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Wake Up Here

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London

Londons Luxuries : Laid Back Cool with Page 8 Hotels

If sniffing out new hotels up and down the country was an Olympic sport, we’d be taking home the gold.

Page8 is one of London’s newest and best additions and one of our favourites so far. We love learning about new brands, how they came about and what they’re striving for. The Page brand is all about bringing urban explorers to travel and bringing people together. Which we literally could not be any more all over.

Let’s talk location. If you were to measure, with all the power of science and geography, you’d probably place the official centre of London less than 100m away from the hotel’s front door. It’s just next door to the St Martin in the Fields church (which we ashamedly had to look up the name of – having only ever passed through en route to Heaven on a Saturday night) on Trafalgar Square. If ever there were a place designed to bring people together, it’s here.

With 138 rooms, it’s on the bigger side of boutique, but has one of the most personal touches we’ve ever experienced.

As a modern brand, the design and finishing touches are flawlessly thought through, and it gives the feel of an expensive members club but without the fuss (and the fee). In the rooms, expect a lot of hard dark blue leather and bronze accents – with crisp white sheets and the kind of Scandi scatter cushions and indie coffee table books you always thought you’d like for your own house but can only ever find in cool hotels.

We’re always a bit wary of using the word “cool” because it’s, with all intents and purpose, a subjective term. Well, it was anyway, because there’s no denying that Page8 isn’t cool. Marshall speakers pump out the sounds of sick indie bands that will never be mainstream, and even the air is cool, thanks to each room’s own personal Blueair air purifier. Even the bathrooms are cool, and with Co Bigelow products – this is the kind of stuff Kate Moss and Tom Hardy probably wash their hands with.

The brand opened their first venture in Hong Kong about a year ago, and the London version is a very welcome contender in a city so dependent on casual co-working office spaces and new generation food halls.

The hotel lobby isn’t a place where you wait for a rude receptionist to tap endless numbers on the world’s most robust booking system (you know who you are) – it’s an open space designed to welcome guests in. Their coffeeshop concept, Page Common, shares a space, and is the home of not-so-pretentious artisanal coffees. Hints at travel in the form of chunky books and educated baristas encourage conversations between people, and as travel focussed nomad workers ourselves, it’s a pretty special place to be.

Page8 (www.pagehotels.com / 0203 879 9400) offers a starting nightly rate of £220 for a double room on a room only basis.

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Destination Inspiration

Wake Up Here: Swiss Luxury at the Grand Hotel Kronenhof

With a facade straight out of a Wes Anderson flick, The Grand Hotel Kronenhof is one of the finest five-star hotels in Switzerland. An alpine institution in its own right, this ‘Grande Dame’ of Swiss hospitality is the antithesis of mass-market hotel homogeneity – it’s beyond boutique, with a unique history that dates back to 1848. But has the fin de siècle grandeur of this historic hotel endured through the ages? We sent our girl Beth to check it out.

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Pulling up through wrought iron gates into a snow-covered courtyard, I quickly see why this hotel has earned the nickname ‘Grande Dame’. Even in the pretty swiss town of Pontresina, her enduring neo-baroque beauty stands out – an elegant exterior topped with an emerald, crown-topped dome, the gold-gilded letters ‘Kronenhof’ proudly emblazoned below the Swiss flag.

High in the Alps at 1,800m, deep in the stunning surrounds of the Engadin Valley – the scenery here is still blanketed with snow, despite it being late in the season. A stark contrast to the often lengthy bus journeys endured schlepping up to this kind of altitude – the journey to Pontresina is half the fun. While many of the hotel’s discerning guests opt for the nearby private airport, we take the pretty red mountain train from Zurich. It may take around 3 hours and 45 minutes to reach Pontresina, but the UNESCO listed Bernina Express is an experience in itself, winding its way past moody mountain lakes, meandering up into snow-covered scenery, over arched bridges and past mountain peaks. Think Hogwarts Express, Alpine Edition.

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The resemblance to the Grand Budapest Hotel doesn’t end when you enter the hotel. Swept through a grand entrance, you’ll find the picture of old-world elegance – a grand lobby with hand-painted ceilings, ornate fireplaces, velvet curtains and antique chandeliers, all overlooking a postcard-worthy picture window out over the pine-carpeted mountains and Roseg glaciers, the alps of St Moritz in the distance.

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The hotel may have seen nearly two centuries of guests pass through its doors, but even today it recalls an age of bygone glamour. From the palatial dining room, where formal dress is required and course after course arrive with the theatrical lifting of cloches by a team of impeccably smart and ever-smiling waiters.

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Even breakfast is a grand affair, served in the dining room with tables overflowing with cheese cold cuts and any pastry imaginable, as well as the free-pouring champagne, which the guests are far too posh to take any advantage of. Within the hotel’s walls, you’ll also find the award-willing Kronenstübli with its cosy wood-panelled walls and exceptional dishes from Duck a la Presse to crepe Suzette.

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The hotel’s old-world alpine pedigree speaks for itself, but if we’re measuring by modern-day standards, it has nearly 1000 five star ratings on TripAdvisor. The people-watching is a definite highlight, with a discreet, well-dressed clientele reminiscent of eclectic European high society. While St Moritz is all about the glitz, pretty Pontresina offers access to the same level of service, but a respite from the hedonistic atmosphere.

A large percentage of these guests are returning visitors, some even fourth generation. Old skis of guests presumably left here for future use decades ago still line the walls, marked carefully with the name of the owner on a luggage ticket – many of whom left to fight in the Second World War but never returned. Having survived both World Wars (thanks in part to selling wine from their cellars) you can feel the nostalgia in the Kronenhof’s creaking walls. The wooden bowling alley is one of the oldest in Switzerland, and the walls of the hotel founders original home were recently found hidden away – dating back to the early 1800s.

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With 112 rooms, the Kronenhof feels grand yet intimate. Some bedrooms echo the old-world feel, with expansive drawing rooms and views out onto the Roseg glacier beyond, while others are more to modern taste and having been recently renovated by chic French designer Pierre-Yves Rochon.

