The aristocracy of Switzerland began acquiring a taste for the Swiss Alps as early as the 1760s. Lucerne—a small fishing village at the foothills of the Alps, with its temperate climate and easy access by road and rail—made the perfect launching pad for hiking and mountaineering. By 1835, the first hotel opened in Lucerne and the city soon grew into one of the largest tourist destinations in the country. In 1903, Swiss entrepreneur Franz Josef Bucher purchased a plot of land on the north shore of Lake Lucerne for $900,000 Swiss francs. After a three-year construction, Palace Hotel Luzern opened its doors, setting a new standard of luxury for hospitality, not just in Switzerland, but in Europe at large.
Today, Bucher’s original dream of making the palace a Mediterranean retreat in the heart of Switzerland lives on with a three-year makeover and reopening as the Mandarin Oriental Palace, Luzern. Local architects Iwan Bühler Architekten and London-based interior designers Jestico + Whiles were tasked with honoring the palace’s legacy as a Belle Époque landmark while simultaneously bringing the 20th century hotel into the modern age. The result is an architectural masterpiece that elevates the Mediterranean-inspired details of Bucher’s original design.
These original details remain some of the most striking features of the hotel—the chequered black and white marble and terracotta floors, and regal burnt umber scagliola columns, for example. But new additions—such as golden ornaments, terrazzo tiles and creative light fixtures (think: fluted brass wall lamps and a minimalist orbital brass chandelier juxtaposed against traditional ceiling mouldings)—breathe new life into the Mediterranean theme. Playful textures and lines add sumptuousness and warmth to the hotel: from the three types of marble in the bathrooms to the locally hand-woven cream wool rugs laid on the oak parquet to the curved Molteni furniture sourced from Italy.
Designed to complement the sparkling lake and snow-capped mountains outside, the hotel’s 136 guest rooms and suites present a palette of natural oak, powdery whites and serene blues. While the hotel boasts 48 of the city’s largest suites, the 1432-square-foot presidential suite is undoubtedly the standout. Few areas of the hotel exemplify the emphasis on curved lines better than this room, with its circular light fixtures, round couches and curled sculptures.
The oval-shaped living room is the centerpiece of the suite with a plaster ceiling rose that replicates the rippling of water and deconstructed chandelier made of hand-blown glass inspired by fluttering leaves and flocks of birds. The bird theme continues with hand-tufted rugs mimicking the pattern of a swan’s densely packed
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The gateway to Switzerland’s Bernese Alps, Thun is as quintessentially Swiss as you can get. Lake Thun is bookended by its namesake town to the west and the adventure sports hub of Interlaken to the east, and has long provided an escape into nature for Swiss travellers in the know. However, the region has remained somewhat under the radar to holidaymakers from further afield. The result is a series of quiet, trail-woven vineyards, castle-sprinkled shores, myth-laden caves and never-ending mountain views — all perfect for a short summer or autumn break.
The city of Oxford revolves around its university, England’s most prestigious alongside Cambridge. Because teaching started in the city in the 11th century, Oxford is filled with historic colleges, many hundreds of years old, and all incredibly beautiful in their architecture. Visitors to the city can walk the cobblestone streets that weave around the colleges, libraries, churches, and museums, and even take tours of the colleges’ lecture halls, chapels, and dining halls. But a day trip isn’t enough to get a good feel for Oxford. Even if the city is only 50 minutes away by train from London, you need to stay in a hotel in Oxford, England, for and take the time to fully explore this one-of-a-kind city.
More than London at the moment, Bristol seems to encapsulate the contradictions, energy and frustrations of the British nation. This city, which straddles the River Avon, is small (the population was just under 500,000 in 2019) but it punches well above its weight when it comes to politics and art. When a group of activists threw the statue of Edward Colston in Bristol harbour in June 2020, it focussed attention on Britain’s historic role in the slave trade. (Colston, who had endowed schools, almshouses and hospitals in Bristol had, in the 17th century, been instrumental in the transportation of at least 84,000 enslaved people during his involvement with the Royal African Company). Nowhere in Britain voted more fervently to remain in Europe (62 per cent versus 38 per cent voting to leave).
Kid kicking the back of your airline seat? It’s a tale as old as time—an indignity of air travel on par with the objectively bad food and the sock-less foot of a neighbor—but one that might become less of a problem should a new initiative take off. This November, Corendon Airlines will launch an adults-only section on flights between Amsterdam and Curaçao. With dedicated seating for passengers ages 16 and up, the Dutch airline hopes to improve the experiences of both those with and without children.
“I'm having déjà vu,” said Chi, my wife. We were in a modest, slightly antiquated room whose contents included a few pieces of lacquered furniture, folded sleeping mats, a rotary phone, a CRT TV, and an old sewing machine. It was a facsimile of the kinds of multipurpose living quarters that many middle-class Seoulites occupied during the decades of postwar economic growth that turned South Korea into one of the world's most developed nations. But for Chi, it was a portal back to when she was six and living in her grandfather's Seoul apartment before her move to the States.
Have you ever been awakened on a plane by a crying baby and wished that you could be on an adults-only flight? You’re not alone. According to a recent survey, nearly 60% of American adults agree that a child-free area on planes and trains would be nothing short of a blessing.
The Nile River has long been one of the most mysterious, glamorous, and legendary destinations in the world. It has attracted well-heeled travelers and adventurers for centuries, well after the Pharaohs roamed. In 1933, writer Agatha Christie immediately put the Nile River on everyone’s bucket list when she sailed from Cairo to Aswan. Her experiences were documented in one of her most well-known novels Death on the Nile.
The ‘Arctic Circle Crossing’ inspired by 10th Century explorers includes four maiden calls in Greenland, a trip to the North Cape and extensive scenic cruising
Mrs. Bain’s objective is to significantly enhance the skill set of the hotel’s staff, thereby propelling Mount Cinnamon to expand its range of service provisions.