Hence I wanted to learn more about all the bells and whistles of this stunning architectural structure.

Merlion near Marina Bay Sands hotel

Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands Hotel is part of a huge complex that not only includes the luxurious 5-star hotel but also a casino, elegant shopping malls and the iconic Art Science Museum featuring temporary exhibitions.

Marina Bay Sands Art Science Museum

The hotel is connected to the walk around the bay via a glitty helix structure that by night is illuminated by blueish LED lights.

Helix bridge to Marina Bay Sands Hotel and shoppes

By night you get an overwhelming view of the hotel and casino complex anyway. Here’s the view as offered from the Fullerton Bay Hotel’s rooftop terrace. It is located at the feet of Singapore’s financial district across the Bay.

Marina Bay Sands Hotel and shops as seen from the Fullerton Bay Hotel by night

Marina Bay Sands’ three hotel towers feature a lofty atrium hosting the reception and several restaurants.

From here you can take an elevator to the Skypark rooftop infinity pool and bar. The observation deck and the restaurants are open to the public, the infinity pool is a hotel guest area only.

Skypark’s infinity pool and financial district

The infinity pool is an elegant boat-like structure with huge cantilever and boasts the greatest view of Singapore’s bustling financial district. From the public observation deck you can see the Formula 1 pits across the canal.

Just underneath the Skypark you’ll find the Banyan Tree spa with its own café with a view.

Banyan Tree Spa cafe

Skypark sitting on Marina Bay Sands hotel towers

Marina Bay Sands Art Science Museum

When I was in Singapore one of two exhibitions on display was The Art of Brick by Nathan Sawaya. No, I usually don’t play around with Lego, but yes, the exhibition was impressive, indeed!

Lego exhibition in Marina Bay Sands’ Art Science Museum

Deemed as one of CNN‟s 12 „Must-see Exhibitions‟, The Art of the Brick treats visitors to stunning displays of intricate sculptures made from hundreds of thousands LEGO bricks.

Lego exhibition in Marina Bay Sands’ Art Science Museum

For more information on Nathan Sawaya and The Art of the Brick, visit www.brickartist.com

The second exhibition was Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb. It reveals the secrets of the mysterious Egyptian burial practices and mummification process. A 3D film captures the “virtual unwrapping” of the 3,000-year old mummy of Egyptian temple priest Nesperennub – whose original cartonnage coffin has never been opened.

The analysis of his mummy was performed using a non-invasive computer tomograph scan.

Thanks a lot to Marina Bay Sands’ social media officers Bhavna Moolani and Philicia Tan for coordinating my visit and showing me around these impressive premises!

Oh, and before I forget, the last time around my photograph of Marina Bay Sands Hotel got “stolen” more than 100 times without proper crediting. I wrote about it here.

Wonder how my photographs will fare this time around…

View of Marina Bay Sands Casino Hotel during dusk as seen from Singapore’s Esplanade

There was a problem connecting to Twitter.

There was a problem connecting to Twitter.

There was a problem connecting to Twitter.

A bridge offers easy access to Panglao from Bohol. Alona Beach is Panglao’s bar and party district. If you are into night life you should check out this beach.

Anda on Panglao’s South-East cost boasts the whitest beaches possible and nice diving. More and more hotels are building up their presence here.

If you care for a more tranquil stay and you are looking for a stylish boutique hotel consider The Ananyana Beach Resort & Spa.

Hammocks at Ananyana’s beach

Ananyana Boutique Hotel

Ananyara staff will pick you up from Tagbilaran airport and give you an easy 20 minutes drive to their hotel.

Especially at night you’ll enjoy the elegant and relaxed atmosphere. The lounge, if you can even call the outdoor area that way, is right next to the beach.

Open hotel lounge by the beach

Hotel Restaurant

The restaurant is situated in yet another open space next to lounge and pool.

Pool lounger and restaurant

Here’s where you will want to taste chef Richard’s creations. The soup and tuna tatar were delicious starters, but the prawns for the main course were simply fabulous!

Prawns for mains

Thanks, Richard, you’re a good man :-)

Chef Richard in the open kitchen

Now Richard obviously is not on his own, the whole staff was super friendly and attentive, well done!

