HotelChatter

Exhibit One

Trash cans are normally, well, trashy, but not these, on the public walkway between the hotel and the beach. Not only are they painted white and given a little terracotta roof, like a miniature, trash-filled version of the hotel. Not only do they have a section for recycling. But they also bear the seal of the Hotel Del, in the shape of its pinecone-like roof. Classy.

Exhibit Two

Everyone knows that air vents make for fugly views. Doesn’t matter what else your window is pointing at – if you can see a roof or an air vent, you’re more than likely going to class it as an anti-view. Which is why we love what the Del has done with this massive air vent: covering it with a mass of pink-flowered bushes, so not only does it look nice, it’ll cover up the smell of whatever’s being vented. Tres elegant!

Exhibit three

Lots of hotels big up their locally sourced food or tout their small herb patch out the back, but the Del goes one better with this sprawling herb garden facing onto the beach. Not only do we love the fact that it’s stuffed full of plants we’ve never heard of (that end up in the restaurant dishes), but we adore that it’s open to the public. Munificence, as we all know, is the sign of true aristocracy.

So there you have it: the Hotel Del definitely enjoys an empire-line state of mind in its public areas at least. Hopefully the bedrooms are equally posh. We just can’t cobble together the 400 odd banknotes we’d need to stay there.