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A Great Stay at SIXTY LES, New York

June 6, 2013 by cheriecity

SIXTY LES is the epitome of New York downtown cool with slick, minimalist design and a young, creative crowd.

Located just off the Bowery on Allen Street, the striking 18-storey, 141-guest room hotel towers over the neighbourhood’s tenements, offering up some spectacular views. It stands out from the landscape but is perfectly matched to the Lower East Side’s arty, style-conscious spirit.

Arrival

Inside, SIXTY LES has a buzzing vibe and the smartly-dressed staff orchestrated a swift early check-in. Within a few moments we were escorted in the elevator on the way to our room.

The Suite

Our very spacious Studio King Suite had a contemporary, industrial-luxe style with clean lines and Japanese accents. Designed in a colour palette of black, white and grey, the room features exposed concrete columns, black wooden varnished floors, a striped grey carpet, a shiny black mirrored wall and floor-to-ceiling windows.

Room features include a large LCD TV with premium cable and in-room movie library, iPod dock, a minibar filled with Dean & Deluca snacks and plenty of storage space. The plush lounge area is separated by a beaded metal curtain and has a sectional sofa and a coffee table with a stack of fashion magazines.

The king-size bed was incredibly comfortable and luxurious, covered in soft Sferra linen, which is a signature at all SIXTY hotels. Above is a stunning illuminated light box headboard by American photographer and artist Lee Friedlander that brings character to the room.

During the day, the room benefits from lots of natural light streaming in and at night it becomes more seductive, with mood lighting and the sultry glow from the city outside. A few nice touch were the bonsai tree by the entrance of the room and the Belgian chocolates on the desk at turndown.

Bathroom

The slate grey open-plan bathroom includes a separate walk-in rainfall shower and toilet behind frosted glass doors, a circular sink and a full set of REN bathroom amenities. The water pressure in the shower was very powerful and the oversized terrycloth bathrobes were perfect for lounging in.

Wifi internet in guest rooms at SIXTY LES comes with a charge, but we were told on arrival that there is free wifi in the bar on the first floor. Many guests flock to this lounge section of the bar with laptops to check emails and do business, so it has a sociable feel. The staff tend to leave guests to use the internet in peace, however, drinks and bites are closeby, should you wish to linger.

The Restaurant

The hotel’s popular restaurant Blue Ribbon Sushi Izakaya on the same level serves its own take on Japanese dishes alongside fried chicken and grilled NY strip steak and the Grand Buffet Brunch on the weekend sounds particularly tempting.

If you’re in the mood for a different type of cuisine, SIXTY LES is in a prime spot for sampling some of New York’s most exciting restaurants – we ate at the nearby La Esquina, The Meatball Shop and Pulino’s.

Above Allen

A special perk of staying at SIXTY LES is access to Above Allen, the exclusive members terrace lounge with great views over the city. Sadly Above Allen is usually closed on the day that we visited, otherwise we would have visited for a nightcap.

The hotel’s rooftop pool is surely the coolest in New York and it’s a real downtown hotspot when the sun comes out. Guests can swim over an Andy Warhol filmstrip and soak up some rays with a cocktail and light bites on the striking orange loungers.

For further relaxation, there is also a guests-only fitness and renewal centre with a gym, sauna and treatments rooms

SIXTY LES is an ideal base to explore the Lower East Side, matching cool design with a fun atmosphere and surprisingly reasonable prices. The hotel feels cosy and comfortable in the colder months, however to get the most out of the facilities such as the fabulous pool and outdoor dining, summer is the time to visit.

Cherie City was a guest of SIXTY LES

Photos by Cherie City and SIXTY LES

Hotels, London, Restaurants

A Great Stay at Fox & Anchor Clerkenwell

August 22, 2010 by cheriecity

When you hear the words ’boutique B&B’, you immediately conjure up images of country boltholes in The Cotswolds or The Lake District, but London’s luxury bed and breakfast scene is on the up.

Nestled on a side street opposite the traditional Smithfield Meat Market, the wonderful Fox & Anchor may seem like an unassuming, traditional London boozer from the outside, but it quietly boasts six incredibly stylish rooms and a buzzing, English Eccentric restaurant.

When we arrived, we checked in at the bar and met the charming, unpretentious staff who showed us up to our room through the separate front entrance.

All rooms are named after the London location that inspired their design and we stayed in the Saint Paul (see the silkscreen print above the bed).

Our room was one of the largest I’ve ever stayed in and was more like a mini apartment, with a reception area leading to the bathroom or open-plan bedroom and sitting area.

