You’ve got the sunglasses, the bag, the shoes. But are you overlooking your hotel key card? Is it a Missoni? A Bulgari? Does it bear Donatella’s stamp of approval? The recent proliferation of designer hotels means that a simple key card can elevate you to a whole new level of style while traveling.
Tortuga Bay
Punta Cana, Higüey, Dominican Republic
Designed by Oscar de la Renta, but influenced by natural island colours, these 15 exclusive private beachfront villas within the Dominican Republic’s Puntacana resort are luminous, restful, and dotted with tasteful dabs of sunny yellow. But even more brilliant is the VIP service that comes with a stay at Tortuga Bay: you’re given special treatment and whisked through customs, transferred in a private car, awarded a personal concierge and assigned a golf cart for the duration of your stay. Nine world class restaurants are located minutes away but guests are also welcome to partake of the resort’s amenities and activities, including restaurants, bars, horseback riding, golf courses and a spa that offers outdoor as well as indoor treatments.
www.puntacana.com/accommodations/tortuga-bay
The Hotel of South Beach
801 Collins Avenue, Miami, Florida
Take an art deco shell, and stuff it with sea, sand, sky and Todd Oldham. That’s the Hotel of South Beach, an establishment that’s unapologetically fun n’ Floridian, right down to the tie-dyed bathrobes and brightly coloured tiles. Originally The Tiffany Hotel (circa 1939), the building still wears its original tiara: a glowing, vintage metal spire. You can appreciate it from the chic rooftop/poolside Spire Lounge as you sip an Electronic Cocktail – a drink pimped with neon ice cubes.
www.thehotelofsouthbeach.com
Pelican Hotel
826 Ocean Drive, Miami, Florida
No two rooms are alike at Miami’s Diesel-designed mecca for fashionistas, musicians and publishers. Expect to be utterly wowed by the 30 over-the-top rooms, treated with so much attention to detail and pumped so full of props that the hotel likens them to miniature movie sets. Room 205, “With Drill” may appeal if you have an appetite for the industrial look and/or spontaneous dentistry – it is full of cool metal accents (but doesn’t actually contain a drill...you’ll have to bring your own). Expecting lots of visitors? Try Room 215, “Best Whorehouse,” a cherry red space that evokes a brothel.
www.pelicanhotel.com
Live in luxury at the Palazzo Versace and Bulgari hotels on the next page ...
The Pelian Hotel pictured above