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But despite its history, the hotel has kept up to date with the modern – particularly with the addition of its enormous and elaborate glass-walled spa with a huge indoor pool which, in a fusion of old meets new, sits attached to the hotel. Cocooned within its glass walls, looking out over the snow-covered scenery, it is simply bliss. The massages pair you with an element – mine is a deep wood and citrus oil for fire – and incidentally, one of the best I’ve ever had. There’s a dedicated sauna for women only, as well as an all-gender Finnish sauna. Once a month, a night spa program sees the spa open till midnight with a bar. Outside, there’s a fabulous chalet-style bar where you can lunch overlooking the skaters on the ice rink, draped in a fur and quaffing Swiss wine in the sun.

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Just a few miles down the road from St Moritz, the hotel will happily arrange the quick 10-minute transfer for you to enjoy the world-famous slopes, before scooping you up at the end of the day, or depositing you in their comfy surrounds of the raucous Sunny Bar at its co-owned hotel the Kulm. Handily, there is also has a boot room directly opposite, where I’m fitted with a pair of brand new, self-heating fur-lined beauties instead of your usual beaten up rentals – no lugging your skis around here.

Pontresina itself is a haven from the prying eyes of see-and-be-seen St Moritz, with its chocolate-box chalets, pastel-painted walls and traditional alpine atmosphere. While you have access to the slopes, the village itself boasts a multitude of activities outside of the hotel, like cross country skiing at nearby school Schweizer Langlauf- und Bikezentrum Pontresina.

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An old-world beauty that both manages to recall a vaguely remembered idea of luxury from a bygone age, and provide all the facilities you would expect of a five-star hotel – the Kronenhof has four generations to attest to its charms. All, like me – lucky enough to be guests of this enduringly glamorous Grande Dame and the little moments of history that unfold within her walls.

Winter room rates at Grand Hotel Kronenhof start from CHF565 for two people sharing on a half-board basis; book online at www.kronenhof.com

For more information on Switzerland visit www.MySwitzerland.com

Swiss International Air Lines – one way fares start from £67, visit www.swiss.com

The Swiss Travel System provides a dedicated range of travel passes and tickets offering unlimited travel on consecutive days, for more information visit www.swisstravelsystem.co.uk.

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Couples Travel

#CocoCouples: Nature Meets Design at Hotel Mas La Ferreria, La Garrotxa

Our #CocoCouples love spending quality time outdoors. An overnight stay at Hotel Mas La Ferreria, a delightful family-run boutique property provided an excellent opportunity for our writers, Omo and Eulanda to explore the scenic La Fageda d’en Jordà forest in the Girona province of Catalonia, northeastern Spain. They found that mother nature, design and hospitality combined tastefully at Hotel Mas La Ferreria.

The world’s forests and green spaces are vital to our survival. Not only do they provide the much-needed biodiversity that our planet requires in order to sustain itself but they also provide immense psychological benefits for humanity.

Spending time outdoors improves our physical and mental health as many studies have shown.

Unfortunately, research also suggests that many of us are not taking opportunities to get out into nature due to constraints such as time and accessibility.

According to the Global Wellness Summit (2019 trends report), “more people are living in settings with little – and sometimes no – nature. Not only has this resulted in a decrease in experiencing the joys of nature, but it has also meant that the healing power of nature is not readily available for most people in the world.”

Visiting La Fageda d’en Jordà

Places such as La Fageda d’en Jordà, a forest located within the Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park in Girona Province, Catalonia provide excellent opportunities to experience nature.

La Fageda d’en Jordà is only one of the many reasons to add La Garrotxa to a road trip itinerary across Catalonia, the semi-autonomous region of northeastern Spain.

La Garrotxa is home to many charming medieval villages such as Santa Pau and Besalú. Factor in the chance to visit first-century monasteries, thirteenth-century castles, see lots of Roman architecture and experience authentic Catalan cuisine and you’ll have enough to see for days.

The Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park itself is an outdoor paradise.

Spread over 12,000 hectares of protected land, it is home to over 40 extinct volcanoes such as Croscat and Santa Margarida, all covered and surrounded by rich vegetation and forests such as La Fageda d’en Jordà.

Hikers will have the chance to experience the changing colours of the forest over the course of the year. In the Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park, autumn is the best time to witness this transformation firsthand.

For details about visiting the Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park, see en.turismegarrotxa.com.

Where to stay in La Garrotxa – Hotel Mas La Ferreria

While visiting La Garrotxa, we stayed one night (way too short) at Hotel Mas la Ferreria.

Hotel Mas la Ferreria is a 14th-century churchyard/blacksmith’s forge turned into a beautiful boutique property with lots of history and character.

Surrounded by a charming landscape, this is a place where you wake up to see the sunrise over the Pyrenees mountains in the distance and walk out into a private garden to feel the morning dew under your feet.

We got a north-facing room, named Suite Barcadura, which was one of eight (each one especially unique in design) in the property and located outside the main property at the back of the house.

Suite Barcadura has a modern-art-studio meets rustic-barn interior design. The wide bed, rain shower, and in-room bathtub are key highlights. The eco-friendly bath amenities are a thoughtful choice.

The hotel designers have made some effort to preserve the original character of the property and also its connection to the surrounding landscape.

Guests can enjoy stunning sunrise views of the Pyrenees mountains before heading outdoors to explore the surrounding landscape in places such as the Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park and Olot.

Home-cooked meals (the manager’s mum is also the chef) are available in the family-style dining room. In ancient times, we were told that the multi-purpose space was used as an animal shelter and sleeping quarters for the family.

The dinner menu is uncomplicated and offers guests an opportunity to sample produce from farmers and producers local to the region. The ingredients are fresh and the quality of food excellent.

This is one property where you will want to stay a few days longer…for nature, design and simple Catalan hospitality.

Prices for the room pictured are €230 per night including breakfast. Off-season discounts and special packages are available. Visit the Hotel Mas la Ferreria website for details, email info@hotelmaslaferreria.com or call +34 972 29 13 45

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Canada

Londons Luxuries : The Queen is Your Neighbour at Sofitel London St James 

No matter where you are in the world, Sofitel Hotels and Resorts can always be found in the most glamorous buildings – a palace here, a skyscraper there… London’s offering is no different, the Sofitel London St James is actually housed in an old grand bank building on Waterloo Place, sandwiched between The Mall and Piccadilly. When you stay here, you are literally neighbours with The Queen during your stay… keep that in mind.

