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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.
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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An eco-friendly style refuge, The West Nest is a curated marriage of dramatic Scottish wilderness and contemporary rural living found on the rugged west coast of the Isle of Skye in Glendale, close to nature spot Neist Point famed for spotting whales, basking sharks, dolphins and majestic sea eagles.
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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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One of Scotland’s most beautiful coastal routes – and indeed the Highlands’ answer to Route 66 – take a drive around the North Coast 500 and sweep your way through 500 miles of varied, rugged natural beauty of the sort that only Scotland could ever really claim as its own.
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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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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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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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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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A sleek modernist mansion sitting front row on the Lezzeno shoreline of Lake Como, backed by a mountainous canopy forest. A homage to Italian custom, style and native craftsmanship, Filario flirts with time-past decadence and chilled luxury – an elegant paring of design and heritage overlooking Bellagio, Villa Balbianello, and Comacina Island.
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MUD Residence is an original 60s house layered with contemporary detailing, located in Flemish Brabant between the greens of Heverlee forests and Meerdal woods, a fresh, modernist and creative abode 20kms east of Brussels.
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Ceramics, pencil-lead greys, putty linens and aged furnishings headline at this restored design guesthouse of original simplicity in the cute market of Lana, South Tyrol.
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Architect Mario Botta’s church of San Giovanni Battista in Mogno, in the Swiss canton of Ticino is made of geometrical white marble and dark gneiss.
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An über sleek modernist villa located in Bardolino, just fifteen minutes stroll from shoreside Lake Garda. A private-hire cuboid holiday home wrapped around by a lush garden and a pool, Montelino provides privacy seeking nomads with everything necessary as a hub for a modern-day Grand Tour pitstop.
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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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An absolute charm ball landmarked by pillars, arcaded colonnades from the Roman archaeological ruins of "Grotte di Catullo" to the 13th-century fortress, Scaligero Castle.
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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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Rising up like delicate meringue-whipped peaks, mirroring the Dolomites panorama that surrounds it, the architecture and design of Hotel Milla Montis create an impact.
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Set against the forested Beskydy (Beskids) range in the Carpathian Mountains, this 200-year-old designer hideaway fosters modern Czech county living whilst giving heritage a hug, decked in whites, linens and twisted rafters.
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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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Founded by Stephan Marx and Elke Ladurner, the studio's work is never shy of a making a statement in often built-up zones where space, views, legacy and approval rank high. Their mantra is to distil what you can and cannot build.
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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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A chilled habitat of modern alpine vibe, this ski bolthole is dapper, plush and Martini cool. A suave lair of modern alpine style that flirts with the traditions of the Alps and is the perfect habitat for the ski fraternity and summer activity junkies.
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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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Originally conceived as the village schoolhouse back in the 1930s, the traditional house, with alpine curb appeal of larch shingles, gabled rooftop and green shutters frame the lattice windows, is now a fabulous small design hotel surrounded by the Bavarian alps and pastures.
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Not just a relic from the punk era, Le Kilt has brought the real deal back with a bang replete with slogans, mix and match tartans and a playful sense of cool.
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Food writer Meredith Erickson has travelled the wintry peaks and picturesque trails of the alpine region of France, Italy, Switzerland and Austria to source the most delicious dishes.
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Strikingly modern design and humble heritage are the trademarks of Tempel 74 Apartments in the heart of the Mellau-Damüls ski region, just 500m to the ski lifts. Centuries-old Alpine craftsmanship marries pioneering architecture: a design concept that is very much at home in Bregenz.
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A fabulous retro-design, five bedroom holiday home of smooth vintage in Merano, this design vacation-rental is gorgeous, a luxury haven dotted with thoughtful mid-century design pieces, layered with love.
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This is all about the mix of traditional Alpine style, synonymous with mountainous living and the contemporary hand of private hoteliers. We pulled together a cool style edit of those places that take the traditional dipped into urban sleekness adding a dash of modernity.
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Contemporary art continues to find its way into the Alpine villages of Engadin – surely, a reflection of the cosmopolitan and cultured crowd that seizes upon these rural locales each holiday season.
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A groovy icon from the seventies, Seehotel Ambach presides over the shores of Lake Caldaro in Italy’s South Tyrol with its perfectly formed, curvaceous marshmallowy walls of laid-back glamour and a canvas of tangerine, vert and oxide reds which drape mid-century furniture pieces.
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Our top 10 small boutique hotels brimming with design, luxury, character, and distilled with local charm - this is beyond B&B, this is Dinky Luxe.
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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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Founded by three self-confessed coffee addicts, Gringo Nordic are serious about its sourcing, production and roasting. What could be better on a visit to Gothenburg to indulge in the nation’s pastime of fika, which involves carving time everyday for ‘coffee and cake’.
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The winery of St Jodern Kellerei in Switzerland’s beautiful Visperterminen, in the canton of Valais, has long been recognised as having the highest vineyard in Europe.
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Villa Charissa is a new addition to the hip, designer-cool Aenaon Villas Santorini. Built in the same traditional island’s cave house style, locally called “yposkafa”, Villa Charissa is a luxury suite that cascades into tiers all cocooned in a rigorous aesthetic of pure white, smooth polished cement and a tinge of volcanic black for added drama.
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When wandering Mallorcan village streets, a specific type of fabric will catch your eye – the blue & white fabric called Ikat. It bears a characteristic pattern obtained by the process of resist dying, and the island of Mallorca is the only place where you can still visit family-run workshops that have been operating for over 160 years.
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