The bedroom had a contemporary but homely atmosphere and was decorated in neutral mink and cream shades with accents of lime green, turquoise and chocolate brown.

There were interesting design features such a duo of hanging chain lamps, which provided much amusement, and exquisite, heavy embroidered curtains and statement cushions.

Comfort features included a large LCD plasma screen TV with Bose soundsystem and Sky channels, a DVD player, a mini bar stocked with complimentary still and sparkling water and a tea and coffee making station. We were even greeted to the sounds of David Bowie on entering the room and the Fox & Anchor supplied us with a stack of classic CDs – a thoughtful, personal touch.

The wood-panelled, New England-style bathroom was the real pièce de résistance and reminded me of those that grace the Soho House Group rooms.

The design of the bathroom is an absolute dream, with a hand-stencilled black and gold claw foot bath, a copper tub sink, a vintage-style toilet and a powerful rainfall shower.

The attention to detail is impressive, as the bathroom is filled with vases, a wooden stool for your towel, a wooden tray for over the bath and even a bronze sculpture in the corner. Adorning the walls are black and white photographs of butchers from Smithfield Market, reflecting the area’s proud, untouched heritage.

REN toiletries were stocked in abundance and best of all, The Fox & Anchor provides conditioner! It may seem trivial, but most hotels only anticipate the basic bathroom requirements of the average business traveller and it is a joy when you find one that understands and caters to the needs of girls and guys who appreciate silky hair on holiday.

At night, the pub is bustling with an after-work crowd and locals, but there is also a separate dining room with cosy nooks and a private alcove called The Foxes Lair. We were shown to one of the corner snugs, perfect for tucking into your dinner with wild abandon, or for a romantic, intimate dinner.

Our waitress was utterly charming and made jokes and recommendations throughout the meal. I asked her which wine she recommended from the extensive list and she suggested the Fleurrie Beaujolais, which was light, fruity and zingy – a perfect choice.

The Fox’s reputation for giant portion sizes precedes it, so we passed on starters and went straight for the meat. I ordered the Fox & Anchor burger (£9) with duck fat chips and Steven went for Gammon, Pineapple and Chips (£11.50).

When my burger came, it needed an actual wooden kebab stick to hold it in place, rather than the usual cocktail stick. It was a leaning tower of beef and toasted bun, oozing with cheese, bacon, seasoned mayo, lettuce, onion and tomato.

It was so huge that I had to slice it in two and eat it with a knife and fork to avoid everything spilling out. The meat was excellent quality, well seasoned and cooked to medium perfection. The accompaniments were also of a high standard, although the humongous slice of extra mature cheese could have been slimmed down, as the burger became very rich and a real Everest.

The goose-fat chips in a copper bucket were a triumph – crispy, full of flavour and not too greasy. Steven was presented with three giant slices of roasted gammon, topped with fresh pineapple rings and chips on the side.

The menu at the Fox & Anchor is full of gourmet comfort food – robust, generously-sized British classics with locally sourced ingredients. It is also reasonably priced for the sheer amount of food, excellent quality and attention to detail.

For dessert, I went for the Blueberry Tart (£5) with vanilla ice cream and strawberry coulis. It was a cross between a dense frangipani tart and a home-made cake with gooey blueberries and a delicious thick crust.

Steven went for the Strawberry Shortcake (£5), which was a tower of Eton Mess sandwiched between two home-made shortcake biscuits, topped with vanilla ice cream, fresh stawberries and coulis.

The Blueberry Tart was delicious, but the Strawberry Shortcake was the real stand-out dessert and was a super indulgent treat.

After a long, leisurely dinner, we still hadn’t finished our bottle of wine, so our waitress offered us two wineglasses and a large bottle of chilled mineral water to take up to our room. The staff are incredibly accommodating and nothing is too much trouble for them.

Following a wonderful, deep sleep (thanks to the luxurious king-size bed), we went downstairs to the pub for a late breakfast of Eggs Benedict and a Latte. The hollandaise sauce was a little heavy on the vinegar, but the bacon and eggs were exceptionally good.

Coffee was strong, rich roasted and a generous size – just what you need in the morning. Unlike most London accommodation, breakfast here is reasonably priced, with Eggs Benedict for £5 and a Smithfield Market-sourced Full English Breakfast for not much more.

The Fox & Anchor really is a hidden gem and its luxurious rooms far exceed the quality of London’s more famed hotels. Its boutique, intimate atmosphere is part of its charm and you’ll leave feeling more than a little bit pleased to have found somewhere in the city that really is a ‘home away from home’.

