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
Here at Smith, we don’t know whether to drag out our saris, ski poles or swimwear this month, as we welcome new luxury hotels in the Indian desert, European mountains, sun-drenched Sicily and tropical Australia. Our collection of boutique hotels in India continues to swell, with the arrival of two beauties in Jodhpur, including fairy-tale desert [...]
When it comes to our boutique hotels, we’re as proud as first-time parents. We’ll show you photos of them, sing their praises ’til we’re hoarse in the throat, and coax you to come visit, so you can see for yourself. We feel the same gush of love for our Smith reviewers – finding a more [...]
Hurrah! Or should that be ‘très bien’ – we revisit the romantic-weekend capital of the world, with a peek at some more insider secrets from Paris, in the second Smith Travel Blog communiqué from Francophile femme and founder of Girls’ Guide to Paris, Doni Belau. Here, she reveals the Paris hidden away in its many [...]
Call us greedy (well, we are) but we like our stylish self-catering properties to come with a few extras on the side. Take 42 rue Victor Hugo, which occupies a prime perch in historic Carcassonne. Not only does this two-apartment townhouse have city-slicker good looks (slate bathrooms, Farrow & Ball shades, Smeg-kitted mini-kitchen and elegant [...]
Picture the scene: the sun is setting in the Côte d’Azur, glasses glitter with champagne, the scent of flowers vies with wafts of garlic from the kitchen, and a group of singers stand on the terrace, letting their voices soar into the serenity. Bastide Saint Mathieu has captured our imagination with its Riviera Opera events, [...]
As one of Australia’s top interior stylists, vintage maven Lyn Gardener (right, with Jack) is kept on her toes running a gorgeous emporium in Albert Park, South Melbourne, a decorating business and a holiday home in our Smith & Friends collection. We asked Lyn to spare a few minutes to tell us about what’s brilliant [...]
Later this month, film-making movers and shakers will be descending on the red carpets of the Côte d’Azur for the Cannes Film Festival. Here at Smith, we’re excited about our own awards: it might not be the Palme d’Or, but – for outstanding contribution to worldwide wellbeing – this week’s hotel world equivalent goes to… [...]
With all the love in the air here in the UK lately, we’ve been on the hunt for some rural romance. Just as well, then, that the new recruits to our Smith & Friends collection are bucolic boltholes, perfect for isolated escapes à deux… THE HUNTING LODGE Dordogne With the Dronne river at the bottom [...]
Sydney spice master Christine Manfield takes her food – and her travel – very seriously. When she’s not at the stoves of Darlinghurst hotspot Universal, Christine leads gourmet tours through India, south-east Asia and Tunisia, and draws on her past life as a teacher to write pitch-perfect cookbooks (she’s currently polishing her sixth). So who [...]
Newsflash! Alert! Man the lifeboats! And so on! Not wishing to be overdramatic, but our two-nights-for-the-price-of-one hotel deal with The Times comes to an end on Saturday, so if you’re in the market for a half-price two-night getaway, ACT FAST! BUY NOW! MIND YOUR HEAD! And suchlike. There are 70 hotels in the UK and [...]
