One of the hotel’s garden suites

The Jumeirah Carlton Tower is a London legend, recently lovingly refurbished. In an unmatched retail location in Knightsbridge, can it regain its 1960s glamour? Darius Sanai checks in to our Hotel of the Month

It’s peak pre-Christmas shopping season and the Jumeirah Carlton Tower is a short stroll from Harrods and Harvey Nichols and basically inside the Sloane Street branch of Hermès, preferred by locals to the Bond Street boutique for its more thoughtful buying. It’s also a dash from the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland.

What’s the lowdown?

Fashion week tribes all have their favourite hotels, and it’s safe to say that until the pandemic, the Jumeirah wasn’t on their radar. It was more old-fashioned luxury where international visitors sipped tea in the lounge while their kids came back from shopping at Hermès next door. All that changed with the biggest refurbishment in the hotel’s 60 year history, which happened during the lockdowns.

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Everything from the bar, to the public areas, to the restaurant, spa and rooms, has been recreated with a contemporary eye. That in turn refocusses attention on the standout points the hotel always had, but which became lost as its original star faded. It’s in Knightsbridge, right on Sloane Street, but overlooks a peaceful garden square and has views across the city from all sides, unlike any of its competitors. It has the biggest and best indoor pool in London, and, did we mention, it’s right next to Hermès?

Al Mare Restaurant

The new Italian restaurant, Al Mare, takes the superstar corner position on the angle of Sloane Street. It’s a big, light, airy, New York midtown type of space, and it’s been transformed into a casual chic venue with just the right mix of both, like a grown up Soho House. We recommend one of the booths by the window, and picking from the imaginative and light options from the menu, like tuna tartar with oscietra caviar and ponzu – though there is plenty of comfort food also (we enjoyed a rigatoni al tartufo after a long night out).

You don’t need to go out though, as the hotel’s bar has been pole-vaulted into the top tier of London bars courtesy of an all-star bartending team and some very original cocktails, and relaxed, cool decor.

Getting horizontal

Our suite had a view along the length of the garden square, where we could see locals walking their dogs and children, from a great height: and across the rooftops to the whole of London, from the Battersea Power Station to the City. Even more striking were the bespoke touches: a Berluti shoe polish kit, slippers and products all monogrammed for us, as were the pillowcases. Delightful and very relaxing.

Read more: A tasting of Dalla Valle wines with the owners

Even more relaxing were the new poolside cabanas, replete with an excellent selection of magazines (including LUX). Given the conservatory feel of this huge indoor pool, on a sunny day in February you could settle down and pretend you were, well, somewhere sunny.

The spa and swimming pool

Flipside

Staying at the Carlton Tower doesn’t have the bragging rights of nearby hotels like the Berkeley or the Lanesborough, but we feel that is going to change quite fast.

Rates: From £750 per night (approx. €900/$1,000)

Book your stay: jumeirah.com/london/the-carlton-tower

Darius Sanai

Málaga might not be the first place that springs to mind as a luxury destination, but the recent opening of sophisticated boutique hotel Palacio Solecio alongside the first international outpost of the Pompidou centre and a super-yacht marina signals a new future for the historic Andalusian city. LUX checks in for a weekend of food, art and culture

We arrive on a warm spring evening. Our taxi drops us on the edge of the pedestrianised cobbled streets of Calle Granada, Málaga’s old Jewish quarters, where our hotel, Palacio Solecio, is located in a former 18th century Andalusian palace opposite a peach-coloured 14th century church. This part of the city has a serene, almost earthy feel to it, perhaps partly due to the plethora of historic buildings and narrow winding alleys but also because it feels lived in. There are none of the Irish bars and nightclubs that are so popular with hen and stag dos – although if that is your thing, the central strip is a matter of minutes away too. That said, Malaga has done much in recent years to shake its reputation as a party destination. With a new sleek port, a first-class culinary scene and a growing clutch of artistic attractions, it’s slowly beginning to attract more culturally-orientated visitors.

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After we’ve checked in and been shown to our bedroom – an elegant junior suite with an enormous four poster bed and a french balcony overhanging the street – we head back out to find somewhere to eat and stumble upon El Pimpi, a rustic tapas bar where, in true Mediterranean fashion, local families are crowded around tiny tables for a late night snack and glass of sherry. The menu is scrawled in Spanish on a large blackboard behind the bar and we pick a few plates, largely based on words we recognise. A few minutes later, a thick yellow wedge of tortilla arrives on our table along with boquerones en vinagre (white anchovies in oil and vinegar), patatas bravas drenched in a rich tomato sauce and crispy calamari. Málaga is renowned for having some of the best tapas in Spain and this is strong start.