All rooms at Fox & Anchor are priced the same and start from £95 for weekends. For more information and booking, visit Foxandanchor.com

* Chérie City was a guest of Fox & Anchor

Hotels, Hotels - Budget, Hotels - Design, London, Restaurants

Hotel Review: The Hoxton Hotel

August 2, 2010 by cheriecity

How many times I’ve strolled past the Hoxton Hotel while out and about in Shoreditch and have always wondered what it would be like to stay at this ‘luxury budget urban lodge’.

The Hoxton Hotel has enlisted three designers to each give one of the rooms a cool new East End-inspired make-over and I was invited to come down and try out one of the rooms for myself.

Launched in 2006, the Hoxton Hotel is known for its young, buzzing atmosphere and its ‘anti-hotel’ philosophy. The Hoxton has a no-bull approach that offers guests the most comfortable and affordable stay – no hidden extras, overpriced mini bar or extortionate late check-out fee.

As a guest, you will be treated to a litre of mineral water, half a pint of milk, one hour for free phone calls to most countries, free super-fast WIFI and a complimentary lite Pret breakfast consisting of Pret orange juice, a Pret granola yogurt pot and a banana. Why Pret, you ask? Well, the man behind the Hoxton Hotel is the hospitality savvy co-founder of Pret, Sinclair Beecham.

Inspired by his own frustrating hotel experiences and a distaste for being exploited while travelling, Mr Beecham has considered every possible way to help guests save money on the small things so they can enjoy their stay. That’s arguably great business sense, as guests are more likely to treat themselves to a night-cap at the bar and leave with a good memory of the hotel.

On arrival, I found the open-plan reception area buzzing with a mixture of hotel guests coming and going, business people having meetings and locals having an afternoon drink at the Hoxton Grill bar. The check-in was easy and unpretentious and overseen by friendly European staff in cool, laid back Lee plaid shirts and jeans.

My room was on the sixth floor and was designed by Adrian Kilby, the Hoxton’s original brand consultant. It really was an explosion of colour and street style with illustrated murals, lime green furnishing, exposed brickwork, an image of Grace Jones etched on the window and the coolest bed I’ve ever seen!

The modern Chesterfield-style bed with luxurious Frette linen and duck down pillows allows you to sleep in either direction, so you can watch the large wall-mounted LCD TV in bed and then switch sides to change the ‘energy’ of the room.

There were so many discoveries to make, such as hidden cupboards, a complex lighting system and quirky design motifs dotted around the room. It seemed like quite a small room as compared to the standard Hoxton room, which I viewed during a tour of the hotel, but as I discovered later, this was due to the unusually enormous bed.

Best of all, the room is fully functional – there are a number of electrical sockets, three mirrors, a proper hairdryer, lighting that you can customise and an iHome alarm clock with an iPod dock.

There is also a well-stocked drinks area, where you can use wine glasses or long glasses and make a cup of Twinings breakfast or peppermint tea and fresh Lyons coffee. The minibar is empty but you can stock it with your own treats from the affordable shop at reception.

The Hoxton even takes a bit of inspiration from American hotels with a retro ironing room with an ice dispenser and sink on every floor.

The only thing lacking was enough hanging space, as the wardrobe was awkwardly shaped and I had to strategically place my dresses halfway outside the wardrobe to avoid creasing, especially my jersey maxi dress.

The bathroom was incredibly stylish, with deep red tiles, a walk-in shower with rainfall head and slate floors that gave an irridescent shimmer when lit. Toiletries were supplied by Aveda and there was a large bar of Pears soap, which the hotel encourages guests to box up and take home.

Throughout the room and bathroom, there are frank signs from the hotel reminding guests to make themselves feel completely at home. Free WIFI, Keep Cool and No Rip Offs slogans are emblazoned on the cushions like Love Hearts, which could potentially irk some guests, but the Hoxton Hotel is clearly just playing to its strengths.

In the other new designer rooms, Project Orange brings a New England homeliness with a patchwork quilt, distressed furniture and autumnal colours, while Suzy Hoodless goes minimal with a geometric statement wall, an illustrated little black dress and signature orange cushions and lamps.

The Hoxton Hotel also has an impressive business suite, with a range of comfortable meetings rooms and a larder, which delegates can raid all day. At night, the Hoxton really comes alive, as locals and hotel guests flock to the Hoxton Grill for dinner or meet for drinks in the stylish garden.

Hoxton Grill is a part of the Soho House Group and the menu includes its signature dishes and their 3 small plates for £15 deal. We ordered Steak and chips (£10 from 12-7pm), which was succulent, juicy and excellent quality. It came with a pot of béarnaise sauce and yummy skin-on thin chips and fresh sourdough bread with French butter.

