Urban Chic : Asia

Metro, Chic and Luxe. Starting with Asia.


1. Tawaraya, Kyoto

Three centuries of being the country's best traditional style hotel is only a blip on the illustrious radar of this Japanese  Ryokan. Think tatami floors, think soak tubs, think oriental gardens, think butlerettes, think high tech, think old world. Mix all with minimalist zen. Relish the esoteric flavour of your orgasmic stay. And gloat about the fact that you've stayed in the preferred playground of the jetset.


No website that i've come across. Heightens the exclusivity.


Rates begin from 300 USD. Thats about 15k per night.


2. The Manor, New Delhi

Chic is the word. Sitting pretty in South Delhi's plush Friends Colony, The Manor has a dozen rooms and suites all designed for understated comfort. Easy on the eyes, personalized when it comes to service. A magnet for the classier hip who prefer the non-limelight. Awesome food. Serene manicured lawns.


themanordelhi.com


Rates begin from 7k. A positive steal.


3. W Seoul Walkerhill

Funked up. Completely. This place is pulsating and oozing with design. Awesome stuff. Each view is like a coffee table book cover. And you have all the mod-cons for business as well as more than enough for entertainment.


whotels.com


Rates begin from USD 300. 15k.


4. The Aman at Summer Palace, Beijing

Housed in a series of traditional structures, most over a 100 years old, the Aman is the chain's first (extremely welcome) move towards urban properties. Chinese kitsch on the outset, the insides are pretty luxe, with their muted references to the immediate vernacular. Awesome place, Aman never fails to disappoint.


amanresorts.com


Rates begin from USD 550 (25k)


5. Aman New Delhi

While the Beijing Aman hovers on the outskirts, The Aman New Delhi sits slap bang in the centre of the city, giving a new lease of life to a compound that once housed the idiotically useless Lodhi Hotel. Location is the first thing that hits you- its probably the city's most exclusive district, with its cultural institutions, tombs, parks, and residences of the uppity. And then its the design. Very boxy (the way i like it), lots of Screens, lots of minimalist accentuations. And then the rooms, most of which have their own plunge pools. Aman completely junks the business hotel theory and has established an urban resort that works like no other. Be it through the 50 m lap pool, or the first Aman restaurants open to outsiders, or its fleet of luxury ambassadors. The Aman is a succesfully contemporarized version of classic chic and definitely the best in the city if not the country.


amanresorts.com


Rates begin from USD 550 (25k)


6. The Sukhothai, Bangkok

One of the initial chic urban hotels that Asia saw, The Sukhothai is a definitive version of the ethnic chic thats such a rage nowadays. Think Thai accentuations like meditative Buddhas, lily pools, silky furnishings, et al. Just add a contemporary twist like wood panelling, cubist lamps among others and you've got a pretty little design guru of a hotel.


sukhothai.com


Rates begin from USD 250 (13k)


7. Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong

As luxe as edgy design can get, the Landmark MO is a chunk of sharp design that first shocks you with its upfront look and then pampers you silly with its service and luxuries.


mandarinoriental.com


Rates begin from HKD 3100. About 19k


8. Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi

While the main FS property at Chinzan-So is a horror story in chintz, Marunouchi is redemption in its sleek and minimalist approach to top class luxury. Small too, unusual for a FS property, but equally high on the legendary service.


fourseasons.com


Rates begin from JPY 54000. 27k.




Special Mentions


ITC Sonar, Kolkata
Its the architecture more, and interiors less, as the hotel still manages to squeeze in a bit of its idiotic Vegas inspired touches in otherwise what is the best looking building in town.


The Park- Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore
Awesome stuff that all 4 have to offer, that means cool design, good food and a hip atmosphere apart from superb locations. Just not luxe enough.


The Metropolitan, Bangkok
Too western in its Oriental approach. Seems more like a Buddha Bar in London than a Bangkok hi-design hotel.


W Hong Kong
About to open, and if other W properties are anything to go by, then you better start panting now. Should be a funked up bitch.


Park Hyatt-Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing and Shanghai
Cool stuff, but a bit too biz-oriented at the core. But Luxe enough.


Trident, Gurgaon
Another fabulous looking hotel. Not Luxe enough again, not to mention the Gurgaon location. If just Oberoi took it over...

Another Kind of Waterfront

Waterfront hotels, anybody? here's the catch. No beaches, no islands. Effectively, water water everywhere, but not for you to swim. Puts you off? well, these places will make you rethink the beach bum ideology...