Bank buildings are recognisable from their impressive facades, marble floors, vaulted ceilings and huge impressive entrances, each screaming money and power more than the last. During its conversion to a hotel, these touches were softened with a tasteful decor and a fleet of smartly in line with a 5-star modern establishment, but the old time feels are all there.

There might be a huge Union Flag hanging above the door, but inside you’re greeted with a French vibe. Quite literally, staff will welcome you in both French and English, paying homage to their heritage (Sofitel was originally a French brand which was founded in France in 1964). Whether you’re in a palace in Oman, on the Palm in Dubai, or in the centre of London, their mantra is to always ‘live the French way’ – spontaneous, carefree and with an unmistakable touch of joie de vivre.

The Sofitel London St James was even designed by a French guy. The esteemed Pierre Yves-Rochon handled the transformation into a high-class hotel in 2002 and again during their most recent renovation.

The result is sublime. A modern twist on a classic now sees a sixties vibe running through the rooms, with pops of colours and Warhol icons hanging on the walls. You won’t find a tea tray or a tiny kettle in sight here, instead they’ve kept it cool with Smeg kitchen stuff and retro style iPod docks. Bathrooms are swish and romantic (they were literally designed by the French, so what else do you expect?) and the toiletries are of course by Hermès.

Guests come here for the rooms but they stay for the food. The same Wild Honey St James which once stood on St George Street is now here at the Sofitel with all the powder blue glory of its former home. It’s casual all day dining but without being too obvious you’re eating in a hotel. The menu has clearly been very cleverly composed of fine European fare and Negronis that taste like juice which has been hand squeezed from an angel.

The hotel has that great nostalgia feel. It’s a throwback to a time where guests would find a quiet corner to read a book, or take tea leisurely smoking from tobacco holders wearing long gloves. We actually arrived unceremoniously early before the previous guests had time to check out, but enjoyed a peppermint in one of the adjoining salons and listened to a live harp performance. Possibly a first for House of Coco, but hopefully not a last.

Stay in a double room at Sofitel London St James from £399 per night. Continental breakfast is £19.50; £26 for continental plus an a la carte dish. Free Wi-Fi. To book visit www.sofitelstjames.com

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Coco Couples

Lanzerac: A wine-lovers dream honeymoon in Stellenbosch, South Africa

If like me, you love a glass of wine almost as much as your husband or wife to be, South Africa’s Cape Winelands are an easy choice when it comes to planning your honeymoon. With its vine-striped valleys and white-walled Cape Dutch architecture, it has enough vineyards and restaurants to keep even the most seasoned wine-loving couple happy.
Just 40 minutes from Cape Town, this is the country’s wine capital and while you could (and absolutely should) spend days dotting between the top-class wineries, nothing feels quite as indulgent as staying on one – which is why we headed to luxury hotel and working vineyard Lanzerac Wine Estate in Stellenbosch to beat our post-wedding blues.

Dating back to 1692, Lanzerac Wine Estate is of the oldest and most luxurious estates in the area, combining all the pedigree you’d expect of a 326-year-old working winery with the sumptuous surrounds of a five-star hotel and spa. Perhaps most famously, it is also the birthplace of the first bottled Pinotage – a cross between a Pinot Noir and Hermitage and South Africa’s first unique, indigenous wine grape variety.
Tucked away in the foothills of theJonkershoek valley, you’re just a few kilometres outside of leafy Stellenbosch town, yet the estate feels like another world entirely. Driving down the oak-lined dappled driveway is like taking a step back in time.

With its Dutch gabled exterior stark white against a bright blue sky and dramatic mountain backdrop, this is one special corner of the Cape. Having been preserved for decades (and now designated as a Provincial Heritage site) the iconic Manor House and Werf buildings make up the centre of the estate, while a series of white-washed cottages make up the 53 rooms and suites.
Sadly, a fire in 2017 caused extensive damage to the property, causing it to close its doors for a year. While it may have been a tragedy, the new interiors are astounding – fusing the period grandeur of the previous property, with its rough stone walls and exposed beams with contemporary elements like the walls in the grand dining room. You can practically see the history as you step from one type of flooring to the next, across different generations.
The estate is expansive, and we get lost several times, but it’s a joy to uncover all the different corners. The fountains, the courtyard rose gardens shaded by ancient oaks – one of many pools flanked by white loungers and backed by plane trees.

The gardens are immaculate, enveloping you in blooms and different scents as you walk to your room. While the rest of the estate may be beautiful, it’s just a warm-up for the rooms – which are the real show stoppers here. No two are the same, with four different categories ranging from classic to a suite, but all offering huge ceilings, chandeliers and romantic bathtubs.

Our pool suite is really more like a house – with an entrance hall and study leading onto the bedroom and living room. To one side, a marble-clad bathroom with steamy rain shower and rolltop bath stand next to shuttered white french windows that pull back completely to reveal a garden full of pink roses. Even the toiletries are in keeping, with Merlot bath gel and Sauvignon Blanc shampoo which smell so good I stash a couple away to take home.

Sliding doors from the living room opens up onto the prettiest courtyard, with a white gazebo and private pool and loungers for two, with a view right onto the vines and mountains beyond. Breakfast is included in our stay, so naturally, we order it to the Gazebo, where we eat in contented silence as the morning mist burns off the slopes. The mini-bar is also included, which, given that it is stocked with plenty of the estate’s own wines, means we’re a little loathe to leave this haven of a hideaway.

Unless of course, it’s to check out the Lanzerac Estate Winery – of which a cellar tour and wine tasting come included in our stay. The cellar tour is informative – our guide Nyameka giving everyone from the more expert to beginners a chance to learn about both the wines and the historic estate, whose rich winemaking history can be traced back to the early 1900s, when the first Lanzerac wine was bottled from grapes harvested on the farm.

