Hotel of the Week: The Levante Parliament
Posted by Caroline on November 6th, 2009The polls are closed, the votes are in (and have been checked by an independent adjudicator), and this week’s elected hotel of choice is Vienna‘s parliamentary neighbour, The Levante Parliament…
Style: Streamlined chrome cool
Setting: Oh, Vienna
Why this week? Austria’s opulence seduces with every passing season but this time of year is especially spectacular, because Christmas and all its charms come knocking – and a trip to one of Vienna’s many chocolate-box Christmas markets will have you full of seasonal good will in no time. From the last week of November to Christmas Eve, Vienna breaks into a flurry of festive folly. See the Rathaus (Town Hall) lit up and surrounded by an array of activities certain to enchant the little Smiths, and visit Schönbrunn Palace market to sample more mulled wine, spiced gingerbread and creative crafts than you can shake a stocking at. And if that doesn’t tempt you, combine culture and thrift with Mr and Mrs Smith’s November offer of 3 nights at Levante Parliament hotel for the price of 2. What’s more, Smiths in the USA can win a three-night stay at this hotel plus flights from New York or Los Angeles with Discover Austria.
Our favourite bits The hotel gets its name from the proximity of the Parliament building, but it’s a far cry from the velvet-upholstered fustiness its name might suggest. Romania-born designer Ioan Nemtoi has given the place high-octane impact. Entirely crafted of glass, the Nemtoi bar is a fitting sleek hors d’oeuvre for the restaurant, which features a menu of international delicacies. Delicately spiralling glass tendril screens keep your dining experience private.
Mr and Mrs Smith say ‘The Levante Parliament in Vienna’s Auerspergstrasse is a refreshing design hotel, housed in a building that dates back to 1908. Its lobby and entrance hall are deliberately laid out and lit as a gallery space.
Along with the ubiquitous glass sculptures throughout the hotel, there are works by the celebrated Viennese photographer Curt Themessl. All artworks are for sale but, sadly, out of this pair’s price range. The reddish tinges of Nemtoi’s creations add a glow to the hotel’s 74 rooms and suites, which feature furniture of a dark, dense tropical wood from Africa known as wengé. The rooms are warm, welcoming and comfortable, with upholstered beds whose wide borders of coral orange add a glow to the soothing combination of browns and beiges in the fitted carpet and drapes. While my lady was luxuriating in the waterfall shower surrounded by highly polished cream Italian marble and a comprehensive stock of designer supplies, I had the opportunity to explore the treasures and pleasures of the minibar’s exotic blends and vintages and to try out the free high-speed Internet. The latter was a handy way to fill in certain gaps in my knowledge of glass sculpture…’
Compiled by Hannah Thompson
I love these kind of luxury hotels… they relax me like totally.. this one looks really charming and there is nothing like a good luxurious shower! it deserve to be the hotel of the week!
By HazelAdam
On November 13th, 2009