Hotels

Magic Mountain Hotel

Magic Mountain Hotel in the Huilo Huilo reserve, Chile, has a waterfall cascading down its sides — and the interior is just as strange. In Southern Chile there is not that many true four star hotels and above. Well, we found one. The Magic Mountain Hotel in the heart of the Huilo Huilo nature reserve. The architecture, combined with the forest setting, makes this truly a magical mountain. Full four star international service, in such a spectacular location, sets the Magic Mountain Hotel apart from all the other hotels we have visited in Southern Chile.  The realy funny thing is that the Magic Mountain hotel you see in the photo is possibly the least spectacular thing going on around the Huilo Huilo nature reserve in Southern Chile.  Huilo Huilo (sounds like Willow Willow) is more of region than a single town. It includes one of the largest privately owned natural reserves in Chile along with several nearby towns, lakes, and a volcano with year around snowboarding and skiing, and the river Fuy that is famous for its class 3-5 white water rafting and kayaking. The name sake of the region is the Huilo Huilo falls (salto del Huilo Huilo ). There is also a smaller, but no less spectacular falls Salto de la Leona (Lion falls). The Lake Pirihueico borders Argentina, and daily car transport ferry connects the international highway to Argentina. The Most of the land surrounding the lake is also part of the Huilo Huilo reserve.

The Capsule Hotel

Lose yourself in your own love bubble — The Capsule Hotel is a former oil rig survival pod moored in the Hague that comes with disco mirror ball, fairy-light decorations and silk-lined sleeping bags. What is a Capsule hotel? A Capsule hotel is a unique style of accommodation in Japan, inspired by the pursuit of efficiency of space and functional comfort, originating from the adaptive, creative spirit of the Japanese mind. continue

Hotel Puerta America

Think of it as the ultimate class project. Nineteen of the world’s preeminent architects and designers come together to design a hotel on the outskirts of Madrid. Each is given free rein over a floor or public space, and everything from the bar to the flatware to the colorfully lit parking lot boasts the stamp of a design giant.

This hugely ambitious project, in which 19 of the most prestigious names in architecture and design collaborated on a Jean Nouvel building, finally opened in 2005. The resulting 362 rooms are so cutting-edge they should carry health warnings. Among others, David Chipperfield, Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid, John Pawson, Marc Newson, and Ron Arad have designed rooms—some all-white and minimal (duh); some all-scarlet and curvaceous; some (Hadid’s) all-white or all-black and sculpted from LG Hi-Macs (a kind of malleable Corian); others (Arad’s) with a ten-foot circular sofa; yet more (Chipperfield’s) with black terra-cotta beds canopied in lacquered blue material. Oddly, the owners, the Silken Group, whose hotels have been multiplying like triffids, claim to be all about service and comfort, with a side of design. While service is up to scratch, comfort is often sacrificed; some of the beds and showers are too small and chairs look good, but don’t feel it. Go here if you’re looking for the visual-sensual experience of inhabiting premier architectural space—and be aware that the world’s most ambitious hotel is located between the airport and the city, so none too central. continue