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The hotels, the people, the products and a natural sense of creativity, meet our friends that made us smile.
We at The Aficionados get excited about finding standout markers that share our culture for style, creative luxury, design and aesthetic. Possibly random in nature, perhaps, but go ahead and freely explore our collection of hotels, edits, finds and little treasures from Lisbon to NYC - Here, there, not everywhere™️.
Possibly one of the best recent discoveries, the hand-loving brand Plainly is not only the most stylish-looking hand-care product we’ve tried and tested but also incredibly effective. Made in Germany.
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A design refuge for those that like their head in the clouds but feet firmly placed in architectural modernism, set at 1850 metres, the hotel is lofty enough to be able to ski straight out of its door, as well as hiking in summer.
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Vienna’s oldest café dating back some 150 years is reborn, restaurateurs David Figar and Rubin Okotie who took over the institution after the previous owner retired, reopened Café Bellaria “as a modern way of life.
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History, design, calmed wellness and an interior of modern heritage make this hotel-apartment refuge close to Merano the perfect pitstop for some downtime and closeness to nature.
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Three distinctive vineyards on the wild Greek island of Tinos produce bold natural wines from the harsh, mineral-rich, wind-sweept lands in the Cyclades. Meet three heroes: Gerard Margeon of T-oinos, Domaine de Kalathas by vigneron Jérôme Binda and Volacus Wines.
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Opening December 2022, this new unashamedly smooth and modern resort, Haven is your ski-in, ski-out all apartment-hotel in the small Austrian town of St. Johann im Pongau.
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As well as skiing and hiking the Silvretta glacier at 3,000 metres, winter hikes are popular as are snowshoe tours and cross-country skiing. The region has over 74 cable cars and lifts that connect the 297 kilometres of ski slopes, perfectly designed to ensure speedy runs and perfect days on powder.
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Created within a former Augustinian cloister and chapel, Hotel August in the Flemish city of Antwerp was designed by one of Belgium's most acclaimed architects, interior designers, and product designers, Vincent Van Duysen.
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Anchored to specific genres of hotel design, The Aficionados print editions: Farmhouse Fabulous, Casa Gorgeous, Blueprint Beauts and Neu Heritage take the reader through the creation narratives. A sourcebook for hoteliers, travellers, style aficionados and those who appreciate design.
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A curated style jungle of mid-century furnishings, abstract modernism, bespoke pieces are flavoured by the original pine panelling dating back to 1848 - and all this cuteness is wrapped in a canvas of wild herbs and mountain eye candy.
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Internationally acclaimed artist and photographer Jonathan Ducrest returned home to his native Switzerland in 2021 after a 23-year stint in the U.S. - relocating from Los Angeles to Zurich.
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Covered in volcanic ash, just like its Italian counterpart Pompeii, the Bronze Age settlement of Akrotiri, located on the south side of Santorini, was once the main port of the Aegean and a busy urban hub.
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Na Travessa pleasingly resides almost incognito amongst its neighbours, it is unassuming, familiar and reveals little about the poetic architectural features within.
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Based in Athens, the creative directors of BaBatchas, Chrysi Makri and Nefeli Gkyzi, were drawn to each other by a common love for their homeland of Greece and Athens in particular, where they both found its modern idiosyncrasies and ancient peculiarities an inspiring place to live and work.
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Dendrophiles, or lovers of trees, will enjoy the diversity here with over 1,400 species – including rarely seen palms and ferns from across the world.
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One of Antonio’s unique skills is his ability to fuse the old with the new – looking at the bones of a building before deciding what should be renovated, and later enhanced by a modern touch
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Panoramic vistas set the scene of these townhouse-styled design suites built in traditional island architecture and the hallmarks of Cycladic design, found in the hilltop village of Pyrgos.
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Cinque Terre in the Slow Lane – Ensconce yourself at a secluded retreat where the pleasures of slow living are championed in a peaceful and tradition-filled Ligurian way of life.
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'Oh Yeah,' from cult band 'Yello' to producing ethical, fair-trade chocolate, Oro de Cacao is real chocolate using a manufacturing process that carefully extracts the actual flavour of the bean.
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Find our latest member boutique hotels, luxury villas and design B&Bs to join The Aficionados collection of creative places to stay.
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Porto for culture seekers - we explore the Serralves Foundation comprising of a dusty pink 1930-40s’s Art Deco villa designed by Porto architect José Marques da Silva, a landscape-specific contemporary museum designed by Álvaro Siza.
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Seamlessly slotting into Tinos’ wild and remote surroundings, design hotel Under The Sun is a raw and natural addition to this dramatic cliff-scape where Aegean blues blend sky with sea and a rugged architecture creates the perfect setting for a soulful escape.
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A wonderful six-suite design guesthouse-hotel in the creative heartlands of Athens in the Kolonaki Quarter - home to the creative set, bookstores, publishing, galleries, museums and cafes.
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Temptation Positano is a fashion brand that translates the golden moments of the Amalfi coast into its garments. Drawing inspiration from these unique locations, Temptation Positano produces all its garments in picture-perfect Positano.
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Discover the four best Santorini winemakers on the volcanic Cyclades island's vineyards: Argyros, Gavalas, Venetsanos and Hatzidakis from vinsantos to Assyrtiko.
