The Sublime

Not very long time ago, Char and I went to Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons in Oxford, UK for dinner. The food was divine there, but what interest me most are the stunning gardening and the most beautiful floriculture I have ever seen in my life. The Grand Chef Raymond Blanc grows almost 90 varieties of vegetables and over 70 aromatic herbs, which you are bound to find on your plate, in one way or another.  If you ever get a chance to go to England, please do not miss this place, it is a must to visit!

1. A glance at the beautiful manor house. 

2. Somewhere in the garden.

3. The hotel.

4. The whole view.

5. The restaurant.

6. The event.

7. The aperitif we had before the dinner.

8. The most beautiful floriculture I have every seen! 

Number Sixteen

If you have read my post before, you might remember that I mentioned Crosby Street Hotel in Manhattan. 

This Hotel Number Sixteen, together with Crosby Street Hotel, belongs to Firmdale Hotels Group and because of the great experience with Crosby last time in NYC, we chose to live in Hotel Number Sixteen in London.

It has the similar contemporary feeling to Crosby, yet it is much smaller. Each room has a different design and we did like the one we stayed in.

It has been an extremely busy month for me and I feel so happy that I finally can squeeze some time to take care of this blog. 

1. Hotel guest room

2. As above

3. As above

4. The room we stayed in

5. Public area

6. Public area (I do like the color of the painting but I didn't really appreciate the moths...)

7. Public area

Perfect Color Mixing

The hotel Baur au Lac in Zurich, Switzerland has a marvelous restaurant called Pavillon. I love it not because of its food- I didn't mean the food was not good, but it is not the reason I love it. 

Pavillon has a really special spacial shape (as you can see from the first and second picture) with grand windows all around that enables the best illumination. The interior design, especially the color and material mixing of the furnitures, the dishes and the plants are so perfect and unique. The violet and pistachio velvet chairs echo perfectly with the purple glasses and pistachio plate mats (cannot be seen in the pictures, I am sorry that I personally didn't take any pictures of this restaurant because I enjoyed it so much and forgot to take photos...) and the flowers on the table; the texture of velvet perfectly balances the sunlight, adding a just-right sense of luxury.  

I had my breakfast here, on a cold winter morning, watching the snowflakes falling and the crystal beautiful scenery outside... Can life be even better?

PS: I realized that, after an intense daily use of Italian, I began to forget how to speak English... lol 

"To Call It a Hotel is Too Crude"

1. The room of Hotel Il Salviatino, in Firenze, Italy

2. On the way heading to our room

3. The common space

4. The hotel in the night

5. The wonderful view of Firenze from the hotel

6. The room

7. The details of la cent

This is the hotel that I mentioned in my last post. Char and I stayed here for one night since the time is really limited. However, it was an exceptional experience as the room we stayed in was quite fancy. I especially like the living room with all French windows that enabled incredible illumination and view even in gloomy days. 

One more thing, the bathrobe of Hotel Il Salviatino really rocks as it is the most comfortable one I have ever worn in all hotels that I have lived in. It is kind of needle-woven with thick cotton threads that made the robe very soft and light and pretty elastic. 

A Tranquil Retreat Adjacent to the Heart of China

In the last post, I mentioned that last summer Char and I went to Aman at Summer Palace, Beijing for a weekend. Even though I am a native, I still found this resort unexpectedly inspiring and of course, relaxing and understatedly luxurious as always. The major clients are westerners, as I saw them everywhere- reading newspaper beside the lake, having afternoon tea in the pavilion, learning Chinese characters in the public reading room, etc. Though it is impossible to get a deep understanding to traditional Chinese culture in a few days staying in this resort, the experience is still worthwhile, as Aman at Summer Palace presents our culture pretty precisely. 

1. One of the pavilions in Aman at Summer Palace, Beijing 

2. The lobby

3. Arrival pavilion

4. The grill 

5. Afternoon tea at the reflection pavilion

6. Deluxe suite dining area

7. Deluxe suite bathroom

8. Imperial suite bedroom

9. Lobby reception

10. I was having the Chinese afternoon tea : )

More About Crosby Street Hotel

This is the room that we stayed in and also some of its details...

navy wool felt hat private/ white sweater Massimo Dutti/ grey wool short pants Karen Millen/ black leather lace-up Jil Sander/ black cashmere coat Max Mara/ black tights Calzedonia

1. In the guest room of Crosby Street Hotel

2. As above

3. One corner of the room 

4. Lovely drawer

5. Total view of the room

6. Some detail on the cup mat- the symbol of Crosby Street Hotel

7. Lovely shell buttons on the coat hanger

Manhattan Will Never Disappoint You

As I said in my last post, Char and I went back to the US to deal with some issues and before we went back to Boston, we stayed in Manhattan for one night, and there, I encountered a hotel with the best inner design I have ever met......

Even though I have been to Manhattan for many times and even though I have been to many splendid hotels around the world, this one, Crosby Street Hotel is so far the most joyful one for me. Honestly speaking, I am not a fan for modern interior deco style at all- I always find them too avant-garde to be appreciated. However, this hotel, undoubtedly modern, is the perfect combination of the urban look and the classical interior design. 

I love how those French sashes are cropped into small squares by black metal mullion units; I love how they decorate the lobby with striking artworks and lovely family-style ornaments; I love how they  audaciously match bright colors and patterns in public areas and guest rooms; I love how they make each guest rooms with different colors yet similar designs- I love the total idea of its designers and am really surprised by their creativity and artistic sense. What's more, this hotel, located on a quiet cobbled in the heart of SoHo neighborhood, fits so well into the surrounding environment that you cannot think of a better place to settle it! 

Every time I went to Manhattan, it always had something to amaze me and to surprise me and reminded of the first time that I went to New York City. I love this cosmopolitan place and I will continuously come back here in the future to always be amazed. 

I will upload more pictures of the room that we stayed in soon : )