After the tour, we’re given a choice of 5 wines to taste on the terrace upstairs, accompanied by a huge platter of cured meats, cheeses and chutney from Lanzerac’s deli. One of our favourites is the Mrs English Chardonnay – named after one of the property’s most influential owners, Elizabeth ‘Kitty’ English, who bought the estate in 1920, changing its name to Lanzerac, rumoured to be after Charles Lanrezac – a French General, after whom the red blend Le Général is also named. Mrs English passed away in 1929, but not before transforming the estate into one of the most modern wineries in the Cape, laying the foundations for Stellenbosch’s world-renowned wines, which continues today under the leadership of Cellar Master Wynand Lategan and Viticulturist Danie Malherbe.

For dinner, the more formal setting of the Manor Kitchen offers multiple courses of classical, contemporary dishes – from pan-fried scallops to venison loin. But wanting to enjoy the mild weather, we opt for a seat under the stars on a pretty corner table on the terrace at Taphuis, one of the property’s most historic spots whose wood-panelled walls have been housing thirsty guests since the 1960s. The pub-style tapas menu champions home-grown ingredients from local suppliers, with options like Smoked Snoek Mousse with Cape gooseberry compote and the Braai Broodjie (a South African BBQ sandwich) with Huguenot cheese. After dinner, cocktails in the Craven Cigar lounge are the order of the day, reminiscent of an old-boys club with its roaring fireplace, stags horns and selection of whisky and cigars which keeps my husband particularly happy.

The next day, with the use of the spa facilities also included in our stay, we head down to for an afternoon pamper session. The whole spa is bliss – a wellness retreat in its own right, with a glass-ceilinged heated indoor pool which leads right out onto sunbeds facing the vines, where I channel Ab Fab while waiting for my other half, cocooned in a dressing gown and sunglasses. A calming palette of white walls and tropical plants, there is also a bubbling jacuzzi, full gym and therapy rooms where you can choose from a range of treatments from facials to pedicures. We opt for the AromaVine Pinotage Massage – which uses antioxidant blends containing pure grapeseed oil and natural botanicals to help relieve stress and muscle tension.

Despite Lanzerac’s hideaway feel, the restaurants and bars of the lively yet leafy university town of Stellenbosch are just 5 minutes away via complimentary transfer. Yet in truth, we barely leave the estate – with all we could seemingly want for right here on our doorstep.

Hopping over the fence at the bottom of our garden, we take a sunset walk through the vines, with a bottle of our favourite wine from our tasting. It’s a rare feat, but Lanzerac Wine Estate is a place where old meets new, not in a collision but in a complement – contemporary, five-star facilities coupled with an extraordinarily rich Cape heritage that leaves us hoping for another visit.

To book, visit Lanzerac www.lanzerac.co.za

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Austria

Wake Up Here: Nature Hotel Forsthofgut, Leogang, Austria

Harmony, balance and long-term rejuvenation are the gifts waiting to be discovered in the Austrian Alpine region of Saalfelden Leogang. Our CocoCouple, Omo and Eulanda, discovered those qualities and more when they stayed at 5-star Nature Hotel Forsthofgut, Leogang. This luxury hotel, built around the philosophy of creating harmony with nature, was the perfect base for experiencing summer in Saalfelden Leogang.

What is a “Nature Hotel”?

We discussed several possibilities during our one-hour drive from Salzburg Airport, heading south-west towards the Austrian region of Saalfelden Leogang.

Could it be a hotel where guests sleep in the open forest? Could it be one made entirely out of naturally occurring and sustainably sourced materials? Or could it be a hotel that simply encourages guests to spend time outdoors in nature?

When we arrived at 5-star Nature Hotel Forsthofgut, we were pleased to discover that the answer to our question included all of the above and more.

Nature Hotel Forsthofgut (Naturhotel) also turned out to be the perfect base from which to explore the towns of Saalfelden and Leogang and their surrounding landscapes.

Visit Saalfelden Leogang

If you decide to skip the quintessential Austrian postcard city of Salzburg in favour of exploring the ‘greener half’ of SalzburgerLand, you will be rewarded with a world of incredible natural beauty.

The towns of Saalfelden and Leogang are nestled within the Saalach Tal and Leoganger Tal valley and surrounded by soaring mountains. Alpine peaks dominate the horizon and lush green meadows, lakes and unspoilt forests complete the picture-perfect landscape.

Saalfelden-Leogang is a year-round destination. In the winter, the region forms part of one of Austria’s largest ski circuits comprising Saalbach, Hinterglemm, Leogang, and Fieberbrunn (a total of 270km).

The hills and mountains also come alive in the summer, not with the sound of music but with the buzz from hiking, mountain biking and other warm-weather outdoor activities. A major highlight in Leogang is its competition-grade mountain bike park which attracts downhill biking thrill-seekers of all ages and abilities every year.

Nature Hotel Forsthofgut complements these natural and man-made attractions by offering a stunning and luxurious property which puts visitors to the region right at the heart of it all.

Waking Up at Nature Hotel Forsthofgut

Arriving at Hotel Forsthofgut to find a large welcome board at the entrance bearing our family name made us feel very special. With check-in formalities quickly completed, we were offered a quick tour of this remarkable property run by Christina and Christoph, fifth-generation members of the Schmuck family.

Heritage, tradition and luxury combine to great effect at Hotel Forsthofgut. From the outside, you are looking at traditional alpine architecture. However, upon entry, you are embraced by a contemporary space which tastefully combines key design elements such as wood, leather, stone and soft fabrics. The resulting feeling is one of warmth, relaxation and luxury.

Our earliest and most significant impression of Hotel Forsthofgut came from our first-floor WaldHaus (Forest House) Lebensquell suite. The WaldHaus is a newer section of the hotel that was built as part of renovations in 2011.

Our first instinct was to immediately walk to the far side of the room, throw open the floor-to-ceiling terrace windows and marvel at the spectacular view of the Leogang mountains. Mountains make you feel like you are in the presence of greatness.

A high ceiling amplified the space while panoramic windows invited ample natural light into the suite. The spacious living room, a soothing box-spring bed, and the large double-sink bathroom completed the layout of the suite. Scented wood panels and a muted colour palette achieved a visual balance with the surrounding nature.