And when time for dessert came, they let their pyromaniacs lead the way ;-)

Flambé!

Hotel Rooms and Suites

The rooms feature sleek boutique style living at its best, e.g. they have no TVs. You’re supposed to relax properly here…

But if you want to really take it to the next level, you may want to ask for the ‘owner’s suite‘ next to the pool.

Pool and Owner’s Suite

The suite is an amazing open space with curtains dividing it into different zones. The bedroom boasts a huge rattan bed. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are said to have the exact same model. Anyone in the knows about that?

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s “canopy bed”

The “bathroom” is another zone simply divided by curtains. This space concept makes for a huge shower, see the background…

Owner’s suite bathtub and shower

Atmospheric Spa Design

The spa comes in strong Asian colors and authentic decor. Very enticing ;-)

Spa treatment room

Asian styled spa decor

Please find more information on Ananyana’s website.

Robinson Crusoe Feeling in Palawan

Another commendable Philippine destination is Palawan. It boasts the most spectacular island and Robinson Crusoe setup with top beaches and dive sites. Top hotels are by Anan and the likes… Will have to check those out the next time around…

This visit was made possible by Stephan Roemer from Swiss tour operator tourasia and Nina Eberth from Singapore Airlines. Thanks for taking me to the Philippines!

Tour guide Gerry of local incoming agency Blue Horizons, thanks for having us!

Ranking as the nine largest island of this South-East Asian archipelago, Cebu is a major industrial city hosting the likes of Profood, one of the World’s largest producer of dried mango and other fruit.

But also smaller outlets like renowned Alegre Guitars name Cebu their home.

Moevenpick Cebu Hotel

Marcelo Fernan suspension bridge

Marcelo Fernan suspension bridge connects bustling Cebu and the small island Mactan. Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan happened to be killed here 1521 in a tribal skirmish. Also Cebu’s Mactan International Airport is situated on the island.

In the beach area, an easy 10 minutes drive from the airport, you will find the two 5-star hotels Shangri-La Mactan Resort and Spa and Mövenpick Mactan Island Resort and Spa. While the first shines in classy ambience and the stellar Cowrie Cove restaurant by the beach, the latter is a trendy beachfront resort with an Ibiza Beach Club, private beach and a hip lifestyle experience.

Ibiza Beach Club deck

The white Ibiza Beach Club and its wooden deck is at the heart of a relaxed ‘barefoot elegance’ concept promoted throughout the pool and beach area. Its idyllic location together with a wedding gazebo offer perfect conditions for different types of events.

Wedding gazebo and Ibiza Beach Club

Renowned Filipino hospitality is the topping… I dubbed them “aggressively friendly”, as in genuinely friendly!

And should things still boil over, you can always try the garden cabanas or one of the semi-submerged aqua seating areas. Relax in style…

Chill in style in semi-submerged aqua loungers!

At night the pier club turns into a blue light and DJ inspired music spectacle.

Mövenpick Cebu’s Ibiza Beach Club at night

“The Sails” All Day Dining Restaurant

The Sails is where you’ll enjoy your famous Mövenpick breakfast buffet. It comprises of several stations with Asian delicacies but also Swiss style müsli. And also the Spanish heritage is visible via tasty Chorizo sausages.

Ferrari styled hotel lobby sails

As the name suggests you can also have lunch and dinner at The Sails. According to your preferences you may as well want to check the more casual Ibiza Beach Club Indoor – which serves Mediterranean and Spanish tapas together with a nice bottle of wine…

Ibiza Beach Club Indoor’s wine selection

Hotel Rooms

The deluxe and suite hotel rooms are elegantly equipped and most of them boast spectacular views of the ocean or vantage points overlooking Mactan Island.

Standard room type hotel bed

The presidential suite has a one of a kind view of the jetty port underneath.

View from presidential suite

And also the bathroom looks reasonably spacious. Let alone the living room…

Lavabos in presidential suite bathroom

Presidential suite living room

Too bad these guys — and girls, in modern times — are supposed to work all the time…

Mactan Island / Cebu Activities

Mövenpick Hotel Mactan Cebu is conveniently located beside a jetty port which makes accessing the surrounding dive sites and tropical islands easy.