1) Explora en Patagonia, Patagonia, Southern Chile

gives you the big O by just looking at its pictures. a stunner of a location, one that you'd never want to leave. and the best part is that the countryside is exactly like this, and pretty much unexplored. the design is simple and the crowning glory remains the breathtaking views. luxurious-ity is obvious.


rates start from USD 2660 per person for 4 night packages. thats a cool 1.3L we're talking about. plus getting there, which happens to be the farthest continental point from India.


www.explora.com


2) Blanket Bay, South Island, New Zealand

South Island New Zealand is enough to make you go weak in the knees. add to that a super luxe retreat set by a mirror lake and voila. the design, sadly, is cliched rustic borrowed from lodges in the rocky mountains, and unlike explora, is not a revelation. the service and standards more than make up for the lack of likeable design though. 


rates start from NZD 745, thats about 26K.


www.blanketbay.com - beware though, the worst website for a hotel of such repute. 


3) Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur, Rajasthan

iconic is the word. despite the fact that for half the year, the hotel is pretty much a stump in the centre of a drying lake, come monsoons (and the following winters) the hotel is heart-achingly-romantic in its centre of the lake fairytale setting in the most romantic city of the east. curio filled design, usual for the heritage hotel mumbo jumbo, but its somewhat ok. after all, the hotel is all about the kitsch factor.


rates start from 17k.


www.tajhotels.com - lacks good photos, but you'll be able to find them across the net.


4) Banjaar Tola, Kanha National Park

next to one of the best places in india to spot a tiger, banjaar tola sits by the side of the meandering banjaar river. a collab between taj and &beyond (the leading safari operators from africa) the place is awesomely chic and luxurious and offers one of the best wilderness experiences outside africa. the waterfront? well, the place is oriented towards waterside views, and if photographs are anything to go by, its quite delicious.


rates start from 18k


www.andbeyondindia.com


5) Sumahan on the Water, Istanbul

a former brewery turned chic hotel, sumahan is one of the few waterfront properties in istanbul and offers fabulous bosphorus views from fabulous rooms. very contemporary, very understated. the best retreat that a city of many great hotels can offer, and thats saying something.


rates start from EUR 300. thats roughly 18k.


www.sumahan.com


6) Villa d'Este, Lake Como, Italy

regarded as one of the definitively luxe properties on earth, villa d'este is a celebrated lakeside legend, on the shores of the lake of the jetset. superb views, superb food, superb service. classic decor, but italian style handles that really well. the place even has it own coat of arms.


rates start from around EUR 600. thats 36k.


www.villadeste.it


Special Mentions


The Peninsula, Hong Kong
Asia's premier grande dame sits on the Kowloon waterfront and is a bonafide urban landmark. routinely placed on the world's best lists, the hotel did not make it to the list because of its primarily business orientation. and the waterfront is restricted to views, there isn't much happening on the immediate side. otherwise its probably as luxurious (if not more) than the others above.


The Oriental, Bangkok
Another legendary hotel, but the water here is a busy one. full of life and excitement, it doesn't quite bring out the required calmness. But the best bet in Bangkok, a city which probably features the highest number of hotels which rank among the world's best.


Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, Mumbai

everybody knows it. but then again, the waterfront is all about the crowds taking photos of the hotel or the gateway. the hotel just gives views.


Taj Malabar, Kochi
close runner. the only issue is that its a great hotel, but narrowly misses the super-luxe mark.


Huka Lodge, New Zealand
another close runner. Blanket bay tipped this because of a more spectacular setting. otherwise NZ's most celebrated hotel offers a peacefully luxe holiday by the banks of a river ideal for angling.

On a Higher Plane

Hill Resorts in the Himalayas are a sad scene. Despite what is pretty much the most breathtaking landscapes you can ever hope to see, there are just a handful of oh-so-awesome hotels in the whole stretch of mountains from Pakistan to Burma. And the good ones are limited only to three countries. Here goes...

1. Amankora, Bhutan

For those who don't know, Aman resorts is probably the finest setup ever known to hotelkind. Think of superbly chic spaces with service you couldn't even dream of, luxury that seems to ooze out of everything in sight and a price tag that will leave you literally breathless (before you realize it was worth it).

Aman itself was the first international chain to be allowed to build in the closed kingdom, and it came with quite an unconventional beginning. To begin with, Amankora is not 'one' hotel. Its actually a series of five lodges in different location which Aman markets together to offer a sort of complete travel solution. Rooms feature log burning stoves, terrazzo bathtubs, enormous jump-on-me beds. No entertainment options though, as the resort is all about the experience. On offer are first class service and suicidal views through floor to ceiling windows.