Through thoughtful design, Hotel Forsthofgut creates harmony between the guest and the surrounding landscape. This is even more evident in the winter when guests can ski directly from the slopes into the hotel!

The real treat was waking up at Hotel Forsthofgut the next morning, stepping out on to the terrace and inhaling the fresh mountain air.

Culinary Biking Tour around Leogang

Breakfast at Hotel Forsthofgut is a market-style affair where a diverse range of carefully selected items is laid out in a stall-like pattern. This healthy start set us up for a day of moderate activity with a pre-arranged electric biking culinary tour.

From the number of people around us wearing helmets and other protective gear, mountain biking was clearly the main sporting activity in Leogang.

However, for those of us with lower adrenalin-related ambitions, Leogang thankfully offers a variety of options. The region promotes itself as a wellness destination with a range of activities designed to provide relaxation, excitement and the inspiration for visitors to live a healthier lifestyle.

We picked up our e-bikes from the Elements Outdoor Sports shop at the Asitz Valley station and were introduced to our guide Sabine Enzinger. Sabine is an experienced tour guide and downhill mountain biker.

After a quick e-bike handling and safety lesson (which also served as a great warm-up) at the Riders Playground, Sabine led us out of town and uphill into the countryside to explore. Our cycling itinerary included stops at local organic farms, a farming cooperative and someone’s back garden which doubled as a schnapps production site.

Saalfelden Leogang has a strong agricultural community of which around 70% are organic farmers. Growers and producers focus on high-quality local products including meat, eggs, cheese and vegetables. This farming philosophy enhances the credentials of the region as a destination for sustainable holidays.

During the tour, we were grateful for the e-bikes which provided an extra boost for our untrained muscles and were easier on the joints. By the end, however, we were grateful to return to the relaxing comfort of Hotel Forsthofgut.

Experiencing Europe’s first waldSPA

Hotel Forsthofgut is home to the award-winning ‘waldSPA’ (forest spa), Europe’s first. This unique spa concept continues the hotel’s philosophy of preserving harmony with the alpine environment.

Relaxation rooms, saunas and fitness rooms feature regionally sourced materials, invigorating scents and natural ingredients, all designed to extend your experience with nature. A summer highlight is the opportunity to experience one of the hotel’s signature treatments outdoors in the forest.

A pre-dinner visit to the outdoor adults-only rooftop pool was the perfect way to recharge our bodies after our earlier e-biking exertions. The 25m infinity pool proved to be an oasis. For an hour, we swam under the watchful gaze of the Leogang Steinberg mountains, immersing ourselves in a world of relaxation.

Hotel Forsthofgut – Preserving Harmony with Nature

On our last night, we secured an outdoor table for dinner. We wanted to preserve the harmony we were starting to develop with nature for as long as possible.

While watching the sunset over the mountains and listening to a live 1930’s music cover band, we surveyed the menu. Hotel Forsthofgut leverages the availability of regionally sourced, fresh and organic ingredients to offer a nutritious menu, making the best from the Alps accessible on a plate.

There was a poached brook trout fillet dish with our name on it. This paired well with that evening’s sommelier’s choice of a 2013 Merlot from the Bernhard Ernst winery in Deutschkreutz, Austria.

Burying ourselves in a nook at The Botanist after dinner, we sampled cocktails from the hotel’s modern bar, reluctantly counting down the hours until bedtime.

The proprietors of Hotel Forsthofgut have done an excellent job of promoting the Saalfelden Leogang philosophy of providing visitors with a long-term sense of rejuvenation.

We might never be able to recreate the harmony and balance we experienced in Saalfelden Leogang. However, we now know where to go whenever we seek those things.

Travel information

Getting there: The nearest airport is Salzburg, 70km drive to Leogang. A holiday shuttle is also available at €44 per person.

Autumn bonus: Hotel Forsthofgutis offering a 5% bonus on autumn stays if you book four weeks prior to arrival. This offer is valid from September 15 to November 30, 2019.

Save money: Use the Saalfelden Leogang Card (free for tourists) to gain access to city buses, cable cars, swimming pools, museums and selected activities.

E-bike (tour version) rental is €30 per day (helmets and protective gear not included). Visit Elements Outdoor Sport Bike School for a bike fitting.

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Coco Couples

Wake Up Here: The Silo, Cape Town’s Hottest Design Hotel

Re-invented from its industrial roots as a 1920s grain Silo which towers over the historic V&A Waterfront, this design hotel has been labelled as Cape Town’s most luxurious since its opening. Instagram-worthy interiors, roll-top bathtubs, a roof-top pool and spectacular floor to ceiling geometric diamond windows billow out offering views of The Mother City’s harbour and cloud-clung Table Mountain. But is this Cape Town’s best hotel? We sent our girl Beth to check it out.

When this monolithic structure first opened in 1924, it was the tallest building in Sub-saharan Africa – towering over Table Bay, grain from here was exported throughout Europe. But today, this industrial shell has been re-imagined entirely, its stark silhouette now a work of architectural art, housing some of Africa’s most celebrated creative design.

Thoughtfully brought to life by Thomas Heatherwick of Heatherwick Studio, London, the historic building’s lower half is now home to the world’s largest collection of contemporary African art, the Zeitz MOCAA. We, however, are ushered into a grand double-height entrance to one side – a chamber of concrete and marble, where a sculptural chandelier by Haldane Martin hangs suspended and walls are brought to life by huge artworks, from Mohau Modisakeng’s Ditaola series to commissioned pieces by Jody Paulsen.

Swept up the elevator to the sixth-floor lobby – The Silo hotel is a hive of activity. We’re served a glass of champagne while we settle in Willaston’s bar to wait for our room. Drop wrought iron chandeliers are countered with comfortable touches like velvet teal sofas, creating an opulent yet lived-in aesthetic. In keeping with the world-class museum downstairs, the space is dotted with African art, from acclaimed Zimbabwean artist Kudzanai Chiurai to bold photography portraits by one of South Africa’s most influential photographers Pieter Hugo.