There are also a few golf courses around but their layout didn’t look all too exciting. I didn’t try them this time around. Mind you, depending on the season you’re already sweating just hanging around somewhere in the shadow…

@travel_memo explores “Hip living by the beach” @MovenpickHotel Cebu, Maktan Island #Philippines. http://t.co/9GOSdehx96

May 27, 2013 3:03 PM via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@MovenpickHotel

Mövenpick Hotels

This Visit Was Made Possible by…

Thanks a lot Sasha for coordinating my visit and Valentina and Charo for showing me around!

Mövenpick managers Valentina and Charo

And thanks to Jessica Esser from the Mövenpick Headquarters for hinting me to this marvellous hideaway!

And last but not least thanks to Stephan Roemer from Swiss tour operator tourasia and Nina Eberth from Singapore Airlines for taking me to the Philippines in the first place!

Come with us, guest relations manager Vera is giving us a tour!

Iconic hotel design

From the outside W Barcelona is eye-catching already. You can spot the hotel’s sail shaped main building from far away. Say while arriving by plane…

Vueling landing in Barcelona. W Hotel “sail” reflecting sun light in harbour area

But mind you, the hotel is not situated in the ‘city centre’! I.e. you better grab a taxi from here when taking to the city’s historic attractions since the hotel’s location at the outmost end of the new harbour mole may offer spectacular city and sea views but it is also relatively remote for pedestrians. I hired a bicycle rickshaw to get there in style ;-)

Walter entering W Barcelona

W Insider Xavi and guest relations manager Vera were so kind to show me around the impressive design hotel.

Inside the hotel is roomy, elegant and stylish. With 473 guest rooms and suites it’s huge but you wouldn’t tell from the experience. It feels more like a cosy design hotel.

The reception area is very generous with several desks and an atrium many, many stores high. You’re in awe the moment you enter the building.

Hotel Rooms at W Barcelona

First things we took to see the hotel rooms. I was blown away by the ‘standard’ Wonderful room type already. Given the hotel’s perpendicular orientation towards both sides of the beach all hotel rooms offer amazing views of Barcelona’s shoreline, the city and the sea likewise.

View of Barceloneta from ‘Wonderful’ hotel room

Once I recovered from the view you enjoy right from your hotel bed I quickly noticed that the room’s design is fully up to par with Barcelona’s and W’s own high design standards. Stark color contrasts and a stylish bath room make for an impeccable experience.

W Barcelona (standard) Wonderful room type

Not to mention the minibar, as it comes with a twist — I’ve never felt urged to have a drink at checking into a room like here…

W Barcelona minibar with a view

So much for the ‘typical’ hotel room. We now could take the elevator and go down to check out the hotel’s restaurants and listen to the DJ at the bar. But… as a travel blogger you’ve also GOT to check out some other room types, say a WOW Suite?

At 31 square meters the lofty exterior terrace alone is a jaw-dropping experience! But also the full-fledged living room and the spacious bedroom(s) are equally impressive…

WOW Suite living room

WOW Suite bedroom and bath

Enough already, let’s go down and recover by the bar…

W Bar and WAVE Restaurant

Eventuelly you’ve deserved to sip from your drink and listen to the DJ at the bar or the lounge next to it.

DJ Kareem Junior at W Bar

And after this and the numerous impressions you’ll obviously be hungry. This is when you may want to move over to the WAVE restaurant. Its elegant atmosphere is impressive day and night. Either the sun or the lighting will playfully enhance the stylish decor.

Wave restaurant reception

If you prefer to treat yourself to tapas or even the full gourmet dinner, you will want to venture into the first floor. This is the realm of renowned Michelin star chef Carles Abellan‘s Bravo 24 restaurant.

Bravo restaurant by renowned chef Carles Abellan

The tapas bar is orchestrated around the preparation area where barman Alberto and his colleagues put together the best and the finest Spanish tapas tradition has on offer.

Cava at Bravo 24 tapas bar

We left testing the actual gourmet restaurant for the next time we visit bustling Barcelona… The tapas were all promising already!

Eclipse Bar — Blueish Drinks with a View

After dinner you can’t miss the Eclipse bar. Take the dedicated elevator to the top floor where an all blue bar is nestled into the glass and steel construction.

Eclipse sky bar

Eclipse bar easily offers the most spectacular views of Barcelona’s harbour district and its surroundings.