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A noble Palácio of cor de rosa in the leafy Príncipe Real district dates back to 1877, a luxurious family residence that courted Lisboan high society. Aptly, this former heritage palace is a rather fabulous boutique hotel of style – it is grandeur: suitably chilled.
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The Restoration Hotels are those aged modernists that marry twisted beams of centuries old with the design of Corbusier and we love this style combo of sheer architectural inspiration.
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Overlooking a dramatic diorama of mountains and valleys, this fun spirited luxury den threads the Heimat of Montafon with a modernist design aesthetic.
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What do you do if you inherit six acres of fig orchards? If you’re Antonio Longo you start Santomiele, a luxury confectionary business that uses the sun-dried figs in delicious handmade chocolates, stuffed figs, cakes and syrups.
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Dating back to the 16th century and once the noble country pad of Marquises and Counts – the Roncolo 1888 is a boutique guesthouse-hotel set within 130-hectares of the Venturini Baldini viticultural estate.
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Summertime Alping is all about chillaxing in herbal spas, hiking lush verdant hillsides & seeking art sky-high - this is the Alps, for you cool cats.
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Get straight to the heart of the action with a new SkyAlps ski flight that lands directly from London, Brussels, Copenhagen, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Rotterdam & Hamburg into Bolzano, the Alpine capital of South Tyrol and perfectly placed for ski escapades in the UNESCO protected Dolomites.
Simplicity and a lack of superfluous detail characterise the multifaceted work of Kerstens Architects design studio, based in Antwerp, headed up by Andy Kerstens – a man with clear vision of architecture, interior design and furniture design.
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Once the home of devout Sisters, its aged cloistral heritage has been recast following an exacting narrative of preservation, reframing the monastic aesthetics for the modern nomad without corrupting the patina of austere beauty and timeworn touchpoints.
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A fabulous new hotel, excitement builds for the opening of Parkhotel Mondschein, a new design hotel addition to the red-roofed Bolzano skyline in South Tyrol, ready for guests to pass through its newly painted doors.
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A brand this quirky yet with such cohesion, it makes sense that it was created by two brothers, Jan and Patrick Olyslager, who hail from Antwerp.
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With an extraordinarily creative mind, Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro (1846 – 1923), was known for taking his own approach which can be seen in this revealing museum which showcases his graphic arts, caricatures, ceramics, object design and decoration.
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Even though it’s not always easy to spot, the architectural designs of Milan based Peter Pichler Architecture can be considered traditional in many ways. Their sleek, pointed and stark lines may not look it, but they are deeply inspired by nature and by the surrounding vernacular architecture.
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In need of some tender loving care? Or perhaps in need a boot-camp style health kick? Either way we have Spa destinations that just browsing the images make you feel better.
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Sleep under medieval frescoes, sweep down labyrinthine corridors, lord it up on the lofty ramparts or stroll through the Mediterranean garden, admiring the ivy-clad castle backdrop.
Whisper the names – Rain Cloud, Driftwood, White Smoke and Ink - and already your nose is twitching to find out more. Meet cult Perfumer H, aka Lyn Harris.
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The perfect amalgamation of old and new, Benedikta breathes fresh life into Vorarlberg heritage traditions in this smoothly crafted private-hire house originally built in 1836, located in the sleepy village of Vandans clasped by the wildflower-strewn valley of Montafon, west Austria.
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For when you need that extra space and you need the whole damn place for yourself, whether you wanna rock like a star, get hitched behind closed doors, hosting a yoga retreat or just fancy having a ball with your friends Bond style – these are our XL+ luxury private hire rental abodes, from rustic to mega to the designer architect's pad.
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Professor, architect and designer with an intense love of concrete and the alps, architect Othmar Barth (1927-2010) was considered futuristic, often misunderstood and a bit of a silent hero of the rural monumental.
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Conceiving of noa* as an ever-changing network of architects, interior designers, graphic talent to even psychologists and much more, noa* is able to incorporate a multitude of ideas and styles into its hotel projects.
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Exceptional pieces of precision engineering – Berlin based Mykita sunglasses fuse the handcrafted with high technology to produce eyewear that redefines the aesthetic of luxury.
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Genuizzi | Banal Architects studio based in Milano is synonymous with clear spatial design and a strong lineal aesthetic bound to the environment.
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Poseidon’s Sanctuary, the Ilha Verde or the basecamp of cashmere, these wild island hush outposts of myths, folklore and cultural soul are well worth finding your sea legs.
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Kanaal by Axel Vervoordt & Co is a kind of city in the countryside, less than half an hour’s drive from Antwerp, where art, architecture and nature combine.
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Jürgen Haller is the gentle giant of a guy, a genius Baumeister in Austria’s Bregenzerwald. Over the past years, he has carved a name for himself with his imposing architecture, engineering, and design narrative.
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The gift of a hotel stay is a great present for a birthday, Christmas, a Wedding present or just a thank you gift. Shop online for hotel gift cards, and vouchers.
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Hat maker to the stars, family milliner business Mühlbauer’s designs began over a hundred years ago and now fly from Vienna to top some of the most famous heads in the world.
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Antwerp is one of Europe's cultural hotbeds with historical landmarks and art institutions. And while Antwerp has plenty of those – we turn our focus on the smaller-scale contemporary culture must-sees the Flemish city has to offer.
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