A junior suite with french balconies

The next day is bright and fresh – warm enough to go without a jumper in the sun. We have been given an extensive list of recommendations by the hotel’s staff (all within walking distance), but decide to spend the morning wandering and set off without any particular direction in mind.

What strikes us the most is the sheer beauty of the city: its sun-washed palette, patterned ceramic tiles, hidden churches and vibrant plazas,  the way in which the ancient and modern coexist so seamlessly. One minute we’re walking past high street brands and the next, we’re standing in front of the ruins of a Roman theatre. The cathedral is especially astounding both for its monumental scale and the lush gardens that surround it. On our visit, a woman is sitting against one of the walls, singing a slow, haunting tune.

Read more: A tasting of Dalla Valle wines with the owners

For lunch, we take the hotel’s advice and find a table on the edge of the famed Atarazanas food market, listed as one of the best markets in the world by The Guardian in 2019. The food is exceptional: tortillitas de camarones (crispy prawn fritters) followed by fresh tuna kebabs with thick slices of beef tomato and pepper, and two enormous grilled king prawns. We then head down to the waterfront to visit the Pompidou Centre Málaga, the first international branch of the Pompidou Centre outside of Paris to view its permanent collection which includes a promising range of works by the likes of Picasso (Málaga’s most famous son), Bacon, Giacometti and Frida Kahlo. Although some of the pieces are compelling, we find the experience as a whole disappointing: the space is disorientating and the display lacks any curatorial concept. The Carmen Thyssen Museum, however, is wonderful. The permanent displays on the lower levels offer an intriguing insight into Spanish art history with a strong collection of Old Masters, while the upper galleries stage visiting exhibitions – during our visit, there’s an excellent presentation of works by American photographer Paul Strand.

Balausta, the hotel’s restaurant

That evening, we dine at Balausta, the hotel’s restaurant, located in a light-filled atrium edged with pillared archways. The menu focuses on Andalusian dishes made with fresh, local produce. Our waiter recommends we choose a few plates to share and  we opt for the tomato tasting platter and kale salad followed by the red tuna tartare and scallops cooked in tomato stew (a local recipe packed with flavour). The dishes are modestly sized, but perfect after our indulgent lunch while the unpretentious serving style feels very much in keeping with hotel’s relaxed, homely atmosphere.

After dinner, we make our way to Hammam Al Andalus (a five minute walk from the hotel) where we bathe in candlelit heated pools until midnight when the baths close and we drift back to our room for one of the best night’s sleeps we’ve ever had.

Rates from €179 per night on a room only basis. For further information or to book, visit www.palaciosolecio.com/en/

An aerial view of Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa and, to the right, the parkland of the Lichtentaler Allee

In the third edition of our four part luxury travel views column from our Summer 2021 issue, LUX editor-in-chief Darius Sanai checks into Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa in the scenic spa town of Baden-Baden

Drive north from Switzerland into Germany and along the flatlands of the Rhine valley, and you would have forgiven me for wanting to leave as quickly as I arrived. Yet just a few kilometres to your right you can see the undulating crest of the Black Forest (in reality a range of low mountains, not just a forest). Baden-Baden is a spa town set at the entrance to a valley; above it the road winds into the mountains, and the town itself is pleasingly encased by a variety of greens from meadows and trees.

The heart of Baden-Baden is a park, which runs along the mountain stream that flows through the town and beyond its famous opera house. This was a celebrated 19th-century retreat for the aristocracy, and the grandest location then is the grandest location now, the Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa.

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Stroll through the hotel’s lobby from the entrance on a quiet street (Baden-Baden is mostly about quiet streets) and through onto the terrace and garden on the other side, and you can walk across a private bridge across the river, with its panoply of ducks, through a gate for the guests of the hotel only, into the park and surrounding gardens. From there it is a five-minute walk to the cafés and promenade at the centre of town. Perfect for a Victorian used to being shuffled around in their landau carriage.

The hotel itself remains true to its history. This is part of the impossibly aristocratic Oetker Collection, which runs, among others, the old money Le Bristol in Paris, the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, and The Lanesborough in London.

The Art Deco bar in the Fritz & Felix restaurant, where craft beers vie with cocktails and local wines for your attention

There is a tranquil feel about this place, particularly if you choose a room overlooking the park – really, the only option you should consider. Your view is a canopy of trees and the stream: no roads or traffic in sight. Wander downstairs and sit out on the terrace for a drink, surrounded by trees.