View of Barcelona and Montjuïc from Eclipse bar by night

Phew, what a location! Time to finally get a good night’s sleep, see you around!

And our Gratitude Goes to…

This trip was made possible by Swiss travel agent travel.ch and their go-getting CEO Inka Nobel. Many thanks also to city trip specialist Martina Schmidlin for putting together the itinerary!

And thanks to Susanne Schmitt from travel PR agency Primus Communications for hinting me to this opportunity!

@W_Barcelona boasts stylish #hotel #design with spectacular #Barcelona views. Here’s our review http://t.co/nRwjiFkt4o

May 25, 2013 4:01 PM via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@travel_memo

Katja & Walter

#REVIEW W Hotel, Barcelona, Spainhttp://t.co/HxgJWbUeIKvia @travel_memo @W_Barcelona

May 25, 2013 4:52 PM via Tweet ButtonReplyRetweetFavorite

@hotrev

HotelsReviewed

There was a problem connecting to Twitter.

W logos beside main hotel entrance

And as per usual with W hotels you won’t miss the DJ. His sound mix is available via BOSE sound system in different variations throughout the hotel, including hotel rooms and an underwater sound system. Which, as a little side note, should be tuned to be louder since your own underwater breathing noise is considerable… Had sales and marketing manager Supriah not pointed out the feature I would not have noticed.

Pool bar at night

Anyway, the design is rich in anecdotes and referrals to the local purple orchid. Hence the ornamental patterns and according purple lighting.

Spa pool

Everyone in the hotel from the approachable French general manager Stephane to the waiters in the restaurant will proudly hint to the stylish decor items.

Evening ambience in hotel lobby with GM Stephane

Skirt Hotel Restaurant

Restaurant “Skirt”

One of the hotel’s numerous highlights is it’s Skirt steak restaurant. Australian chef Andrew Nocente and his team focus on high quality Australian meat and unusual cuts such as ‘skirt’. The delicately prepared meat makes for an awesome food experience, indeed, we enjoyed it a mountain!

Skirt beef Wellington

Apparently the Skirt restaurant is quickly developing into Singapore’s latest foody hotspot. According testimonials come from the likes of entrepreneur Tjin Lee, Audi Fashion Festival director.

Beware of the prices on the wine list, though, for prices are extremely steep! Or what do you call $20 for wine by the glass? Bottle prices start at $150 and easily go over $250…

W Hotel Rooms

Bathroom in Away room category

The hotel rooms come in the usual W types Fabulous, Away or the stellar Wow suite.

Wow living room

On this occurrence the latter features a cosy living room, a sleek bed room with a huge bath tub and a terrace with its own infinity pool overlooking the yachts in the marina. Not bad at all…

View of marina from Wow terrace

Sentosa Island

Sentosa Island is easily accessible by taxi, monorail, and even funicular as it features a huge entertainment complex including Asia’s largest aquarium, two golf courses and the merlion landmark.

Illuminated merlion

Besides from the W Hotel on Sentosa Cove the Mövenpick Heritage hotel is another luxurious option for staying on Sentosa Island.

The taxi to the city Centre costs around $15, the transfer to Changi Airport costs just over $30. Make sure you ask for a credit card reader if you don’t plan to pay with Singapore dollars. I had to dribble around as this particular taxi was not equipped according to most other taxis. But the driver was very helpful and helped me out.

This Trip was Made Possible by…

Many thanks to W’s PR manager Dawn for making this booking possible! And best wishes to marketing and sales manager Supriya, thanks for showing me around the lovely property! Also GM Stephane was supportive in helping me understand the interior design concept.

Walter and Supriya Ghosh in the elevator

And also a hearty dankeschön to SWISS Airlines who made this trip possible via the inauguration of their new routing Zurich – Singapore.

Singer at gala dinner at Singapore’s new Cruise Center

Mövenpick illuminated facade

Mövenpick Heritage hotel comes in a classy building with warm interior design.

Lounge

Hotel rooms

The rooms feature sleek design and modern infrastructure. In no time had I hooked up my laptop to the TV set in order to listen to my own music.

Hotel room

The bathroom is very generous, modern and spacious.

