Going old school with a runway show in Florence last week for her Resort 2009 Collection, the foundress of the wrap dress Diane von Furstenberg flashed the retro card with outfits based on her own hotel travels.
Entitled "La Petite Valise," the collection's focus on dressing for the destination comes through with primary Riviera stripes and zigzags, bathing beauty swimsuits that scream "lounging on the lido," and a dress with the pattern of DvF's own passport pages.
Even though the entire show referenced the days of the grand tour, Furstenberg deemed a portion of it "the Hotel Life," flashing outfits of Wedgwood blue and a hotel key pattern directly influenced by the style of The Claridge's Hotel in London.
Earlier this month we wrote about how the Hotel Cipriani in Venice was undergoing an 50th "anniversary facelift", but too bad the Wall Street Journal's Finicky Traveler got there before the new look was completed.
Our fave hotel critic Laura Landro spent a few nights there and the opening of her review says it all:
Our suite at Venice's legendary Hotel Cipriani has stained mauve carpet, ratty faux-bamboo furniture and a platform bed looking into a whirlpool tub-for-two that seems not to have been scrubbed out since the 1970s. We feel positively transported -- to a honeymoon motel in the Poconos.
We have to sing "Happy Birthday" to the Hotel Cipriani in Venice this year, because they're celebrating their 50th anniversary. And to celebrate they're in the middle of a three-year renovation (pity it wasn't finished for the birthday, but still).
So far they say they're nearly done with the first phase, which has involved refurbishing ten rooms and suites in the Redentore and San Giorgio wings of the hotel. They've pulled out all the stops to make these made-over rooms fancy: cashmere and silk blankets, Murano glass, Fortuny and Rubelli fabrics and some genuine Venetian artwork.
Following in the footsteps of Rafael Hoteles in Spain, the Hotel Caesar Augustus, in Capri, Italy is offering a guaranteed U.S.-dollar rate of 1.4, meaning you can secure a deluxe room at the Relais & Chateaux property for $339 or a junior suite for $550 per night. (For comparison, room rates start at about $700.)
Shockingly--and unlike Rafael Hoteles, which is running its promotion during the unbearably hot months of July and August--Hotel Caesar Augustus' set rate is valid now through October 31, subject to availability. To reserve a room at this price, go here or call (39) 087 387 3395.
Amenities include an infinity pool, al fresco fitness area and recently added outdoor spa treatment rooms and Turkish bath. Set on a cliff 1,000 feet above sea level, all of the hotel's 56 rooms have balconies or terraces, providing enviable views of the surrounding sea and countryside. Bring your binoculars and maybe you can spy on Clooney's place.
Woke up this morning after yesterday's cubicle dream and reality set in. We're not rich and/or famous. But that doesn't mean we'll never be able to make our way to Venice before it sinks.
And while we thought we'd have to trade down, way down for a hotel so we can manage to throw in a gondola ride and tix to Italy's Heinekin Jammin' Fest to see The Police, enter Arco Antico Guest House. Sweet. Despite the somewhat drab decor, Arco Antico has great guest reviews and terrific rates. Sixteenth century palazzo stay here we come.
Cubicle Dreamin' is a feature in which we ask the hotel mavens to take some time out of their busy work day, surf the Internet, and tell us what hotel they wish they could beam themselves to right that very second--all on the slave driving companies dime, of course. Oh, like these people aren't surfing aimlessly anyway--at least now their purposeless clicking will be cobbled together into useful hotel stories--we hope. Have a destination hotel you are just dying to leave your cube for? Send the story our way.
In this episode, Hotel Maven MyTwoCents visits Venice...in her mind. Enjoy.
This morning we woke up feeling like a million dollars, even if we don't have it. In keeping with our morning fantasy, we continued to dream at our cubicle of the sweet life with a romantic getaway to Venice, no holds (or dollars) barred.
And in doing some rich and famous research, we found the perfect stay, the magnificently restored Hotel Danieli.
Lording over the San Marco Basin, this historic five-floor hotel is comprised of the 14th century gothic Dandolo Palace, the baroque 19th century Casa Nuova, and the modern Danielino building. Together the hotel offers 233 rooms with swank décor and modern amenities including satellite TV, minibars, mosaic-tiled baths and the ever-important A/C.
Come June 20-22 there won't be any singing under the Bridge of Sighs in Venice, 'cuz everyone will be rockin' out in nearby Mestre at Italy's Heineken Jammin' Festival. Since its inception in 1998, each summer 100,000 fans from all over the world have flocked to the country's premier rock fest, listening to a roster of such notable bands as Bon Jovi, Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Cure.
This year the rock fest takes place across the Venice causeway in Mestre's Park San Guiliano overlooking the Venice lagoon. Sure, you won't get serenaded on a gondola, but you'll enjoy three performance stages,a Green Village, Sports Village, DJ Zone and camping area.
Iggy & the Stooges, the Sex Pistols, Linkin Park and Chris Cornell will be responsible for getting the fans warmed up the first day, with the important closing slots will be filled by The Police, Alanis Morissette, Counting Crows and Baustelle, among others. The list keeps expanding.
As we've mentioned previously, hotels in Venice cost a pretty penny. And while it would've been nice to find some offering special packages for the event, no such luck. So we checked for cheaper hotels in Mestre near the concert venue and one stood out with terrific reviews, The Golden Tulip Tritone.
We are suckers for a room with a killer view. We find that we are even more likely to forgive some minor hotel inconveniences if we can stare out the window at something pretty--yeah we are that shallow. Let's help out our fellow hotel mavens by uploading rooms with killer views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. We will feature our favorites in this space from time to time. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number of the hot view.
Big thanks to HC tipster Gil who dropped a few incredible pictures in our in-box after staying at the Hotel Bauer in Venice, Italy last month. To be precise, these pictures were taken on a sunny Sunday afternoon from Room 521.
We're already big fans of Venice and its winding canals, so a hotel room with views over the city's tiny streets and another outlook where you can actually watch the gondolas floating by is almost priceless. One of Hotel Bauer's walls lies directly on a canal so you can come out the front door, turn left and hop a gondola ride right there.
They're a bit pricey, but if you can afford the Hotel Bauer with its average room rates of over $800 a night, a gondola's just a small blip in the budget.
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by JetSetCD