The interiors only serve to highlight the building’s astonishing architecture – with double-height diamond windows curving outwards all around the walls. There are 82 pillowed glass windows across the 6 floors of the hotel, each with a total of 56 panels of glass. Inspired by grain kernels, their geometric shape and diagonal steel lines seem to draw the views of Table mountain even closer. The whole result is quite simply, stunning. Intriguing – but not overwhelming, detailed, yet not overdone. As the creative force behind the hotel’s eclectic interiors, it’s easy to spot owner Liz Biden’s fashion background and eye for the unusual – something which runs throughout the property. Each of the 28 boutique rooms is unique but unmistakably decorated in her signature style – a colourful yet carefully orchestrated mix of everything from Asian antiques to French tables, punchy African art and patterned silk upholstery. If it were all in one room together it would look bizarre, but somehow it all just works.

We could have soaked in the scenery here all day, yet are quickly breezed away to our room despite our early arrival, all the way up on the 9th floor, to one of two ‘Royal Suites’. Entering room 905/906 we find two triple aspect bedrooms leading off from the main lounge, with a balcony and bifold doors that run the length of the room offering sweeping views out across the Atlantic ocean and Robben Island. At 132 square metres, it’s more than double the size of our London apartment.

Inside, pink mirrored cabinets, bold floral sofas, pastel rugs and drop chandeliers in every room create a lavish vibe, with a bottle of fizz on ice and cut-glass sweet jars and a coffee table overflowing with books and magazines.

Handpicked artworks chosen by Liz’s careful eye for the suite include Seated woman with a pearl necklace by Carla Kranendonk which complements the bright colour palette, as well as pieces by Zambian artist Sibley Mcadam and Kenyan Cyrus Kabiru.

To the right, the master bedroom is the last word in luxury – with two jewel-like geometric windows billowing out over the harbour below, ant-like tourists going about their business along the waterfront, tiny toy boats tracing in and out. The oversized bathroom is just as big, with early morning light spilling in through another diamond window onto a free-standing tub big enough for two. There are blinds if you’re feeling shy, but as the highest building on the waterfront, there are no neighbours to peek into your window.

The second bedroom offers the same spec with different views, this time of Table Mountain and the slope of Lions Head, which we’d climbed up earlier in the morning, the city snaking below the blanket of clouds creeping over the tabletop.

The suite is so special that we spend most of the day enjoying it. In a region that suffers so badly from drought, we make sure to only fill the bath up a few inches, but enough to enjoy the decanters filled with salts and bath oils.

Snack boxes in the cupboard come filled with goodies and Alice-in-wonderland-Esque ‘Eat me’ labels, while the whole mini-bar is included with your stay, and comes stocked with delicious wine from the hotel’s sister property La Residence in Franschhoek. Just two of the four properties which make up The Royal Portfolio – an ultra-stylish collection owned by the Biden family which also includes a Safari Lodge in Kruger and beachside Birkenhead House in Hermanus down the coast.

While the location on the waterfront is well placed for a wander around the V&A with its tourist-focused restaurants and shops, as well as the ferry out to Robben Island, for dinner we head downtown to Kloof Street for more of a buzzy local scene. Handily, the concierge gives us a lift right away, stopping in to chat with the staff at old Victorian Manor turned restaurant Kloof Street House to snag us the best table in the garden, despite having no reservation.

If the Royal Suite is a show-stopper during the day, the real magic happens when the sun goes down – when the glass-domed windows turn from pink to black and the Mother City’s lights start to twinkle. We fall asleep with the blinds wide open, waking up to the sunrise casting a crimson glow across the horizon.

Breakfast is served in the Granary down on the sixth floor and includes freshly-squeezed juice, and an actual carousel of a continental breakfast wheeled right up to your table to choose from, followed by an a la carte option and one of the tastiest eggs benny’s we’ve ever had the pleasure of eating.

The pièce de résistance is perhaps glass-sided rooftop pool, which we spend the next day lounging beside. The tallest building on the V&A Waterfront, the vantage point offers unrivalled views of the city, from Table Mountain right across to the Atlantic. It’s the ideal spot for some people watching with a glass of local Sauvignon or some snacks.

The Silo is so much more than somewhere to sleep, it’s an experience in art and architecture. Thanks to both its bold design and Liz Biden’s eye for quirky interiors, its rooms have the feeling of a carefully curated home, a treasure trove of worldly collectables designed to take you on a journey through contemporary African art. It’s a place of old meets new, where stark modernity meets plush opulence. The history of the old grain tower may have been one of oppression, but the reimagining of this building is now one of celebration, championing African art and home to what is in our opinion, Cape Town’s most iconic hotel.

For more information or to book The Silo Hotel visit www.theroyalportfolio.com/the-silo; Rooms start from R13,500 / ca. £680 incl. breakfast

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Wake up here: Fonteverde Spa, Tuscany

Nestled between Florence and Rome amidst the Tuscan hills, the world heritage listed Val d’Orcia region provides a picture perfect backdrop to the five-star Fonteverde Spa – an elegantly restored 17th-century Tuscan villa turned wellness destination. There’s nothing we love more than an Italian getaway here at House of Coco, and an elegant spa retreat has our name all over it! Once home to the Medici family, the property has been transformed into a stylish gem in the countryside, without losing any of its rustic renaissance charm.

Abundant with cypress trees, olive groves and vineyards, the Tuscan landscape is notoriously beguiling, and the panoramic views of Fonteverde are made ever sweeter from the 460ft outdoor infinity pool carved into the hill. What could be better? The villa itself is largely secluded, allowing guests an immersive sense of silence and complete calm.

With expansive ceilings, marble floors and opulent furnishings, Fonteverde oozes an understated luxury. Renaissance styling and architecture provides a true traditional Italian feel, with its arched windows and frescoed ceilings providing a sense of royal grandeur which blends seamlessly with the more modern additions to the hotel’s design. Rooms are lavishly decorated while tastes remain simple; with floor-length drapes, cream walls and spacious en suites, guests are encouraged to recline into a space of total comfort. The front facing suites overlook the Val d’Orcia, where sun seekers can enjoy spectacular morning views over a champagne breakfast from their private terrace.