Toto lavabo

Wow Bar in Cooperation with Swiss Waldhaus am See from St. Moritz

Wow bar by Waldhaus am See, St. Moritz, Switzerland

The Wow bar is related to Switzerland’s Waldhaus am See whisky bar that boasts one of the World’s largest whisky selection. Accordingly also Moevenpick Heritage has their own whisky specialist Christoph Nyfeler.

Whisky expert Christoph Nyfeler at Mövenpick’s Wow bar

He had us try a cask strength Glenlossie 1984. It actually was not as strong as anticipated but very tasty instead!

Also the dinner buffet was very good and varied. Of all already excellent items (the Züri Geschnetzelts is very commendable) we thought the scallop soup was outstanding!

Dinner buffet

Moevenpick Heritage is situated right next to Sentosa Island’s entertainment park and one of its four monorail stations. And the Merlion, of course…

Illuminated Merlion and chess on hotel terrace

Activities – What to Do on Sentosa Island

Sentosa Island features the exclusive Sentosa Golf Club, home to the prestigious tournaments HSBC Women’s Champions and the Asian Tour.

Needless to say that given the location on an island you will be facing countless water hazards… The Serapong Course, revamped in 2007, is a challenge not only due to its ondulated terrain but also the spectacular Singapore harbour backdrop.

The same is true for the Tanjong Course, except that it has the South China Sea for a backdrop.

Unfortunately I didn’t have time to personally play a round this time around. You can get really busy when trying to check out Singapore in just two days…

Illuminated entertainment park

There’s also a huge entertainment park with one of the World’s largest aquariums and access via monorail, car, bus or air cable car.

Air cable car over Sentosa Island

And then there are also popular beaches, all accessible via monorail or bus.

A hearty dankeschön to SWISS Airlines for making this trip possible via the inauguration of their new daily routing Zurich – Singapore! Here’s an according report on their inaugurational flight and gala dinner (in German, photos in English).

Swiss travel blogger @travel_memo reviews @MovenpickHotel Sentosa #Singapore: http://t.co/0aLYLM6CcH

May 23, 2013 5:05 PM via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@MovenpickHotel

Mövenpick Hotels

@MovenpickHotel @travel_memo i felt totally in love in the Movenpick Sentosa!!!

May 23, 2013 5:09 PM via UberSocial for BlackBerryReplyRetweetFavorite

@Graupix

SoniaTravelGuides

Classy #stay on Singapore’s #Sentosa Island http://t.co/tVxVD88PFd Thanks @MovenpickHotel for having me and @FlySWISS for the invite!

May 23, 2013 6:15 PM via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@travel_memo

Katja & Walter

I got the opportunity to pick Marcel’s brain and conduct an interview, here’s what he had to say…

What sets Marcel Wanders Studio apart from others

Marcel Wanders and his 50 staff team in Amsterdam work intensely on a hotel’s interior details and innovate and develop them during the project together with their clients. All ideas, initiatives and projects start and end on Marcel’s desk, he’s the studio’s mastermind. Yet, he and his team will always exactly want to understand what the hotel guest’s needs are. Or, as office director Robin Bevers puts it:

“You can hire an interior designer to put chairs in your space, or you can hire Marcel Wanders Studio to make people come to your space.”

Wherever Marcel and his team go, they will want to understand local traditions in order to “pass forward the fire” that has lived in traditional objects for generations. They want to make sure that guests eventually will want to come to their hotels due to the local details and identity.

Andaz Amsterdam: Reception area with three bell shaped chandeliers

The bell is an icon Marcel uses frequently in hotel design. It used to be a tool to call people in order to gather, say at church, for lunch, or call the ‘bell man’.

At the Hyatt hotel Andaz Amsterdam (here’s our own review) for example you may find the typical Dutch wooden shoes but they come with a twist in that they have a yawning mouth painted into them…

Clogs with a yawning mouth. Mind the crosses, will talk about them in a while

In cases like Kameha Grand Bonn Marcel Wanders and his team were even co-authors of the brand proposition in order to guarantee a seamless customer experience.

Architect Sebastian Knorr, Operator Carsten Rath and Marcel Wanders for Kameha Grand Zurich

Marcel stresses the point that he wants to give hotel guests the feeling that they have actually arrived at a given city. You should feel, really, whether you came to Amsterdam’s Andaz, (freakin’) Miami’s Mondrian South Beach Hotel or Manhattan’s Hotel on Rivington.

