underground gym
and float carefree its infinity pool.
7. MUTHI MAYA Khao Yai, Thailand
If calm and tranquility are your favourite romantic escape
partners, you won't find better bedfellows anywhere other than at
Muthi Maya. Overlooking the UNESCO-protected Khao Yai wildlife park
with a breathtaking backdrop of mist-wreathed mountains, this
supremely serene resort provides stress-melting views and an
atmosphere so relaxed you'll stay supine for days.
Guests stay in one of several spectacular private villas, each
with its own infinity pool, day-bed-strewn decking, kitchenette and
24-hour butler service.
8. MISSONI HOTEL, Edinburgh, Scotland
With the opening of this most stylish of weekend abodes, Edinburgh
has cast off any last vestiges of dour but diligent
schoolmarmishness, and embraced a far more Italianate credo of
passion, fun and intensity.
Clad in Missoni's vivid trademark colour combinations and eyepopping geometric patterns, this boutique bolthole is the perfect place for worn-out shoppers to curl up and canoodle.
All the suites have settle-into-me circular sofas for two and
fantastic city views; the Lawnmarket Suite occupies a 16th-century
building and feels like a loft apartment, with beautiful beamed
ceilings and vistas stretching across the rooftops to the Arthur's
Seat.
9. POST RANCH INN, Big Sur, California
Like some grand architectural dream from the pages of Ayn Rand's
masterpiece The Fountainhead, the Bauhuas-meets-Middle-Earth cabins
and cottages at Post Ranch Inn are strung along a rocky-ridged slip
of Californian cliff.
These recycled-redwood rooms offer total seclusion and nothing but soaring condors, starry nights, breathtaking views and a wood-burning fire for company; you won't ever feel a sense of space and freedom like this anywhere else.
The Ross room has a triple veranda to make the most of those
awe-inspiring landscapes and scarlet-streaked sunset skies.
10. PERENTZADA HOTEL, Ithaca, Greece
Perched above the seafaring town of Vathi, a former neoclassical
naval college has been transformed into a light-filled boutique
hotel. Modern design combines with whitewashed romance to create an
irresistible harbour haven that would have had Odysseus hurrying
home quicker than you could say 'seductive sea sirens'.
Style aficionados will swoon over every stick of furniture in Bluebell, a junior suite with iconic pieces such as an Eames rocking chair and a private terrace offering uninterrupted sea views.
The multi-level bathroom has glass walls, a sunken bath and a walk-in monsoon shower. In the original building, try the Secret Room or the Fairy Tale; they have muslin-draped four-posters, beamed ceilings and lines of Greek poetry inscribed on the walls.
