Spectacular Getaways in Europe
Leave stress behind — get away in style. Excerpt from 'The Hotelbook. Great Escapes Europe'. Edited by Angelika Taschen, Texts by Shelley-Maree Cassidy
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On the Rocks - Icehotel, Jukkasjärvi
People flock to this icy place deliberately; experiencing life in an igloo is the magnet. But this is of course not the usual sort of igloo. It is more of a frozen palace in the far north of Sweden. The Icehotel is proof of the saying that "all that glitters is not gold". Here, all that glitters shows that it is cold, very cold, or else the hotel would melt. And so it does. The arrival of summer sees it starting to thaw and then disappear. A new building is sculpted each year. Ice provides both the building blocks and the furnishings. Inside, it is 3-5 °C below zero (23-24 °F), which is quite mild when compared to the climate outside. The thick ice is almost soundproof, so that even the noise of your teeth chattering will be muffled. But you'll be snug in an Arctic sleeping bag, on your ice bed draped with reindeer skins. A hot drink comes with the wake-up call, and a sauna will bring you back up to room temperature. Another of its attractions is the opportunity to see the stunning Northern Lights. Starry streaks of colour arch across the night sky in a painterly light show staged by Nature.
Grace and favour - Reid's Palace, Madeira
For generations this grand old hotel has been the byword of grace. Reid's Palace has served as a home away from home to many of the most well-known people of the last century. The guest book is a roll call of celebrities. Anybody who was, or is still, somebody has stayed here at one time. So little seems to have changed that you can picture Winston Churchill taking afternoon tea on the terrace; Elizabeth, the Empress of Austria, gazing out to sea from her veranda; and imagine watching George Bernard Shaw being taught the tango on the lawn. The old-fashioned charm continues to draw the rich and famous, as well as the not yet renowned. Part of the attraction is the setting on the island of Madeira. High up on the cliff tops overlooking the Bay of Funchal and the Atlantic, the hotel's site adds to the privacy of its guests. Staying here is almost like being on the "grand tour"; but the days of luxury travel are not re-created here, in fact it has always been like this. Reid's Palace evokes eras that were more gracious and less hurried than the one we live in now. Time has been kind to this lovely old landmark.
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Page [1] [2]
On the Rocks - Icehotel, Jukkasjärvi
People flock to this icy place deliberately; experiencing life in an igloo is the magnet. But this is of course not the usual sort of igloo. It is more of a frozen palace in the far north of Sweden. The Icehotel is proof of the saying that "all that glitters is not gold". Here, all that glitters shows that it is cold, very cold, or else the hotel would melt. And so it does. The arrival of summer sees it starting to thaw and then disappear. A new building is sculpted each year. Ice provides both the building blocks and the furnishings. Inside, it is 3-5 °C below zero (23-24 °F), which is quite mild when compared to the climate outside. The thick ice is almost soundproof, so that even the noise of your teeth chattering will be muffled. But you'll be snug in an Arctic sleeping bag, on your ice bed draped with reindeer skins. A hot drink comes with the wake-up call, and a sauna will bring you back up to room temperature. Another of its attractions is the opportunity to see the stunning Northern Lights. Starry streaks of colour arch across the night sky in a painterly light show staged by Nature.
Grace and favour - Reid's Palace, Madeira
For generations this grand old hotel has been the byword of grace. Reid's Palace has served as a home away from home to many of the most well-known people of the last century. The guest book is a roll call of celebrities. Anybody who was, or is still, somebody has stayed here at one time. So little seems to have changed that you can picture Winston Churchill taking afternoon tea on the terrace; Elizabeth, the Empress of Austria, gazing out to sea from her veranda; and imagine watching George Bernard Shaw being taught the tango on the lawn. The old-fashioned charm continues to draw the rich and famous, as well as the not yet renowned. Part of the attraction is the setting on the island of Madeira. High up on the cliff tops overlooking the Bay of Funchal and the Atlantic, the hotel's site adds to the privacy of its guests. Staying here is almost like being on the "grand tour"; but the days of luxury travel are not re-created here, in fact it has always been like this. Reid's Palace evokes eras that were more gracious and less hurried than the one we live in now. Time has been kind to this lovely old landmark.
Page [1] [2]
The Hotel Book. Great Escapes Europe
Hardcover, 23.8 x 30.2 cm (9.4 x 11.9 in.), 400 pages
$ 39.99
$ 39.99
Leave stress behind—get away in style
Icehotel, Jukkasjärvi