Interestingly enough the latter features several furniture items that are also being used in Amsterdam’s Andaz. Obviously Marcel Wanders’ understanding of the Genius Loci, the site’s feng shui, is not based on furniture alone…

How they work at Marcel Wanders Studio in the Westerhuis, Amsterdam

What’s the Next Big Thing in Hotel Interior Design?

When I asked Marcel Wanders my last question, i.e. what the next big thing in hotel design would be, he thought a while and then came up with Andaz Hotel’s video installations. Instead of paintings and ‘conventional’ artwork they have 45 top level art video installations in different areas of the hotel and they award and buy around 3 to 6 more per year from artists like Ryan Gander, Erwin Olaf or Mark Titchner.

Andaz Amsterdam: Video screen installation in the chandelier

The largest display screen for the presentation of video footage is located in the lounge and is comprised of nine 60-inch televisions. But you may as well check out the videos on the dedicated art video channel in your guestroom’s TV.

The rationale behind this is that nowadays guests that come to lifestyle hotels usually in their work day don’t have much time. But in a hotel of this type they do. They go to the spa facilities, the gym, and, they hang out in the lounge…
Hence Marcel wants to entertain them with appealing interior design and according art and video installations.

Corridor that could make for a video installation ;-)

Marcel almost compares his hotels to top notch museums:

“Name your preferred museum and imagine you could live, eat and sleep there in style.”
 

What an experience, indeed! It gives me goose pimples when I think about it…

“And what if you not only saw the pieces of art but you also actually knew that they are from fantastic masters in their field, that changes who you are, right?”

I guess so, yes! Since you ‘see what you know’ I personally tend to go with guides to see touristic attractions. You just see so much more when an expert explains the details… Or, to cite the beforementioned clogs: Would you have guessed that the three crosses stand for Amsterdam’s virtues ‘Valiant, Steadfast, Compassionate’? You will come across that symbol several times throughout Andaz Amsterdam…

Marcel wants to give hotel guests the feeling that they’re coming to an art connoisseur friend’s house and should feel free to participate in the host’s passion for art.

At best, rich authentic warmth is the result of this personal museum experience. In such an environment the simple words ‘be my guest‘ contain a completely new meaning!

Marcel didn’t necessarily want to dub this a coming trend, yet, but it’s something he invented and now observes in his daily studies.

Well, we’re looking forward to go and experience Marcel’s next hotel opening soon…

Thanks to Marcel for the interesting walk and also thanks to Robin Bevers for shedding light on the details of their working procedures.

Kameha Grand Zurich press conference

Here are our impressions from a quick visit to Andaz Amsterdam.

Next big thing in #hotel interior design http://t.co/zbZ3DISQGZ Interview with renowned Marcel Wanders @wanderswonders

April 27, 2013 9:20 AM via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@travel_memo

Katja & Walter

And also many thanks to Vanessa Bay and Susanne Schmitt of Primus Communications for having me at the press conference!

Hotel W, Santiago de Chile

W Santiago is conveniently located in a modern district not far from the Bellavista entertainment district and Sanhattan’s new towers. The Los Leones golf course is virtually around the corner. Considering Santiago’s size hosting 7 million inhabitants, anyway.

You will recognize the hotel from a distance since it boasts the typical W iconic design. Arriving by helicopter is even easier, there is no other helipad wide and far, as Google Maps will prove.

W Santiago’s helipad as visualized by Google Maps

Venues and Amenities

W Santiago features several lounge areas with different names and designs. They all use stark color contrasts and iconic furniture design and decoration.

Tea library: Walter is mirroring on the left, Katja’s red on the right

Lobby lounger

Lounge decoration

Lounge decoration

You’re left with a truly tough choice where to hang out properly…

And then you may as well take to the rooftop and enjoy the WET pool and yet two other lounges… They really give you a hard time here!