Service was friendly and polite, everything you’d expect from a Soho House outpost. Hoxton grill room service is also available, at a reasonable price, if you’re having a lazy night or have to grab food on the go.

I really had no idea just how sociable and vibrant the Hoxton Hotel really is and the room really exceeded my expectations. I enj0yed a relaxed dinner, wonderful night’s sleep (it was so quiet), a healthy breakfast and refreshing, energising shower, all in the city’s most exciting neighbourhood. What more could you ask for in a hotel?

The Hoxton Hotel has an average nightly price of anything from £49 to £199 per night, with Sunday night stays being the most affordable. You can scoop a bargain if you book on a weekend or far in advance, but the higher price band takes the hotel out of the luxury budget category.

The Hoxton Hotel also offer their legendary £1 sale on rooms at selected times of the year, so join the Hox Fan Club to hear the news first.

The three designers rooms are available to book online from September 2010.

You might also like: Mama Shelter, Paris

More pictures of the Hoxton Hotel, here.

* Chérie City was a guest of The Hoxton Hotel.

Barcelona, Hotels, Hotels - Budget, Hotels - Design

A Great Stay at Market Hotel Barcelona

May 25, 2010 by cheriecity

Barcelona is one of the most forward-thinking cities for affordable, chic design hotels, although some can be a bit clinical and soulless. So, when I saw the pictures of Market Hotel, I fell in love with its oriental, lacquered wood decor and boutique, zen ambiance.

Location

The Market Hotel is located in the Sant Antoni neighbourhood, close to Upper Raval, and is about 20 minutes walk from La Rambla – just close enough to the action while avoiding the tourist zone prices.

When we arrived, after a long delayed flight and two coach journeys at the crack of dawn, the hotel lived up to the pictures and was actually larger and even more grand than expected. The check-in at reception took a while, as there was a new member of staff, but it wasn’t a problem, as we took time to pick up some complimentary bottles of water and huge green apples from beside the desk.

The Room

Our double bedroom was on the fifth floor extension of the hotel in an old apartment building with original Catalan tiles and a rickety 1920s lift (although guests actually use the modern glass one opposite). The first impression of room 505 was that it was a bit on the small side compared to the website photos but the design of the room was just what we’d hoped for.

The room was filled with black bamboo tables, metal lamps, a black Asian-style lacquered wardrobe bed, a flat screen LG TV and featured gorgeous creaky stripped floorboards. The bed was medium soft and super comfy, with a very thick mattress and a number of sheets and blankets, but as it was Barcelona in the summer, they weren’t really needed.

On the wall was a large framed print that looked like it could have been by Catalan artist Antonio Tàpies and it really suited the bold, monochrome serenity of the room. The room was also filled with some Japanese calligraphy prints and there were even two in the bathroom.

The Bathroom

The bathroom was quite small but had some interesting design features – I loved the French ceramic taps – and the shower was like something from a Thai spa resort – all black slate tiles with a powerful rainfall shower head.

A few small niggling factors are that the wardrobe isn’t long enough to hang a dress without folding or bagging at the bottom, storage is limited and that the bed looks on to the door (not a huge problem, but bad feng shui for a hotel room).

On one side of the bed, the floorboards creek pretty dramatically and due to all the wooden floorboards and age of the building and there is a bit of noise from the corridor, as people come and go.

However, we didn’t hear any noise from outside, even though the Sant Antoni market stall traders were setting up early in the morning. The air con works like a dream, so there’s no need to even open the windows, unless you want to let in some fresh air while you’re out and about.

We didn’t take breakfast at the hotel (9 Euros), only for the reason that we were so full from the three course meals of the previous nights that we wanted something lighter.

Around the corner, close to the Sant Antoni market is a wonderful bakery called La Mie Câline, where we had a cafe con leche and a huge slab of crisy madeleine cake filled with raspberry compote for just 2 Euros each. It’s not a posh artisan bakery like the ones you might find in leafy Gràcia, but it’s great for tasty patisserie on the go.

Impressions

The Market Hotel is perfect if you’re looking for a hotel with character rather than high-tech facilities and slick design. There are some lovely, personal touches such as complimentary water and apples and the stunning restaurant and bar with an outdoor terrace make the hotel more of an experience than just a base for exploring the city.

Staff were very pleasant and helpful, especially the night porter, who came to our room to help us sort out the air con and found me a large bottle of water when there weren’t any available at reception. Just don’t expect room service and a mini-bar – everything you could want can be found at reception or the restaurant and bar.

We booked a double room for two nights (210 Euros) and prices start from 65 Euros per night.