Read more: Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava on light and space

It was a warm night when I stayed, and the combination of a very genteel 19th-century ambience and the very 21st-century cuisine of Fritz & Felix, the hotel’s contemporary-cool restaurant, was addictive. Corn salad with quinoa and pomegranate; local char (a hugely underrated fleshy white fish) with pumpkin, coconut, chilli and mandarin; pata negra with string beans and pied de mouton mushrooms. The southwest of Germany also makes some excellent pinot noir wines: it is very close to Burgundy, but as the climate is a little warmer and more continental, the Baden pinot noirs are a tad richer and softer than a typical Côte-d’Or red; and mine matched the pata negra very well.

The spa swimming pool

The Brenners is fabled for its spa, which is the kind of place you go to for a six-month programme to reshape your body and soul, rather than a simple treatment, though you can do that, too. There’s a big indoor pool with French windows opening out onto the gardens, and you can lounge outside when it’s warm.

Anyone who knows the Oetker hotels also knows the staff are among the best in the world at personalised treatment of guests, a kind of old-world je ne sais quoi without ever being too formal or in the way. A warm wave goodbye, water bottles installed in the car, just concluded a perfect memory. If I’d had more time, there would have been plenty of exploring Baden-Baden and its theatres, and the surrounding Black Forest and its walks and inns.

Book your stay: oetkercollection.com

This article was originally published in the Summer 2021 issue.

View across the lake of Bellagio dubbed ‘The Pearl of Lake Como’

Emma Love discovers a slew of fresh restaurant openings and exciting events attracting a cool new crowd to one of Italy’s favourite destinations

When the hotly anticipated Michelin Guide 2018 was launched, it came as no surprise that Ristorante Berton al Lago, part of Il Sereno hotel on the shores of Lake Como, was awarded a Michelin star within one year of opening. The restaurant, which is headed up by Milan-based restaurateur and chef Andrea Berton (he is already a heavyweight on the Milan dining scene with four Michelin stars across three restaurants) and executive chef Raffaele Lenzi,excels at Italian dishes with a modern twist, using seasonal ingredients from northern Italy. Paired with interiors by renowned architect and designer Patricia Urquiola and a terrace with a prime position right on the lake, it was always going to be a winning combination.

The lake is lined with picturesque villages

Yet this restaurant is simply the latest addition to Lake Como’s buzzing foodie scene. While once the region was mostly renowned for grand stately hotels and historic villas, now a bunch of game-changing openings are appealing to a new generation of jet-set visitors. Smartly dressed Milanese are still flocking here each weekend during the summer (it is only an hour outside the city) to nip between the pretty shoreside villages on sleek wooden boats and sip negronis at Harry’s Bar in Cernobbio, but these days they are also snapping up tables at the new wave of talked-about restaurants.

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“With the opening of Il Sereno and the new life that has been instilled in the Grand Hotel Tremezzo by owner Valentina de Santis, Lake Como feels ‘cool’ again,” says Emily Fitzroy, who founded Bellini Travel almost 20 years ago, and is a leading expert on Italy. “With Milan in easy reach – 20 minutes by helicopter – Como feels more accessible than ever, which makes it all the more attractive for younger visitors who tend to be time poor and adventure seeking. The lake has become a place of pilgrimage for hikers and cyclists, who come to experience some of the most important cycle routes in all of Italy.”

Another hot spot causing a stir since it opened in 2016 is Ristorante Materia (also in Cernobbio). At the helm is young chef Davide Caranchini (named in this year’s Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list) whose radical offering goes against the meat-rich norm by featuring an inspired five-course ‘green power’ vegetarian tasting menu (think dishes such as poached egg, spring legumes and tomato tea, or goat’s cheese ravioli with black cabbage and Sarawak black pepper juice) with ingredients grown in the restaurant’s own greenhouse. His signature dessert is called Banksy: a paper-thin layer of smoked yoghurt and chamomile cream stencilled in the shape of one of the street artist’s iconic images.

Ristorante Materia is known for its vegetarian tasting menu

Equally as exciting as what’s served up on the plate are the developments in the drinks industry. While Italy might be renowned for its wines (and lagers such as Birra Moretti and Peroni), for the past few years there has also been a growing craft-beer movement. Small local brewery Birrificio Italiano produces a complex dark wheat beer called Vudù, while brew pub Il Birrificio di Como in Como’s city centre is the place to try a selection of malt beers. There are also a number of cocktail bars upping the ante and attracting the hip crowd, including street-food restaurant and bar 100 Lire and the Fresco Cocktail Shop in Como, with its 1940s-themed interiors, jazzy soundtrack and waistcoat-wearing mixologists who will shake up drinks made with citrus fruits grown nearby.