Rooftop lounge and helipad

Unless you arrived by helicopter, of course. Then you already know the rooftop area. Now THAT makes life easier ;-)

So far so good, enough choice already! Obviously until here everybody should have enough options to choose from. But then again you are at W Santiago, therefore there is yet even one more, i.e. the dizzying Whiskey Blue lounge by the renowned Gerber Group. If that doesn’t resonate with you, maybe Rande Gerber does, Cindy Crawford’s husband? It doesn’t get more exclusive than that!

Rande Gerber’s Whiskey Blue bar and lounge

Hotel Restaurants

Mind you, as if choosing from the several attractive lounges wasn’t hard enough, W Santiago also comes with a variety of restaurants…

At Noso renowned restaurateur Jean-Paul Bondoux and chef Sergio Gonzalez combine classic French cuisine with a Mediterranean twist. As you can tell from the interior design, you better ask for advice regarding the wine…

Noso restaurant and wine selection

On a mild summer day you will probably want to venture into the open Chilean Terraza bistro. You can always try the excellent meat but in no case should you miss the fresh seafood! Board the aquatic adventure via erizos (sea urchins) and locos (Chilean abalone) to ceviches and oysters borde negro.

Open Terraza restaurant

And if you are even more adventurous there’s still chef Ciro Watanabe’s (what a name, you can hear the samurai swords!) Osaka. His multicultural cornucopia is filled with exotic flavors from Peru, Thailand, China and Japan. Your chopsticks will poke around delicacies like ceviche Osaka, Thai scallops, teriyaki balsamic sirloin and Nippon confit duck, among other.

Ciro Watanabe’s Osaka fusion restaurant

And yes, there are also hotel rooms, here…

Rooms at Hotel W, Santiago

The hotel was opened as recently as 2009 and sports 176 luxuriously designed and equipped rooms and 20 suites with each floor being themed differently with icebergs, sand dunes or snowy mountains.

As per usual with W hotels, already their standard room type is called “Wonderful”. Now that’s a promising name! And guess what, it is wonderful, indeed!

“Wonderful” room

But there are many more room categories! We were happy enough to also see a “Marvelous Suite”. It is larger and features a huge terrace with views of Santiago’s Manhattan-style “Sanhattan” district.

Marvelous Suite hotel bed

Marvelous Suite salon

And then that was already it in terms of rooms we got to see. When we visited Santiago mid of March the hotel was fully booked! Congratulations! You’ll have to check out their Wow and Extreme Wow Suites through their website. Those suites look like stylish apartments with spectacular views of Santiago…

Many thanks to Leonardo Luengo, Entertainment & Leisure Manager, for showing us around!

Here are some more impressions from our visit at the all stylish W Santiago.

@WHotels Check out our photo essay http://t.co/SAA1JJvTdV from awesome W #Santiago #ttot @HotRev #FodorsTravel #designhotel

April 24, 2013 9:30 AM via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@travel_memo

Katja & Walter

Go-getting events and hospitality marketing manager Ilker Topdemir was so kind to show me around the stylish premises, come with us on tour!

W sign next to hotel entrance

Being nestled into the historic Akaretler Row Houses this W hotel doesn’t feature the usual W iconic building design. The row houses used to house the emperor’s countless staff members while his actual palace was conveniently located nearby at the shores of the Bosphorus.

Today the hotel can be found in the authentic and local area of Besiktas and the upscale shopping district of Nisantasi.

Former Akaretler Row Houses now housing W Hotel Istanbul

What you will find inside, though, is a completely different world that lives up to the usual W design and styling, this time around with an oriental edge… A stylish blend of modern and Turkish design runs harmoniously throughout the hotel, from decorative elements to the light settings.

Lobby decoration next to hotel entrance

The lobby and library come in stark color contrasts challenging the unused western eye. But yes, you do feel immediately at home despite the intense colors and opulent decoration items.

Hotel library next to the lobby

W Hotel Rooms – the “Usual” Wonderful, Spectacular, Fabulous and Wow Effects

W Hotel rooms come in the promising room sizes “Wonderful”, “Spectacular”, “Fabulous”, “Marvelous”, “Mega”, “Studio Suite”, “Fantastic Suite”, “Wow” and — “Extreme Wow“…

They tastefully combine both history and contemporary luxury such as marmara marble, Ottoman patterns, and lighting to experiment along with your mood.

Loft-style Studio Suite

Rooms and suites may come with gardens, terraces or cabanas depending on their location.