Ancient hot springs have frequented the area around San Casciano dei Bagni for centuries and Fonteverde’s plethora of wellness offerings has made it an epi-centre for thermal tradition in the region. The hotel’s labyrinth of pools bubble with healing water sourced from local springs, and guests can soak and swim in its mineral rich lagoons.

The 5000sq metre spa offers over 100 treatments to choose from, offering first class programmes of treatment specifically designed to aid ailments and skin types. The antioxidant properties of the waters themselves have been known to provide numerous benefits to the musculoskeletal system, nervous system and respiratory system, and work on a broader level to enhance overall wellbeing. Comprising of seven pools, treatment rooms, steam rooms, an ice plunge pool and a Turkish hammam, the spa provides hours of entertainment for those wishing to sink into a blissful state of end-to-end pampering.

Such is the Italian way, the hotel’s Ferdinando restaurant takes inspiration from the surrounding landscape. Seasonal ingredients and local produce inspire the classic Italian menu, and dishes range from light and healthy to the exquisitely indulgent. Homemade pasta is laced with truffle shavings foraged by the hotel’s resident truffle hunter, while succulent duck and steak is paired with local organic red wine. On summer evenings guests can dine on the terrace and watch the sun set over hilltop villages, against rolling hills and amber skies.

Taking oodles of pasta and wine into serious consideration (perhaps the most important elements in any Italian getaway, wellness or otherwise!), a stay at Fonteverde is as healthy or as indulgent as you make it, but one thing is for certain. It’s impossible to leave this Tuscan oasis without feeling utterly, perhaps irrevocably, relaxed.

Nightly rates at Fonteverde start from €198 (£152*) per person per night in a Queen room on weekdays on a B&B basis. Rates also include wi-fi, access to spa and fitness facilities. For further information or to book please email travel@fonteverdespa.com or call +39 0578 572333.

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Austria

Wake Up Here: A Gift for the Senses at Bio-Hotel Rupertus

Some travel experiences leave a lasting impression on us here at House of Coco; especially experiences that challenge our personal choices and inspire us to live healthier and more wholesome lives. Our #CocoCouple, Eulanda and Omo, visited Bio-Hotel Rupertus in Leogang, Austria and learned that wellness, sustainability and environmental awareness can all be part of a great hospitality experience.

Like most people, Nadja Blumenkamp appears shy when you point a video camera at her face. The formality of a press interview can sometimes be a nervy experience.

However, once we start chatting about organic food, she becomes more relaxed. Nadja’s eyes light up and her face breaks into a smile, clearly showing her passion for the topic.

Nadja and her husband Olaf are the second-generation to run the family Hotel Rupertus in Leogang, Austria. This is the place where their creative ideas and passion for hospitality come to life, centred around themes of sustainability, wellness and environmental awareness.

A summer visit to Saalfelden Leogang, an Alpine region in SalzburgerLand in southwest Austria, was our opportunity to experience a different type of holiday, one that left us with a lasting impression.

Getting to Know Bio-Hotel Rupertus

Travellers unfamiliar with the concept of a bio-hotel might be scratching their heads at this point.

The label ‘Bio-Hotel’ as described by the Austrian Tourism Information website, refers to hotels which “guarantee guests environmentally-friendly holidays by minimising the consumption of energy, electricity, water and materials, managing waste and where the restaurants serve organic food.”

Bio-Hotel Rupertus and similar establishments across Europe are specifically designed to meet the needs of environmentally-conscious travellers.

However, what makes a bio-hotel much more than a mere salve for the conscience is their ability to offer world-class hospitality and luxurious experiences while staying true to their eco-friendly principles.

Bio-Hotel Rupertus confirms that this is entirely possible by offering a unique experience that Nadja describes as ‘beautifully curated but conscious’.

“Our aim isn’t to teach people how to live,” Nadja explained. “Rather we simply want to show people what is possible by demonstrating what wholesome living looks like.”

Hotel Rupertus aligns with the stated objective of Saalfelden Leogang’s tourism industry to promote healthy and quality holiday experiences that leave visitors with a sense of long-term rejuvenation.

Is a 100% Bio-Hotel Even Possible?

While sharing afternoon snacks and cocktails in the hotel bar, our curiosity got the better of us and we put this question to Nadja.

“Our hotel has been certified to industry-leading standards for Bio-Hotels,” she began. With our particular interest being food, we asked her to elaborate further.

Meals and beverages are made from locally sourced ingredients and products certified as 100% organic. Hotel Rupertus works with a carefully curated network of regional producers and growers who respect the principles of fair-trade. This includes providing fair wages and humane working conditions for their employees.

Sourcing organic ingredients is an easier task when your hotel is located in Saalfelden Leogang, a region considered to have some of the best organic farming in Europe. Leogang, in particular, is home to around 50 farming families of which almost 70% are organic farmers.

More sustainable farming practices means that farmers can specialise on growing a few items with a focus on quality rather than quantity. “Less is more,” Nadja said.

The Hotel Rupertus restaurant meal plan is also designed to focus on seasonality. Having sampled the dinner menu the night before, we agreed with Nadja that crops in season are more likely to be fresher and of better quality.

After hearing more about how Hotel Rupertus carefully manages their energy, waste and staff welfare, we were convinced that it is possible to provide a hospitality experience that is both sustainable and high-quality.

So What Does Waking Up in a Bio-Hotel Feel Like?

Bio-Hotel Rupertus is a 50 room property built on the edge of rich Alpine forests in a valley surrounded by the Asitz and Leogang Steinberg mountains.

Walking into our first-floor ‘Natural Room’ for the first time, we were embraced by the relaxing aroma of swiss stone pine (a species of pine tree native to the Alps). This design feature was far from being accidental. Nadja’s words about ‘conscious curation’ came to mind.

Our room furnishings were made from regionally-sourced and reclaimed spruce wood. The lighter wood colour amplified the natural light streaming through the terrace doors, enhancing the room’s bright and welcoming feel.

Bathroom amenities – beautifully packaged soaps, gels and creams – are sourced from a small family-run company. Based in nearby Salzburg, they specialise in using only organic ingredients. Refillable bottles reduce the reliance on single-use plastic.