Off season rates begin from USD 1100. Thats between 40-50K. Per Night.

visit www.amanresorts.com

2. Uma Paro, Bhutan

Como, the chain that runs Uma Paro, comes across as a micro-aman. stunning properties, but very few in number. Uma Paro itself is housed in a traditional style buildings and seems like a more contemporarized version of shangri-la when it comes to the interiors. traditional accents are complemented by accesories like CD/DVD players, hi-tec gyms, heated pools and a dedicated spa.

Off season rates begin from USD 300. thats a more affordable 13k.

Check it out on www.como.bz

3. Three Sixty Degrees Leti, Near Almora, Uttaranchal

This ones a stunner, in every sense of the word. Plonked in a remote but unimaginably beautiful spot, 360 Leti is a 1.5 hour walk from the nearest roadhead, and is as high on luxury as it is on seclusion. A handful of chic stone-glass cottages offer views galore, and combined with a co-ordinated village tour, the holiday turns out to be an ideal hill holiday with equal measures of luxury and adventure.

Rates begin at USD 560 (around 30k) but its more practical when combined with a weeklong tour, which, ex-delhi, amounts to around 1.5 Lacs per person.

check it out at www.shaktihimalaya.com

4. The Oberoi Wildflower Hall, Mashobra, Himachal Pradesh

A colonial era residence of a british viceroy, bang in the centre of forested hills, complete with raj-era interiors, one of the country's best hotel spas, sports facilities to the extent of tennis courts and even a stunner of an outdoor bath located at the edge of the hotel terrace. Bundle it with near legendary Oberoi service and you've got a first rate hotel. Classicy, but thats the way Oberoi does it best.

Highly rated in Travel Awards and Gold Lists by Conde Nast (US and UK) as well as Travel+Leisure

Rates start from 21k.

Check it out at www.oberoihotels.com

5. Ananda in the Himalayas, Near Rishikesh, Uttaranchal

India's celebrity destination spa, Ananda is a world famous property and pretty much the best. A former palace with expansive lawns, Ananda is well known for its comprehensive wellness programs and the huge waiting list for a stay there. Although the design isn't too much to extoll about, it wasn't the main focus in the first place. At Ananda its all about trying to get disoriented souls back in touch with their oriented souls (or vice versa) and similar haridwar-rishikesh-yoga mumbo jumbo. But its a pretty spectacular way at that.

Huge number of awards for being the world's best spa by pretty much every awarder in the industry.

Rates start from 14k, but that excludes the very hefty spa packages without which a holiday at Ananda is like Goa minus the Beaches.

Special Mention

Taj Tashi, Bhutan

Traditional architecture, cutting edge style, et al, but a city based location makes it more of a business hotel with a leisure twist rather than vice versa. that too in a city which is more of a village and place where business trips are non-existent.

Dwarika's, Kathmandu

Quirky, and definitely the most interesting place to stay in Kathmandu, but its more like a handicrafts museum.

The Clairmont, Mashobra

Still in its nascent stages, The Clairmont is a rent out bungalow (a gorgeous one), but i have no idea about the rates.

The Oberoi Cecil, Shimla

Where the oberoi story started, The Cecil receives neglect when compared to the more celebrated Wildflower Hall. Its probably the concrete sprawl of Shimla that reduces focus on the hotel, but an Oberoi is an Oberoi, and this place has the add-on of being a proper Grande Dame.

The Lalit Grand Palace Intercontinental, Srinagar

I'm sure the name wasn't right, but then again, the management here isn't. Blame it on what i'd call india's worst 'luxury' hotel chain. The Lalit has a knack of turning excellently located properties into horrors which do not deserve their 5-star tags. The Delhi Intercontinental, before renovation, actually had a paan-stained bathroom which was left for me to admire. Having seen the Srinagar property (Remember Rafoo Chakkar), i shudder to think what might have gone wrong inside. But this being Srinagar, there is no better place to stay.

The Grand Dragon, Leh

Probably the most well equipped hotel in Leh, complete with LCD TVs, glass walled bathrooms and elevators. Not luxurious in comparison to others, but at 3000m above sea level and after the world's toughest and most scenic drive, you should really appreciate it all.

Stok Palace, Ladakh

Not yet open, but keep a watch for it. A UK based tour operator is planning to throw it open to guests after carefully renovating and refurbishing a few of the rooms. This should probably the most authentic experience available in Ladakh, being located in the royal palace cum monastery.