The usual W Hotel highlight is the obvious Wow Suite. (Yeah, sometimes they have an Extreme Wow, too ;-)

Designed by renowned Turkish designer, Mahmut Anlar, the WOW Suite comes in seven-meter high ceilings and tall windows with a separate mezzanine-level bedroom, customized living room, dining room, half kitchen, 1 1/2 bathrooms and modern luxuries with all the bells and whistles.

Wow Suite living room and high ceiling

The exclusive bedroom overlooks the stunning living room and features skylights above the spa bath, an enourmous massage shower and a four poster W signature bed.

Ilker Topdemir showing the bedroom

Restaurants at W Hotel

As per usual with this type of hotels you can choose from different restaurants.

Okka is master chef Tolga Atalay’s “local” offering including abundant mezes and twenty-five savory options of lamb, beef, and chicken Kebap.

Emre Capa is in charge of the casually contemporary Minyon bar and restaurant. His internationally inspired delights come with a Turkish twist. After some tasty starters I went for a traditional lamb shack.

Lamb shank at Minyon restaurant

Mind you, while choosing your dish you will need to know what food swims and which walks. Can’t remember the vegetarian’s designation, now. “Things that stand around” will probably not work ;-)

Menu “Things that walk”

Many thanks to Ilker Topdemir for showing me around! BTW, besides from being a travel editor for Elle Turkey, Ilker is always interested in the latest trends regarding fancy hotel features. Please let him know in case you come across innovative hospitality services!

And thanks to Songül Altun Kalayci, director of marketing & pr, for joining in and discussing the latest on smartphone piles ;-)

Songül Altun Kalayci and Ilker Topdemir at Minyon restaurant

Step in from canal world to opulent design living

It’s quite an experience, indeed, to step in from Amsterdam’s scenic historic canal environment into a completely different world of sumptuous design and chic furnishings. Colors and shapes offer stark contrasts but they somehow always manage to convey a surprisingly calm and classy spirit.

Iconic armchairs next to the reception

As you would expect from a hotel this level Andaz’ hosts are all friendly and helpful. The reception desk was replaced by round tables underneath huge chandeliers. But the checkin process can take place anywhere, really, in the lounge or at the bar since the staff is elegantly equipped with the latest tablet gadgets.

Cosy lounge area with view of Prinsengracht canal

Renowned local Amsterdam architect Marcel Wanders was in charge of bringing to life a rich Dutch heritage and modern materials for today’s discerning guests.

Mind you, the New York Times dubbed him the ‘Lady Gaga of the design world: a constant font of ideas and energy who is nearly impossible to ignore’.

Well, I fully agree!

Bluespoon Restaurant

Open cuisine and Bluespoon restaurant

The restaurant area features an open cuisine and iconic furnishing. Once you order a soup or so you will easily understand what the ‘Bluespoon‘ name and icon is all about.

Bluespoon restaurant – fish and seafood soup for starters

Swiss chef Julien Piguet makes sure his staff comes up with varied delicacies. I followed his recommendation and tried the fish soup for starters and the veal blanquette for mains.

Veal blanquette menu

Needless to say that the white wine was a perfect match! If I could only remember its name!

Swiss Executive Sous Chef Julien Piguet

Unfortunately this time around I didn’t stay at the hotel, hence there are no hotel room photos. But telling from Andaz’ homepage they must be equally impressive…

Here are some other impressions from a quick visit.

If you’re not carrying heavy luggage you can actually walk to the hotel from Amsterdam’s train station and enjoy the picturesque canals.

New #designhotel Andaz #Amsterdam boasts iconic design and excellent restaurant http://t.co/DObqhgUOUq @AndazAMS @HyattConcierge

April 18, 2013 7:05 PM via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@travel_memo

Katja & Walter

@travel_memo @HyattConcierge Impressive photo’s! And thank you for the nice review Katja & Walter! hope to have you stay with us next time:)

April 19, 2013 11:45 AM via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@AndazAMS

Andaz Amsterdam

We got lucky recently in Zurich when we got the opportunity to conduct an interview with Andaz’ interior designer Marcel Wanders and his director Robin Bevers. Check out here what Marcel had to say regarding the Next Big Thing in hotel interior design…