We learned that bedding in the ‘Organic Rooms’ (for guests seeking the 100% organic experience) were all naturally occurring (i.e., no synthetic) fibres. Nevertheless, the towels and sheets in our room were made from 100% organic cotton and felt soft and luxurious.

A metal-free double bed relied on some genius sleep science and provided a relaxing night’s rest.

The next morning, we stepped out onto our south-facing private terrace to enjoy sweeping mountain views and inhale the fresh, crisp air. Eco-friendliness felt very rejuvenating!

Simply Hiking Around Leogang

Breakfast at Hotel Rupertus is a buffet affair, allowing guests to wander around different stands, selecting home-made and fresh items (all organic of course!). This healthy start set us up for a day of moderate activity featuring a pre-arranged guided hike.

Matching their robust winter ski destination credentials, Saalfelden Leogang has an extensive summer/autumn calendar. The summer emphasis is on wellness and rejuvenation, with a range of activities designed to provide relaxation, excitement and the inspiration for visitors to live healthier lifestyles.

The warm weather attracts mountain biking enthusiasts to this region. We were outnumbered by people wearing helmets and protective gear, wheeling their bikes to the Epic Bikepark Leogang to test their downhill skills.

However, for visitors like us with lower adrenalin-related ambitions, Leogang thankfully offers a variety of options. ‘Simply Hiking’, a laid-back experience which includes a hiking pole-sharing programme, is one of them.

After breakfast, we met up with Birgit Battocleti, a local surveyor and hiking guide with Wanderung-Salzburg. For the next three hours, we traversed hiking paths, soaking in Birgit’s expert knowledge.

Dense pine forests are a gift to the five senses. Birgit introduced trees and colourful plant life with a variety of health benefits. Breathing in the natural forest scents was great for boosting immunity. Tasting wild berries added flavour to the experience.

Riedlalm, an idyllic Alpine hut at 1,228m, provided a chance to rest, recharge and enjoy the panoramic views of the Leoganger Steinberg and other surrounding mountains.

Our time with Birgit passed rather quickly and soon were back at Hotel Rupertus.

Bio-Hotel Rupertus – A Gift for the Senses

It is impossible to talk about wellness without talking about finding balance – for the mind, body and soul.

Balancing our earlier activity with a time of relaxation was an appealing prospect. A visit to the award-winning ErholPol Spa (‘erhol’ translates to ‘relax’), the wellness facility at Hotel Rupertus, was the perfect choice for this.

A classic massage and facial treatments, again, using only 100% organic products (including hand-picked herbs), eased the tension from our tired muscles and had a restorative effect.

The rest of the afternoon was spent lounging around the spa in soft, organic-cotton bathrobes and taking a dip in the organic swimming pond amid purifying reeds and waterlilies.

Over dinner, we talked about the consciously curated experience that Hotel Rupertus provided. It was great to see a hotel where guests, the environment and the local community are stakeholders working in mutually beneficial ways.

Words from our earlier chat with Nadja came back to us. “My goal is to introduce guests to what an eco-lifestyle looks like and how wholesome and fun it can be. They will go back home and make their own choices. I hope the Rupertus experience helps them make better ones,” she laughed.

Travel information

Getting there: The nearest airport is Salzburg, 70km drive to Leogang. A summer holiday shuttle is also available at €44 per person.

Room rates: Summer/autumn 2019 – Natural Room – €120 to €130 per person/per night. Half-board and family packages are available. Contact Hotel Rupertus at info@rupertus.at or call +43 6583 8466 for details.

Save money: Use the Saalfelden Leogang Cardto gain access to city buses, cable cars, swimming pools, museums and selected activities.

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City breaks

Wake up Here: A classic Scottish staycation at The Cringletie

A change of scenery is always welcome, and while London will always hold the key to our hearts — a little winter couldn’t come at a better time. Because while some places come alive in the summertime, there are those that become truly magical in winter. Such is the case with The Cringletie in Peebles, where our girl Hannah Tan-Gillies spent an idyllic weekend, taking in the magic of the Scottish countryside.

Located in the picturesque Scottish Border town of Peebles, The Cringletie is a 15 bedroom country estate, that oozes personality and charm. The house is a 45 minute drive away from Edinburgh; but one step within its 28 acres of lush greenery and woodlands, and you’ll quickly understand why the drive was so worth it.

Outside, you can explore the historic walled gardens, or take a walk around the natural historical trail which goes for a mile around the estate. Inside, you can cosy up by the fireplace and enjoy the hotel’s classically beautiful interiors; which make plenty of design references to the house’s military history. We are told that the current tartan in the hotel’s grand staircase is a blend of the Wolfe Murray’s and the Sutherland’s; another clever homage to the Cringletie’s past.

Every inch of the house is thoughtfully considered, a personal manifestation of the estate’s history, and the colourful personality of Bill and Anne Cross, the custodians who has lovingly taken it under his wing.

We stayed in one of the hotel’s Luxury Rooms, which exudes a certain kind of timeless appeal. Our room was painted in a muted colour palette accented with rich textiles. It was the perfect balance of classic style and modern features and included a super king-sized bed, a cosy seating area, and an en-suite.

The hotel’s piece de resistance, however, has to be the Sutherland Restaurant. During our stay, the hotel had just received its first – and very well deserved – 2AA Rosette accreditation. Head chef Iain Gourlay certainly brings his 20 year of experience to the table at Sutherland restaurant. Using only the freshest local ingredients, Chef Iain Gourlay adds a creative flair to some classic Scottish favourites – and serves them up in true style.

We highly recommend starting with the Breast of wood pigeon on a puree of boudin noir, followed by the lightly smoked loin of Borders venison, and finishing off with the absolutely delectable Selkirk bannock souffle. We can assure you, that this culinary journey is one you won’t soon forget.

As the evening wears on, we sit by the warmth of the fireplace and delve into the estate’s extensive collection of fine whiskies. Finally ending the evening with warm hearts and revelling in the rare tranquillity afforded by being in beautiful and overwhelming isolation — in one of the most underrated destinations in the world.

For more information and to book your stay, please visit www.cringletie.com

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