There is something perversely satisfying about lying in a great bed and drifting off to sleep in a dreamscape (or hotspot) of a hotel.
Take The Dorchester in London, where all the rooms exude an electric mix of old-world glamour and gleaming-marble opulence following a mammoth restoration that concludes with the grand reveal of the Penthouse and Pavilion suite next year. A highlight, however, is the unveiling of the Oliver Messel Suite, and the meticulous restoration of a hidden mural sketched by the designer on one of the suite’s walls. Aesthetics aside, there is a guaranteed promise of a great night’s sleep too, thanks to the Tielle bedding in each bedroom; those Savoy duck feather down duvets and pillows and 400-thread count sheets conjure a soporific magic akin to a strong dose of melatonin.
But back to Messel’s theatrical masterpiece of a suite that is the most dramatic expression and romantic backdrop for nocturnal glamour. As to be expected, seeing as the stage designer and esteemed aesthete Messel designed the ballet production of Sleeping Beauty back in 1946, his namesake suite remains a paean to curlicue elegance and Arcadian fantasy, where the bed will make the perfect stage for the best Chinese takeaway order of scallop dim sum and lobster noodles from China Tang downstairs.
Oliver Meissel suite at The Dorchester
Over at another bastion of silken elegance, the Ritz in Paris, to see the queue at Bar Hemingway at 5pm will make you think it’s simply worth booking a room for a guaranteed spot. Otherwise, the Ritz Bar, with the occult theatricality of its astrologic-inspired decor, is a sight to behold, as are the most poetic Martinis made with a distilled jasmine essence – as you would expect at one of the city’s most fabled spots, commissioned by Louis XIV, the Sun King himself. Here, in one of its opulent suites, everything really is in the details: be it the towels, pillowcases (monogrammed with your initials) or the duvets like iced silk, which owe that indomitable sheen to the Pima cotton used in the Erica collection, part of the Ritz Paris’ famous linen line. (You can buy the whole bedding set to recreate this sensational sleeping situation at home.) And seeing as you really will not want to leave the gilded splendour of your bed, it would be rude not to run a bath – where you can admire those golden swan head taps – order up a Ritz club sandwich and happily spend your evening in the softest blush bathrobe.
The perfect shade of the palest Fragonard pink is to be found further down in the south of France, specifically in the Luberon, at Château La Coste, where the rosé draws glamorous oenophiles all year round. But it’s not just the vineyard to relish; there is, of course, the museum-worthy art collection, with its Tadao Ando and Tunga pieces, not to mention destination restaurants, from Francis Mallman to Hélène Darroze at Villa La Coste, that make it such an aesthetic experience. But then everything at this Provencal estate is taken to stratospheric heights, including the vast loft-style suites, with giant marble baths, and the most startlingly white cloud-like beds, dressed in the softest Portuguese linen. Not to be missed are the olive-shaped chocolate almonds, which turn the ritual of a turndown present into an art form.
There are always crowds to be found in Florence, especially at the Uffizi or the Galleria dell’Accademia, taking in all this Renaissance wonders. Afterwards, sometimes it’s best to process – and take stock of everything you’ve seen – horizontally. Yes, we all want a room with a view to hole up in. And the latest palazzo hotel of this Tuscan hotspot – that doubles as a chic private world – is The James, a 16th-century wonderland devised by the Florentine designer James Cavagnari. No expense has been spared, from the porcelains from Jars Céramistes to the quality of your night’s sleep, as James went straight to Gamba 1918 for its 600-thread count sheets and bedding. Its artisan Italian producers certainly know how to elevate cotton in all forms, where the family is also renowned for its broderie anglaise, macramé and bobbin lace. Indeed, the Court Suite’s canopied bed is worthy of a Merchant Ivory backdrop. Come autumn, when the foraging season is in full swing, could there be a better room-service moment than savoring a bowl of buttery taglioni with a generous amount of white truffle shavings in bed?
