Get the low-down from the original style-seekers' latest good-time hunting expeditions, find destination inspiration and insider tips from around the world. Welcome to the official Smith blog: we hope you enjoy your stay
Though stylish places to stay are our forté, we at Mr & Mrs Smith like to think we know a little bit about food, too. The destination guides that accompany all of the hotels on our website always include tips on where to head for great meals, and all of us at Smith HQ are [...]
Chef Michael Caines – not to be confused with the chirpy, one-dimensional cockney actor – has long been a Mr & Mrs Smith favourite. After learning his trade in the kitchens of such greats as Raymond Blanc, Bernard Loiseau and Joël Robuchon, Michael became head chef at Gidleigh Park in Devon, where he garnered two [...]
There can be few things more irksome than being left out while an entire roomful of smug people simultaneously rave about something you’ve never tried (like a super-exclusive wine) or somewhere you’ve never been (like a favourite hotel) - and believe me, at Mr & Mrs Smith, it’s a regular occurrence. It’s like being back [...]
Five or so years ago, cider drinkers were generally treated with the kind of uneasy suspicion normally afforded to plague carriers, teenage hoodies and over-friendly cousins. Thanks to the marketing efforts of Magners, Bulmers and their ilk, however, cider is acceptable again, even bordering on a discerning option for bar-hopping urbanites. Strongbow on tap? Sooo [...]
Vegetarians, look away now…
Since meat is rapidly becoming as valuable as gold bullion, and the UN has upsettingly hinted we all eat a little less of it, we at Smith HQ reckon that it’s more important than ever to make sure that the slices of ex-cow that pass our lips are of the utmost quality. [...]
We at Smith Towers have always liked things that come in twos. Mr Smith and Mrs Smith, for example; two nights for the price of one; double bathtubs… So we’re understandably delighted about the launch of British Airways’ new Metrotwin website, which highlights all that’s good about those two great modern cities London and New [...]
Lara Dunston is the brains behind the Cool Travel Guide blog and has written or contributed to 40 travel guidebooks (for DK, Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, Footprint, Insight, AA Guides and Thomas Cook) and writes for magazines and newspapers all over the world, including National Geographic Traveler, Wanderlust, Get Lost, Lifestyle+Travel, Paperplane, The Independent and [...]
When it comes to reporting on cutting-edge arts, culture and design, New-York based Coolhunting is on the vanguard. And few hotels are more worthy of being celebrated on this finger-on-the-pulse website than Thierry Teyssier’s Romaneira. At Smith we always appreciate great-looking hotels, and there’s nothing we love more than sharing our experiences at fabulous hideaways, [...]
Wow-inducing bathrooms have become as important as seductive boudoirs at the hotels Mr & Mrs Smith visit, and they’re a great opportunity to showcase imaginative design. Double sinks, or even double baths create a glamorous boutique-hotel feel, glass-enclosed wet-room-style showers and baths with a view add drama. Beautiful materials and different textures, from stone tiling [...]
Forget coffee*, we BlogSmiths have a new obsession: cheese. As Lucy – who’s currently sunning herself in the South of France in a rather special Smith hotel – mentioned last week during our wedding/honeymoon bonanza, I’m currently in the process of coordinating my own forthcoming nuptials (which, for those of you who haven’t yet had [...]
