If you want to stay somewhere that’s truly trendy, do what the A-listers do and reach for one of Herbert Ypma’s Hip Hotels books. When it comes to jet-set travel, Ypma is the undisputed king of cool, a man with an unfailing ability to seek out and find the most stylish properties in the world.
He has visited hundreds over the years, producing nine books that offer everything from Mediterranean beach retreats to Oriental palaces — all places that create the zeitgeist. But Ypma has always resisted appeals to name those he considers the absolute best — until now. We have persuaded him to come clean and give us his 20 all-time favourites. Here, Herbert reveals the megastar hotels that make it into his personal hip parade.
SAMODE HAVELI
Jaipur, India
When I go to India, I want that sense of the magic of the maharajahs . . . the romance . . . that Passage to India feeling. What I love about Samode Haveli is that the owners haven’t done anything to it. They may have updated the bathrooms a little, but basically what you’re getting is the intact city palace of the royal family of Singhji.
It is something real, slightly frayed, definitely not sanitised. Once, I stayed in what had been the maharajah’s lovemaking room. It had archways with coloured glass that threw this funky light across the room when the sun filtered through, and was covered in mirrored tiles. In the maharajah’s time, the bed used to hang suspended from the ceiling — the hooks are still there. It was an extraordinary experience to lie there and know this was where he’d go in the afternoon to be entertained by his women. It’s the perfect introduction to Jaipur.
Details: 00 91 141 263 2370, www.samode.com; doubles from £58, B&B. Virgin Atlantic (0870 574 7747, www.virgin-atlantic.com) flies direct from Heathrow to Delhi; from £530. Jet Airways (www.jetairways.com) flies from Delhi to Jaipur; from £80 return.
BAY OF FIRES LODGE
Tasmania, Australia
Australia is all about emptiness. It’s a wild, lonely continent, and Bay of Fires Lodge is the three-dimensional synthesis of that. It forces you to experience that untouched beauty because you’re not allowed to go straight to the hotel. Guides pick you up at the airport and you have to walk for two days along beautiful beach after beautiful beach to reach it; the guides cook for you and put up a tent for you to sleep in.
You don’t see another soul, just hundreds of wallabies, whales, dolphins and abalones. It’s like your very own wildlife reserve, but a friendly one — not like Africa, where you’re scared something might jump out and bite you.
The reward after the trek is this extraordinary piece of architecture — it’s like a spear hanging over the beach. The style of this place is so pure that it doesn’t intrude on nature, it touches it lightly. It has a brutal beauty. You’ll leave here with a fresh sense of life, and you can’t put a price on that.
Details: 00 613 6391 9339, www.bayoffires.com.au; four days, including two nights at the lodge, from £665pp, full-board. Trailfinders (0845 058 5858, www.trailfinders.com) has flights from Heathrow or Manchester to Melbourne with Cathay Pacific, then on to Launceston with Virgin Blue; from £740.
VILLA FELTRINELLI
Lake Garda, Italy
A night in this splendid Italian villa is worth a month anywhere else in the world. Yes, it’s expensive, but as you waltz down its noble staircase, ready to take its custom-built, 80ft mahogany speedboat to Verona for the opera, followed by dinner on board in the moonlight, you’ll feel pretty good about yourself.
This place is engineered to create the most unforgettable experiences that you’ll talk about for ever. It fulfils every cliché, every expectation of Italy that you have. And the thing about Italy is that it’s one of the few countries that hasn’t ruined its natural beauty. Italians know how to take the most beautiful setting, add layers of architecture and landscaping, and somehow make it even more beautiful.
Villa Feltrinelli typifies that talent. It has the best location on Lake Garda and huge rooms that are exactly what you’d expect from a grand villa. Suffice to say, no corners were cut in anything. It’s perfect in every detail.
Details: 00 39 0365 79800, www.villafeltrinelli.it; doubles from £500. British Airways (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com) flies from Gatwick to Verona; from £95. Hotel transfers take 75min and cost £115.
DUNTON HOT SPRINGS
Colorado, USA
This old mining town, way up in the Rockies, is where the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang used to hide out. It had become a ghost town, literally with a river running through it. The guys who bought the place decided its batteredness was its charm, so they opted to renovate only every other log cabin. At great expense, they put all the services and amenities underground, preserving the town’s authentic feel.
