Travel Blog – Mr & Mrs Smith Boutique & Luxury Hotels

With the shops’ shelves crammed with heart-shaped chocolate boxes and tiny teddies declaring undying love, our thoughts have turned to the practical issues surrounding Valentine’s Day – where can we find really romantic bedrooms in which to woo and be wooed? As usual, the Italians had the answer…

Casa Angelina, Amalfi Coast
The all-white rooms at this cliff-top casa are tranquil capsules of blanched-out bliss, where you won’t hear anything but the sea. The hotel is infused with aromatherapy oils and has tiered rose gardens in the grounds releasing their seductive scent at dusk. The view from the rooms is romance on a rocky cliff – the front of the building is made up from a series of huge, floor-to-ceiling windows so that a fantastic panorama of sparkling sea and Capri greets you whenever you look. The airy apartments beside the private beach incorporate the natural rock of the cliff face into their whitewashed walls. You’ll get chilled prosecco on arrival, ready to sip on the balcony as the sun sets on the Mediterranean.
Rates from €280.

Locanda Palazzone, Umbria
Hide away at this hilltop inn that’s modern and mediaeval in equal measures. This church-like stone farmhouse looms on its own acreage of vine-lined fertile farmland, with views of undulating Umbria from every angle. Mullioned windows in the bedrooms look out to the vineyard’s valleys, hills, chestnut woods or Orvieto. The rooms have full-length glass panels, arched windows and Juliet balconies. The smell of lavender and roses growing in the velvety lawns drifts through the property. And if these aromas aren’t enough to tantalise your nostrils, dip into the luxurious Bulgari bath products in the bedrooms.
Rates from €170.

Portrait Suites, Rome
Scenic city rooms don’t come much better than the ones at this hotel in romance regular, Rome. Firm to its fashionista roots, soft furnishings stylishly create seamless colour contrasts between tan leather desks, soft blue sofas and unexpected flashes of pink and green on the curtains. The Penthouse Suite occupies the entire top two floors and boasts an L-shaped terrace overlooking the Trinità dei Monti and shower-sauna in the bathroom. Some bedrooms have spacious marble bathrooms, others have window seats overlooking Via Condotti, and most have Roman emperor-sized beds, with equally big flatscreen TVs.
Rates from €390.

Masseria Torre Maizza, Puglia
The barrel-vaulted, rustic-chic rooms at this historic fortified farmhouse come with off-white walls, lined with old Italian advertising prints. A short walk along the fragrant jasmine-lined terraces and pathways leads to the doorstep of your pleasingly minimalist room, which will have its own sunlounger- and parasol-studded garden outside. Bathrooms come over all Belle Epoque, with a big white Thirties washstand and bath, and all the fluffy towels, lotions and potions a sybarite could desire. Some rooms open out onto a beautiful sun terrace that comes with two comfy armchairs, and some have a roaring open fire, perfect for winter snuggling. The most romantic has to be the Palm Suite, which has a Jacuzzi and private pool – ideal for midnight skinny-dipping opportunities.
Rates from €279.

Villa Sassolini, Tuscany
This tranquil hideaway in the heart of Chiantishire perfectly marries contemporary chic with historic charm. The bright and spacious rooms are decorated with precision and attention to detail, and come with heart-stopping views over the Tuscan hills. Some of the rooms have beautiful old white-painted beams, four-poster beds, fresco-painted ceilings and bathrooms large enough to house a whole family. For a sexy hunter-style suite, pick A Caccia – adorned with hunting prints, a balcony and views of the wild hills of Chianti.
Rates from €200.

Finally, if you love all things Italian as much as we do, don’t miss the La Dolce Vita event, taking place in London next month. We’ll be there displaying our burgeoning Italian boutique bolthole collection. If you sign up for Smith membership before 11 March, you’ll receive a pair of free tickets to the show (worth £28).

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 at 6:15 pm and is filed under Amalfi Coast, Boutique hotels, Italy, Puglia, Rome, Tuscany, Umbria. You can follow any comments on this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.