Read more: Founder of Corinthia Hotels Alfred Pisani on going global

Of course, as you might expect from such a holidaymaker’s honeypot, a packed programme of events takes place throughout the year, from the annual Lake Como International Music Festival (during the summer season) to the historic car show at Villa d’Este (every May) and a series of ‘Night at the Park’ evenings where funky live bands play in Park Teresio in Tremezzo. By far the most-anticipated happening this year was Dolce & Gabbana’s Alta Moda couture presentation (the Italian couture line is presented via a series of special events around the world), consisting of a men’s show at Villa Carlotta Park and women’s runway at Teresio Olivelli, both in Tremezzina. “The fact that the lake played host to the Dolce & Gabbana couture show ensures that it’s now firmly on the fashionista’s Grand Tour,” says Fitzroy. “It was a big moment for Como.”

A popular aperitivo spot Harry’s Bar in Cernobbio. Above: Lecco at Sunset.

Another new happening that drew a very different crowd was the inaugural Lake Como Comic Art Festival at Villa Erba in Cernobbio (it was a huge success and takes place again in May 2019). Bestselling cult comic-book artists such as Americans Neal Adams and Greg Capullo (between them, they are best known for creating some of the imagery of the DC Comics characters Batman and Green Arrow) were among the guest appearances.

The best way to see Como is by boat

With so much on the calendar, it’s no wonder Lake Como has long proved to be a favourite destination for second home owners. “Its central position in Europe and the beauty of the mountains means it’s ideal for a quick vacation, suitable for both domestic and international buyers,” says Lodovico Pignatti Morano, managing partner of Italy Sotheby’s International Realty, a company that sells lake-front detached properties with a starting point of €4.5million. “Although jet-setters have always visited Lake Como, it is becoming increasingly popular as more people become aware of the area’s unique offering.”

Read more: New luxury hotel Chais Monnet opens near Bordeaux

Savvy shoppers come to Lake Como for the regular markets, scooping up antique finds in Como’s San Fedele Square (on the first Saturday of each month) and anything from original bespoke handmade furniture to locally made gifts and fashion accessories at Mercato dell’ Artigianato, an artisan crafts market held at the end of October in Lecco. Also top of the shopping list is the region’s most famous export – silk. Two of the best-known brands are Mantero and Ratti, suppliers to major fashion houses such as Saint Laurent, Nina Ricci and Trussardi. Beautiful scarves and neck ties can be bought at the Mantero outlet shop in Grandate, while the little-known Fondazione Antonio Ratti is a textiles museum in 18th-century Villa Sucota, which displays fabrics collected by Antonio Ratti throughout his life.

The pretty village of Menaggio on the Western side of the lake and its jetty

Other under-the-radar gems on Lake Como include the quirky La Ca di Radio Vecc museum in Bellano, where you can lust after the kind of groovy old radios and gramophones that are making a comeback, and the lido in Menaggio. A 15-minute walk from the harbour, it is surely the town’s best-kept secret and with two swimming pools, a sandy beach and a deck that stretches out over the water – the perfect place to spend a lazy afternoon in the sun. Across the water, the lido in Bellagio is another beach hangout by day and turns into a nightclub after dark (Friday dinner parties begin with aperitivo at 7.30pm and end at 4am).

The best way to explore is still by getting out on the water or up in the air. Bellagio Water Sports offers kayaking and stand-up paddle-board tours, while the AeroClub Como specialises in private seaplane flights and lessons. And despite all that’s new, Lake Como’s timeless, sophisticated charms remain – and are now being enjoyed by the next generation.

Six must-book restaurants on Lake Como

La Mistral, Bellagio
This Michelin star restaurant has a superb terrace overlooking the lake. Expect inventive, molecular cuisine.
ristorante-mistral.com

Locanda la Tirlindana, Sala Comacina
Set in a pretty waterfront square with fantastic views of Isola Comacina. The lemon ravioli is the stand-out dish.
latirlindana.it

I Tigli in Theoria, Como
A Michelin star restaurant and art gallery set in a restored 15th-century palazzo.
theoriagallery.it

Feel, Como
Farm-to-table food with a focus on local ingredients, served in a contemporary setting.
feelcomo.com

La Punta, Bellagio
Its menu features lake fish caught by the owners, the wine list has more than 300 Italian and French labels, views are stunning.
ristorantelapunta.it

Momi, Blevio
Michelin star food served in a simple, charming restaurant by the jetty. The homemade desserts are especially delicious.
ristorantemomi.it