Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

In Bed

Text Guy Dittrich

The ultimate hotels for the discerning traveller who wants a truly special place to sleep in style

Hotel Astoria

SWITZERLAND

Hotel Astoria’s
striking interiors
are flooded with light 29 Pilatusstrasse, Luzern, tel. +41 41 226 8888, astoria-luzern.ch

If you haven’t heard of Basel-based architects Herzog & de Meuron, you soon will – they designed the ‘bird’s nest’ centrepiece of the Beijing Olympics. To experience their dramatic style up close, head for the picturesque town of Luzern, an hour south of Zurich and easily accessible from Geneva by road or rail. The original Hotel Astoria is housed in nondescript 1950s building; seamlessly added behind is Herzog & de Meuron’s striking insertion of bright steel and mirrored glass.

Head up the escalator to the sparsely furnished lobby for the first glimpse of the crevasse-like openings that bring brightness deep into the building. The result is airy rooms with floor to ceiling windows. Expect no frills, just an uncluttered space that’s a relaxing antidote to the rush of the traveller’s life.

For something completely different, a typical Swiss breakfast including ham and cheese is served beneath the gold-panelled ceiling of the Penthouse restaurant of the original hotel. Other dining options include Thai Garden, Latino, La Cucina and the street-level Coffee Shop, all with their own charms. Or make for the rooftop bar and its stunning alpine views. When booking be sure to ask for a design room.

Venice’s famous Hotel Cipriani has introduced a new Gondola Massage, a unique 40-minute spa treatment that takes place in a traditional Venetian gondola. The boat is lined with a specially designed mat, which follows the curves of the craft and cradles your body during the full-body massage. The gentle rocking of the gondola, the lapping of the lagoon and the soothing massage combine to create a sensation of total relaxation. Don’t worry about your privacy, either – the gondola is taken to a hidden corner of the lagoon, out of the way of prying eyes, where the only noise is the sound of the waves. Be pampered for €270 plus 10% tax. www.hotelcipriani.com

Superbude GERMANY

152 Spaldingstrasse, Hamburg, tel. 49 38 0878 1620, www.superbude.com

Budget doesn’t
mean lack of style
at Superbude For budget accommodation with heaps of style, head for Superbude in the Sankt Georg area of Hamburg. The former printworks has been converted into a 74-room hotel where recycling delivers design credibility. Red plastic beer crates from local brewer Astra have been cushioned to become stools, and packing cases front the cupboard doors of the kitchen, where there’s a communal table on legs of steel scaffold tubes. The ‘bude’ in the name is the German vernacular for ‘digs’, and this is a share and share alike place where self-service and self-preparation are the name of the game, with help-yourself ingredients in the glass-fronted fridges. Having said that, not many digs can boast a cinema where you can lounge on cushions upholstered with old jeans, spread across pallet-framed sofas.

The basic guest rooms include some fun, tongue-in-cheek touches – look out for the mousetraps – and the small designer treat of plastic, workshop-like Mayday lamps by industrial designer Konstantin Grcic. Keeping in tune with the backpacker audience are the stacking twin beds that extend to sleep four.

The treatment

Venice’s famous Hotel Cipriani has introduced a new Gondola Massage, a unique 40-minute spa treatment that takes place in a traditional Venetian gondola. The boat is lined with a specially designed mat, which follows the curves of the craft and cradles your body during the full-body massage. The gentle rocking of the gondola, the lapping of the lagoon and the soothing massage combine to create a sensation of total relaxation. Don’t worry about your privacy, either – the gondola is taken to a hidden corner of the lagoon, out of the way of prying eyes, where the only noise is the sound of the waves. Be pampered for €270 plus 10% tax. www.hotelcipriani.com

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